The scenery may look a bit different as I am actually doing this review from my favorite local shop, Tobacco Rd., which has always been a huge supporter of the site as well as a close friend. (Yes I brought my ashtray from home, so what?!)

The Good Stuff: Here is the press release La Aurora released. It basically covers everything to a tee:

La Aurora Unveils Broadway Series for New York State only

The Affordable Cigar Debuts Monday December 20 at Cigar Inn.

MIAMI FL – Miami Cigar & Company, the exclusive U.S. distributor for La Aurora, announces help is on the way for New York. Tobacconists are suffering under harsh tobacco tax of 75% of wholesale cost which prices many cigars out of the average smoker’s reach. La Aurora vice president Guillermo León says it is time for action to help smokers. As a result, León and Miami Cigar and Company President Nestor Miranda are releasing a special Broadway Series by La Aurora with a suggested retail price of $12.25 including the onerous NY state tobacco tax.

León says, “New York has always been special to me and my family. What has happened with the cigar taxes in New York is tragic. Since we cannot lower the taxes, we worked hard to lower the cost of this cigar without compromising quality. ” Adds Miranda, “we are beginning to try to help tobacconists with the Broadway series by La Aurora just in time for Christmas.”

On Monday, December 20th, Cigar Inn on Second Avenue in New York City will host Guillermo León , Nestor Miranda and Miami Cigar VP Rene Castaneda with a private dinner to launch the Broadway series. The initial cigar is a Sumo Toro, measuring 5 ¾ X 54. Its blend uses a double wrapper of Ecuadorian Sumatran and Nicaraguan over Dominican Corojo binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. The Broadway Series will only be available at tobacconists in New York state.

Prelight: The La Aurora Broadway is a larger, bulky cigar. A lot bigger that what I am used to, and probably larger than La Aurora is used to making. The Broadway is very firm and has a good weight to it too, heavy enough to beat the crap out of somebody with. The wrapper is oily and a darker, to medium brown with tons of orange spots throughout. The beefy body leads up to a big ass, rounded double cap. The construction on this cigar is remarkable. I can’t find any signs of flaws what so ever. There are a few smaller veins running through the cigar, and absolutely no soft spots. The band is, in my opinion, similar to the Guillermo Leon Signature series only with a New York style skyline in the background encrested with metallic silver, red, and black ink.

The wrapper’s aroma is very potent, kicking out a heavy earthy, woodsy scent. The foot tells a different story. A story full of spice and cinnamon. If the scent says anything about the cigar, this will be a very interesting cigar. The Broadway clipped very easily using my double bladed cutter. The cold draw let loose a very, very sweet cedar/tobacco mixture with just a dash of spice on the tail end of it.

An interesting note. After the first clip, there was still quite a ways to the secondary wrapper. You can see what I am talking about in this picture:

First Smoke: Right off the bat, the Broadway is a flavor machine producing a ton of natural and cedar-like flavors with hints of nutmeg and citrus. I wasn’t sure if the dual wrapper would produce, or reduce the flavor, but I am pretty sure I already know the answer to that. The draw isn’t as big as I thought it would be. It feels almost as if the cigar is trying to go out, but the smoldering ash at the foot of the cigar is telling me otherwise. A possibly fatal flaw to the dual wrapper set up is the thick, uncontrollable burnline. It was all sorts of crazy all the way through the first third. Tons of rotating waves, and rough patches. The ash left behind was a tightly bound medium grey ash, which held on for almost two inches before giving way.

Halfway There: Am I the only one pulling mint off this cigar? Really, I swear I’m getting whiffs of spearmint with every draw. The cedar and earth tones are still in full effect and plentiful. The citrus is actually even stronger in the second third and there is this slight creamy taste being introduced. On a happy note, the draw has opened right up and is now pumping out the massive cloud of thick smoke I expected from the beginning of the Broadway. The cigar is still burning all crazy, but I haven’t had to touch it up or relight it so it’s not a burden at all at this point. The retrohale as just as smooth as the rest of the experience priming my nasal passage with a very creamy cedar and spice.

Finish: One word to describe this cigar… Smooth. The flavors finished off very smooth and creamy. Almost like a heavily creamered coffee with bursts of cedar and citrus and spice aftertaste. No harshness at all.  Tons of flavor. I didn’t feel much, if any nicotine from this cigar. The burnline is still crazy. The only thing that got me was the draw. I had to really hit this thing thing hard and often (that’s what she said) in order to keep it lit. Even at that it went out twice in the final third. Nothing too menacing, but both samples I smoked had similar issues. The first sample went out in the first third.

Overview: La Aurora has been on fire lately, kicking out hit after hit. The Broadway, although limited to the New York area, follows the exact same trend. If this has anything to say about 2011 then La Aurora is poised for yet another powerful year. The all around smooth experience paired with the massively potent and complex flavors makes for an excellent everyday smoke. The only con was the burn. I blame that one the dual wrapper. But I also place the blame on the wrapper set up for the flavors. It’s a double-edged sword. If you don’t mind retouching your cigars or the occasional relight, then this cigar is for you. $12 is a bit pricey for this cigar. In all honesty I’m not sure that I’d choose this cigar over something like La Aurora’s 107 which carries just above half the price tag.

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ACID one by Drew Estate

I have stumbled across a few of these cigars in brick & mortar shops, but not regularly. The first time I picked one up I had no information about it, outside of the fact that it was an ACID, and i knew i liked ACIDs. That was sometime ago, and I wish I knew how to appreciate cigars back then as I do now, because I didn’t give this cigar the attention it needed, therefore, I hadn’t smoked as many as I probably should have.

The Good Stuff: As stated previously, the ACID One is the only non-aromatic cigar in the ACID series. But don’t let that fool you. Don’t go into this cigar thinking its going to have habano type characteristics. Any ACID blend is far from that, and the ACID One is no exception. Drew Estate states that the ACID One is cured with 5 different red wines, from 5 different countries, and then wrapped in the finest Nicaraguan Cameroon that has be cask cured for ninety additional days.

Size: Torpedo 5 x 54  –  Wrapper: Dark Cameroon  –  Body: Mild – Medium

ACID one by Drew Estate

Prelight: The first thing you will notice about the ACID One is its impeccable construction. This cigar not only has no soft spots, or signs of construction flaws, but is carries with it a perfect structure. I smile a bit when I unwrap a cigar that looks this good. The wrapper itself is Cameroon, but looks very dark and could easily be mistaken for a maduro. The first scents from the unlit cigar were a bit piney, and a bit minty, with a hint of cherry. The band itself is a bit different than the other ACID lines. Instead of the guy on the motorcycle there is a yin yang, placed over and image of the Earth, with a diamond embroidered “1”. If you look very closely in the right light you can also make out the words “Japan”, “Nicaragua”, and “Africa” written backwards across the stars on the band. Maybe these were 3 of the 5 countries the wine came from? The Drew Estate Website does state that one of the wines was a tradition Sangria from Drew Estate’s hometown in Esteli, Nicaragua. Anywho, the head of the cigar sports a very long and sharp torpedo edge, as the foot of the ACID One is concealed underneath a careful folding of the wrapper, much like the ACID Atom Maduro.

ACID One by Drew Estate

First Smoke: Again, I cut this cigar using a double bladed cutter, and lit up REALLY easily under my single flame colibri torch. I am not going to list 5 different times “this cigar tastes like red wine”. That should be a bit obvious. Instead I will note all the subtle tastes that I hit while I was smoking this cigar. First of all the wrapper itself is incredibly sweet. I like it a lot. The first bold flavors are a bit earthy, a bit of leather, mixed with soft grape and cherry accents, and a subtle barley. This is a more natural tasting cigar. The draw itself is very very large, but the cigar isn’t very loose. It’s just perfect. The smoke is very smooth, i could probably got at this thing for a few hours without getting tired. The burn is really consistent and I have yet to touch it up. The ash collected well over and inch and a half before falling into my ashtray.

ACID One by Drew Estate

Halfway There: The draw on the ACID One is still remarkably smooth. It makes your almost forget you were smoking a cigar. The taste of mixed fruit, and natural hints is still present, but taking a back burner to what seems to be a more minty, peppered, pine taste. This cigar is delicious. I had to touch it up once, just slightly, but the burn outside of that little area are perfectly even. One big plus about the ACID One is the smoke isn’t as strong scented as a lot of the other ACID cigars. This is one you may just get away with lighting up in a room fool of non-infused smokers without bothering a single one.

Finish: The ACID One finished just as smooth as it began. I nubbed the crap out of this one, and had I had a pocket knife handy I would have probably taken a few more draw off this bad boy before I threw up the white flag. The flavors ended very smooth, with of course a wine taste with hints of fruit and pine. An excellent finish. I had no problems at all with unwrapping, or burn flaws.

ACID One by Drew Estate

Overview: This is one hell of a great cigar. I really enjoyed it, and will again. I would recommend it to any cigar smoker, from beginner to non-infused. The attraction of wine, with deepened tastes that don’t overpower the smoker is a killer combination. The value of this cigar? It depends. Here in my local B&M shops they are priced RIDICULOUS. But if you can find them locally for a descent price comparable to what you can find on-line, do it.

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Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

Following the Cold Infusion Tea and the Earthiness The Atom Maduro is the third installment (outside of the Krush tins) to the ACID gold line.

The Good Stuff: The Earhiness is a VERY dark maduro wrapped infused cigar. Drew Estate is good at keeping the oils, herbs, and botanicals they use on their infused blends so its no surprise the the Atom Maduro has none listed whatsoever although, they’ve been said to contain high fruit flavors as well as Floral.

Size: 5×50  –  Wrapper: Maduro  –  Flavor: Full  –  Origin: Esteli, Nicaragua

Prelight: This was actually the first time I have had this cigar, I have tried the Cold Infusion Tea (you can check that review out here) many times and just love the cigar, but I had yet to get my hands on the Atom. The first noticeable characteristic is the extremely dark, oil wrapper. This guy should produce some sweetness. Upon unwrapping I had to say, this was the best smelling ACID cigar I had smelt yet. It took me quite a while to start nailing some of the scents but the ATOM Maduro sports a very, almost perfume line scent with notes of Flowers, Tea, Roasted Cashew, Coffee hints of brown sugar and even Mint. Imagine all that mixed together in a very light infused cigar. Needless to say I was anxious to get going on this guy. The cigar was perfectly constructed with no soft spots. The Atom Maduro carries a nice rounded cap, big thick shape, and a very distinct foot where the wrapper is carefully folded over the filler as you can see here:

Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

First Smoke: What a remarkable cigar. Hands down this shot itself up to one of my all-time favorite aromatic cigars just off the first smoke. The cigar is very strong and all the flavors are just hinted on the palette as to not overpower the smoker with the infusion flavor. The draw was just right, not to tight, not too loose and it carried with it REALLY thick smoke, much like the 1400cc. The more I burned the more the flavors combined. The burn itself was very consistent. The smoke smelled very similar to a ladies perfume, but not strong. Don’t let that shy you away, just be aware that it may bother other people around you. The Atom let a little over an inch of ash collect before letting go.

Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

Halfway There: At this time I am still sifting through some of the flavors. This is such a great tasting cigar, the strong Nicaraguan tobacco carries itself really well. The flavor hasn’t increased nor decreased but it has morphed a bit. I lost the coffee flavor instead it is now replaced with a minty Cinnamon arrangement. This is a VERY sweet cigar. The burn is still very consistent and I have yet to have to relight, or touch it up. The strength of the cigar seems to be increasing a bit, which is totally fine by me. One note, the cigar had so much oil you could actually see it burning off producing its own smoke. You can see this in the picture above. This isn’t a bad thing, I just found it quite interesting.

Finish: The Atom Maduro finished very strong. The infused flavors lasted all the way through the smoke, as well as the strength of the cigar. The strength actually increased quite a bit towards the end. I felt a bit light headed after the cigar’s finish. I didn’t have to relight the cigar, but I did touch it up one or two times towards the end. No signs at all of any mis-construction or unwrapping. The Atom finished off just as sweet as it started with, I’m quite surprised that with a cigar as strong as this, the infused flavors lasted the length of the cigar. It did leave a big aftertaste, it wasn’t a bad one but it lasted a while.

Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

Overview: I feel dumb for waiting so long to try this cigar, as it was right up my alley for what I look for. The taste was intense and very pleasing. While the strength was strong and held its own again the infused flavors of the Atom Maduro. I’d recommend this cigar to an aromatic smoker but not one who doesn’t like infused cigars. Its flavor would be a bit too much for them.

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