I first tried an Undercrown Maduro last year. At the time, I’m not sure where I got it. It may have been a gift from a fellow BOTL. I’m not sure, but I did know that it was a very nice cigar. Right in my wheelhouse. And that first one started a love affair with this stick. I started buying boxes of them regularly and since last year, it’s the only premium stick of which I have multiple boxes of, so I always have some on hand. Right now, though I have several singles out from a previous box, I’ve got two boxes in one of my tupperdores resting. When I’m done with my singles, I’ll just open another box and buy another.
I have a few blends that I treat like this: Man O’ War Puro Authentico, Ave Maria Argentum, Zino Platinum Scepter, AJ New World Oscuro, Oliva Black Swan Corona, Oliva O Maduro. I don’t limit myself to just those sticks as I have several other blends in my collection. But I never want to be wanting for any of these. But out of all the ones I just mentioned, I buy the Undercrown Maduro the most.
What’s so special about it to me? To me, the Undercrown Maduro represents the epitome of flavor, quality, accessibility, and value, especially flavor vs value. I’m always on the hunt for these sticks, and I have gotten them for as low as $4/stick online. My last purchase was from CI where I got two boxes at $39.99 a piece! But this isn’t a cheap or budget stick. This is a fine, moderately complex smoke that punches way above its weight.
I love this stick too because there’s no hype surrounding it. In the forums I participate in, everyone talks about Oliva V Melanio, Liga Privada #9, Opus X, Tabernacle, and others. The Undercrown is rarely talked about, but I have noticed that many folks have at least some in their humis. This is a sleeper stick and in the cigar world parlance, it’s a banger.
The cigar pictured above has a few months of age on it. If you look closely at the wrapper, you can see that it is toothy AF. Smoking it while I write this post, that toothiness has translated to insane flavor and aroma.
Before I lit it up, I smelled the wrapper. It had caramel, vanilla, and even a floral note that reminded me of honeysuckle. I knew I was in for a treat.
Lighting up brought gorgeous notes of cedar, nuts, cream, espresso and dark chocolate. No spice whatsoever, which was a surprise to me because younger sticks usually have some red and black pepper. Note to self: Age these a few months and they calm way down.
Deep, rich dark chocolate and cream form the foundation for the rest of the smoke on top of which a changing palate of flavors buzz in and out. There are some floral accents, sugar cane, oak, honey, burnt sugar, coffee, caramel, vanilla, malt balls. Subtle red pepper comes into play in the second half of the smoke. The aroma off the foot is vanilla and brown sugar and milk chocolate. Fuckin’-a, it reminds me of chocolate chip cookie dough!
Strength starts and ends at a solid medium throughout the smoke. Smoke production is copious! The construction rivals Tatuaje. Smooth, with some veins, but packed to the gills, with no soft spots.
I posted on a forum that if I only had one cigar to smoke the rest of my life, it would be this one. Sure, I could’ve chosen a Padron ’64 Natural, Tatuaje 7th Natural, or a Cuban Montecristo #4, which are the gold standards for me. But those are pricey sticks and in the case of the 7th and Monte, not easy to obtain; one by scarcity, the other by law AND price.
Drew Estate could’ve chosen to have a huge MAP price on these. I’m so glad they made these so accessible. I’m a fan!
Unco B's Stogie Diary 