Drew Estate - Herrera Esteli "Miami"

It's been a while since my last cigar post, so time to pick out and review a fancy smoke. Today's cigar is an offshoot of La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate's Herrera Esteli line, founded by master blender Willy Herrera (who I got to meet at the 2016 Connecticut Barn Smoker event at the Foster Family Farm in Windsor, CT, pictured below. Willy is in the foreground in blue.)

Called "Herrera Esteli Miami", this cigar first debuted in 2016 and was fully unveiled at 2018 IPCPR in four sizes. The really cool thing about the "Miami" is that it's made in El Titan de Bronce cigar factory, which I visited back in spring of 2016. Sandy Cobas, my tour guide and the master blender, is Willy's aunt.

El Titan de Bronce on Calle Ocho, Little Havana

So about the cigar - this 6x44 Lonsdale lancero consists of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers that are bunched-up entubar style, an old Cuban technique of manufacture that is very labor-intensive but provides an improved draw. A Sumatra-seed leaf from Ecuador is used for the binder while a dark Habano Oscuro wrapper, also from Ecuador, wraps the rest of the leaves together secured by a triple-seam cap. Apparently these cigars are rolled by only Level 9 rollers, a designation used to describe the most experienced torceadoras. Cigar rollers, called torceador(a)s in Spanish, are ranked from levels 5 - 9; although nowadays the 9 designation is not commonly used. These designations refer to the types of cigars that these rollers can make - for example, a level 5 is only able to make marevas, or 5.125x48 size petite Cuban coronas, while levels 7 and 8 are skilled at larger, more complex cigars and a level 9 is a master of all vitolas. So in this case, it seems Willy Herrera only wanted the top craftsmen and -women to make this blend. I purchased this one at a unit cost of $7.20, so pretty decent for such craftsmanship.

I used my Colibri V-Cut to make a shallow v-cut, and due to its size, decided not to run the Drawpoker through it. It's been in the humidor since May, and is moderately springy. Lights up fine, partially a function of it's size as well as humidity.

First Third: Heavy chocolate notes, like baker's chocolate. Definitely has that leathery, slightly salty, heavy maduro character - full but very approachable. Medium-full at first, quite dry and bracing, with notes of nuts and untreated leather.

Second Third: definitely somewhat heavier, earthier, and more of what I was expecting. It's consistently nutty, like dry almond shells, with some salt and a touch more baking chocolate. 

Final Third: The oils are breaking down, so it's a little sweeter, presenting an espresso-like quality, with the earthiness giving way to more cinder / ash flavors. The leather present is still present, and as I smoked it down to 2" left, it started to turn acrid, with an overwhelming nicotine sweetness. 

Final take - a nice cigar, full-bodied and pretty aggressive, which I may get again in a different size, though. Heavier cigars, I find, are best enjoyed in smaller formats to mitigate "overdoing it" - that is, smoking a large, heavy cigar and feeling sick afterward. My philosophy is that it's better to put out a cigar too soon and risk wasting a bit than to put it out too late and feel like hell for a few hours. This cigar cost $7.20, so a decent price for something of quality and craftsmanship.