So the Subculture ACID cigar line is made by Drew Estates and promotes itself as an Aromatic cigar experience with cigars infused by botanicals and herbals. The “Subculture” reference here is a slight addition to the regular ACID line. The Subculture series is a somewhat limited blend and are slightly similar to some core lines in the Drew Estates inventory. You can tell the Subculture versions apart from the regular ACID cigars by it’s unique gold/orange/red gradient band.

In this case, the Toast is a balanced blend of the Herbal and Botanical infusions from the ACID lineup. A lot of the other ACID cigars tend to be either Herbal or Botanical, but not both. All of the tobacco leaves used in ACID cigars are cured in a large room called the Cuarto Aromatico (Aroma Room) for a period of many months. Only after being in this top-secret room are the leaves rolled into a finished cigar.

The ACID cigars have made a large impact in the cigar world and have quickly grown to some of the top selling cigars in the industry. The appeal here is that the infused flavors offer a little more appeal to people who aren’t regular cigar smokers. On the flip side, Drew Estates tried to strike a balance that even regular cigar enthusiasts could pick up one of these cigars and still enjoy them since they contain some premium Nicaraguan tobacco.

I used to enjoy the odd infused or flavored cigars way back when I first started getting into the hobby but they fell off my radar quite awhile ago. I happened to have a couple ACID cigars left from a sampler tin I purchased roughly 3 years ago and probably have not smoked many infused at all since that time. I had a few bad experiences with flavored and infused cigars that I decided to stay away. But here I am going in for a full review on a popular infused cigar line. Will my opinion of the infused cigars change? Read on to find out!

Cigar: Drew Estate Subculture ACID Toast
Drink: Hockley Valley Brewery Dark Ale
Vitola: Toro (6 x 50)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: About $6 (Got mine in a sampler)
Burn Time: Almost 2 hours

Construction:
• The construction of the Subculture ACID Toast is clean and smooth with very few veins running along it
• The wrapper is a deep chocolate color with a few dark brown splotches
• The double cap atop this cigar is very clean and neatly finished
• On the other end, the foot shows signs of a full and neat filler
• The cigar has some spring to it when squeezed and is a bit softer just below the cap
• The cigar clipped cleanly and easily without much effort
• I’m happy to say the draw feels just a tad open but mostly in a good range

Burn:
• The toasting of the “Toast” was even and fairly quick, leaving me with a nice glowing foot
• First impressions of the burn are positive as I truck through the first inch with a nice tight line
• I’m happy to report that the burn has been great going through the first half, sharp and clean without any need for touch-ups
• The burn was fantastic right to the end without the need for a single touch-up

Smoke & Ash:
• This Subculture ACID Toast is a smoke machine at the start, pumping out a ton of smoke from each draw and matching that with a ton of smoke while resting
• The ash seems to be presenting with some nice white and light grey colors, starting out fairly clean and strong without any flaking to worry about
• It’s very easy to get a good mouthful of smoke on this cigar with little effort
• First ash lasted nearly 1.5 inches and it fell as I was snapping some pictures. At least it hit the floor and not my lap! lol
• The ash continues to produce some clean lines and a nice white color
• The clean ash continued to surpass the 1 inch mark each time although I somehow managed to make it fall off while taking pictures all the time…

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper aroma on the Subculture ACID Toast has a strong dirt and earth type of smell, along with a bit of floral notes
• The foot has similar aromas of dirt and floral notes but with less intensity, there’s definitely no secret that this is an infused cigar
• There is a ton of sweetness when this cigar hits your lips, it’s like putting candy in your mouth. In this case it still tasted sorta earthy and now some herbal notes too
• The pre-light draw brings just a bit of earth to the table, not much else
• Despite all the sweet, dirt, earth and floral notes on the pre-light there is surpringly few of these elements left on the first few draws
• The initial draws brought mostly woodsy notes and a bit of sweetness, but I think that could be from my lips touching the wrapper and not from the actual smoke
• Within the first inch I actually started picking up a touch of spices, maybe a slight white pepper thrown into the mix along with more smooth cedar flavors
• So far the finish has been somewhat dry and flavorless and the body is mostly in the mild to medium range
• The retrohale has a very light bite to it and a woodsy yet dry finish
• The spicy notes died out shortly after they appeared and I still have a nice balanced woodsy flavor going
• Every once in awhile I get hints of other flavors like cooking spices, leather, earth a,d even some grassy notes but they seem to come and go
• The dryness on the finish settled down a bit and the sweetness of my lips is adding an interesting dimension to the whole mix
• The flavors definitely began to intensify near the end, some more of the spice came back and the woodsy notes are still there. The sweetness on my lips is still around as well which helps balance it all out
• The intensity continued to build into the final inch and started turning just a bit harsh while the cigar also started burning a bit hot

Final Thoughts:
I came into this cigar with a bit of fear…haha. The last few infused cigars I had that I can remember were bad experiences and so I had a negative preconception going in. I’m happy to say the Drew Estate Subculture ACID Toast was not the terrible cigar I was bracing myself for. It’s different and unique, but not terrible by any means. The strong aroma and sweetness on the lips is something to get used to but if you accept it I found they added to the flavor profile quite nicely. The flavors on the cigar were not overly complex or too deep but they were fairly enjoyable. Probably my biggest gripe here was some of the dryness this cigar was giving me. Sometimes a nice woodsy cigar with a sweet touch is exactly what you are looking for, and if that’s the case you would probably like these! I can’t speak to how the 3 years aging in my humidor affected these though so take that into account as well. This may have dulled the infused flavors but I’d have to try a fresh one to be sure, just a thought…

Pairings:
Today’s pairing comes from another local brewery called Hockley Valley Brewery located in Orangeville, Ontario. They pump out a variety of Traditional English brews and in today’s case we have a Dark Ale. I’ve also paired their “Black & Tan” with the La Aurora Preferdidos 1903 Ruby and their Stout with the My Father LE 2010. Now, the can doesn’t say “Award Winning” for nothing, this is a smooth and tasty dark ale with a hefty helping of malt and slight espresso notes. The whole thing is balanced, and tasty and goes down super easy. I wasn’t exactly sure what to pair this cigar with so I took a guess and I think it worked out ok. Next time I think I would vouch for a lighter ale, something blonde or amber instead. Maybe even a soda or some sparkling water would go well here.

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Drew Estate ACID Cold Infusion Tea:

Drew Estate - ACID - Cold Infusion Tea

This was another one of the first smokes I have ever had and again, one of my favorites. Outside of coffee the next great additive to a cigar…TEA.

Not only are these great cigars, but for the price… UNBEATABLE. I picked this one up from the local El Paso brick and mortar shop “Tobacco Tin”. These guys are AMAZING. If you are local, or visiting definitely check them out. They have shops on both the east and west side of town with a MASSIVE selection in both. Not to mention top notch service!

On To The Good Stuff:

Strength: Medium  –  Size: 6 3/4 x 44  –  Wrapper: Natural Connecticut  –  Country: Nicaragua

Cold Infusion Tea is part of the ACID Gold line of infused cigars. These Cigars are carefully infused using Drew Estate’s secret infusion process with notes of everything from floral, to peach cobbler (no joke).

Prelight: This cigar has to be one of the best scented ACIDs ever created. The scent isn’t as strong as the Acid Blue’s but it is unbelievably enticing. The construction again, was impeccable. No visible veins. There were small amounts of filler tobacco found hugging the outside of the cigar, but these quickly brushed off with a soft blow. I usually tend to like shorter, fatter cigars. This one is just the opposite. Its long narrow construction forms a perfect fit in your hands making for a comfortable wield.

First Smoke: Again, I am using a Cuban Crafters double bladed “Perfecto” blade and a single flame standard colibri butane torch. I’m really tied to this cutter, but I may choose a Xikar double blade once I can convince myself its worth it. And as far as the torch, I’ll probably hold on to this guy until its death. At first, this cigar produces a VERY smooth draw. Scratch that, UNBELIEVABLY smooth draw. The only downfall was it didn’t produce as much smoke as I am used to. A lot of that has to do with the shape. The taste is remarkable. A pallet full of fruits, hints of what I think is green tea, and floral scents. The taste is in no way overpowering. It’s lightly infused not flavored. The burn was perfectly even and ash held on for at least a good inch before falling off.

Halfway There: This came to me as a surprise but about halfway through the cigar the draw begins to increase. The flavor stays the same making for an incredible smoke. It felt as if the cigar gained strength well into the smoke. Could this be due to the shape as well?!? I’m not too sure but it was a great surprise. The cigar is still burning even.

Finish: I took this guy all the way down to the nub. I was “in the zone” so I even took it into the “danger zone”, and my burnt lips didn’t regret it. Unlike the surprise halfway through this cigar, the draw and taste remained consistent. It was almost like I wasn’t even close to reaching its end. The wrapper held its shape all the way through with no signs of unwrapping keeping a consistently even burn.

Overview: This is a great cigar for many reasons. If you are new to smoking, or to smoking infused cigars, then this is the perfect introductory smoke. Not too harsh, not too powerful, and not too flavorful. If you have been turned off by ACID cigars because of the heavy scent and flavor then this is a good medium and definitely worth a shot. And of course, if you love infused cigars, and ACID brands, then this is right for you.

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