Drew Estate: MUWAT "Kentucky Fire Cured" cigar (Nicaragua)

Here's what I've been smoking lately - a unique blend of fire-cured Virginia, Kentucky, and Brazilian mata fina tobaccos. It's a 5.5" x 34 ring gauge cigar, in the "Kyoto" format, released by Drew Estate.

By the way - "MUWAT" stands for "My Uzi Weighs a Ton" and is a cigar line that Jonathan Drew, patriarch of the Drew Estate brand, invented in collaboration with the Joya de Nicaragua cigar manufactory.

There's a unique aspect to this cigar that I want to discuss. Unlike today's cigar, most tobacco is air-cured, which means that it's hung in barns to dry for months at a time. Various processes go into the preparation of that tobacco, and there is some room for experimentation. For this tobacco, the Drew Estate tabacleristas actually fired the tobacco over flames. This, of course, will change the texture and the consistency of the smoke. After all - the chemical changes that go on in tobacco as it dries imparts flavor. Altering that process, as Drew Estate has done, will naturally change what comes out in the end.

The cigar lit up nicely, and took a few seconds to really get going. And after a few puffs, it wasn't much to write home about. Then it hit me! There's strong flavors of hickory and mesquite in there that I really enjoy. Once it gets going, it produces a lot of woody, light smoke that's really fantastic. The fire-cured tobacco really adds that extra edge of tastiness here. The cigar burnt well, a little unevenly, and petered out about half-pinky length.

Another thing I like about it is the size - it's just the right width and length for a solid 30-minute smoke, Sure, I'd be interested in trying a larger format, but these particular dimensions are great for a shorter smoke. I'm definitely going to try more in the future!