Undercrown Shade Robusto (5 x 54) Cigar

The Undercrown brand began on the factory floor at Drew Estate: rollers making the scarce, high-demand Liga Privada could not smoke the cigars they were rolling, so they built their own variation using alternate primings of the same tobaccos. Undercrown Shade, announced ahead of the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show, is a wholly different blend — Master Blender Willy Herrera's first release outside the Herrera Estelí brand — created by challenging the original Undercrown roller team to build a Connecticut blend that suited his palate, a process that took more than a year. It gave Drew Estate its first premium long-filler Connecticut Shade offering in years and reshaped what the Undercrown name stands for.

A silky, golden-brown Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over a Sumatra binder and long-fillers of Dominican Criollo 98 with Nicaraguan Criollo and Corojo. Handmade at Drew Estate's La Gran Fabrica in Estelí, Nicaragua. Robusto format, 5 x 54. Box count: 25 cigars.

A smooth, creamy medium-bodied smoke built on nuts, sweet cream and toasted bread, with subtle hints of warm spice and honey. Reviewers of the Robusto report milk chocolate, vanilla, caramel and cedar through the first two thirds, with a touch of pepper on the draw and a long, clean finish. It burns cool and even, finishing without harshness or bitterness.

Pairs naturally with a morning cup of coffee, and holds up just as well against a bourbon later in the evening.

A natural morning or after-breakfast smoke, and equally at home as a nightcap a few hours after dinner with friends.