Drew Estate is a cigar company founded in New York City in 1996 by Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel and bought by Swisher International in 2014; it makes handmade cigars at La Gran Fábrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua. Its lines include Liga Privada, Undercrown, Herrera Estelí and Norteño. Both Drew Estate cigars listed here are on the fuller side. Herrera Estelí Brazilian Maduro pairs a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper with a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan fillers; it is described as medium-full, with typical notes of floral sweetness, earth, pepper and dark chocolate. BLACKENED M81, developed with Metallica’s James Hetfield, is a full-bodied, all-maduro blend under a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, with typical espresso, leather and dark chocolate notes. Start with the Brazilian Maduro, then try M81 for something darker and bolder.
Drew Estate Cigars
Drew Estate Cigars is a cigar company founded in 1996 by Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel; it makes handmade cigars at La Gran Fábrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Drew Estate’s lines include Liga Privada, Undercrown, Herrera Estelí and Norteño.
In 2014, Drew Estate was bought by Swisher International.
Drew Estate Cigars
Frequently asked questions about Drew Estate Cigars
Who makes Drew Estate cigars and where are they made?
Drew Estate grew out of a small cigar kiosk in New York City's World Trade Center, where Jonathan Drew began selling cigars in 1995. His former fraternity brother Marvin Samel joined him the following year, and the two founded Drew Estate in New York City in 1996. Swisher International bought the company in 2014. Drew Estate makes its handmade cigars at La Gran Fábrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua.
How strong are Drew Estate cigars?
Strength depends on the line. The two Drew Estate cigars Oxford Cigar Company lists are both on the fuller side. Herrera Estelí Brazilian Maduro is described as medium-full, with typical notes of floral sweetness, earth, pepper and dark chocolate. BLACKENED M81 is listed as full-bodied, an all-maduro blend with typical espresso, leather and dark chocolate notes.
Which Drew Estate cigar should I try first, and how do Herrera Estelí Brazilian Maduro and BLACKENED M81 differ?
Herrera Estelí Brazilian Maduro is the easier place to start. Drew Estate master blender Willy Herrera calls it his expression of the floral and earthy Brazilian Mata Fina tobacco, which he used as the wrapper over a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan fillers. BLACKENED M81 was made with Metallica's James Hetfield and Blackened Whiskey's Rob Dietrich. It uses maduro leaf throughout: a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania Broadleaf fillers. Rob Dietrich, Blackened Whiskey's master distiller, says it was designed for darker and bolder palates.
Where can I buy Drew Estate cigars online?
Oxford Cigar Company carries a selection of Drew Estate on its Drew Estate category page: https://oxfordcigarcompany.com/drew-estate-cigars/. Free US shipping on orders $50+.