Cigar Review: Drew Estate Undercrown Shade Flying Pig

Vitola: Double perfecto
Size: 3.94″ x 60 ring gauge
Price $10.30
Review Sample from Drew Estate

Background

Drew Estate generously sent this along with a couple other cigars for me to to review, so I’d like to thank them for these cigars.  Today I’ll be looking at the latest in the Flying Pig line utilizing the Undercrown Shade blend.  As with the other blends this cigar is a limited release because the shape is difficult to produce.  This cigar is comprised of the same tobaccos as the regular sizes; a Nicaraguan filler, a Sumatra binder, and an Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper.  They come packed 12 to a box.  This was the first of this vitola I tried, but I’ve had a few of the other sizes.

Prelight

The white background on the bands and the “Shade” on the bottom band makes it very clear what the blend is.  The shape is familiar from previous releases including the pigtail cap.  The wrapper is a nice golden color with some oils and a slight amount of tooth to it.  When I gave it a squeeze there was a slight amount of give with no soft spots.  Putting my nose to the wrapper I noted the aroma of hay with wood and barnyard coming from the foot.  After clipping and taking a cold draw I got some wood flavors with a good draw.

Flavor

It starts off with wood and leather flavors, with a slight amount of spice on the tongue and retrohale.  Towards the end of the first third I started to notice the bitterness that I sometimes get from CT shade cigars.  The cigar starts off medium strength.  Moving into the second third the wood and leather were still there with some green herbs and a slight sweetness added in with the bitterness still present.  The cigar stayed medium strength as well.  As I got into the final third the sweetness and spice died down with the wood, leather, hay and green herbs being prominent.  The strength stayed the same as well.

Construction

The draw and burn were great throughout.

Value

While it is more expensive than the regular vitolas the price isn’t bad for a limited production.

Conclusions

To be honest the Undercrown Shade blend doesn’t do much for me.  I’m not the biggest fan of CT shade tobacco and the bitterness I get from this blend turns me off to it.  This shape didn’t change it either.  I do however know people that like this blend and would be able to get the differences from this shape that I have gotten from the No. 9 or Feral Flying Pig.  if you want to give this or any of the other Drew Estate cigars a try SmallBatchCigar.com has a lot in stock.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 2.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 7.5/10