Four years after the Undercrown line debuted at the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, the upcoming New Orleans rendition will be getting a Connecticut-wrapped version of the cigar.
Formally, it’s known as Undercrown Shade, but this is not simply a new wrapper. The new line uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Sumatra binder and Dominican criollo 98 fillers along with Nicaraguan corojo and criollo. It’s a long list of changes from the original Undercrown blend which used a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over a Connecticut River habano binder and fillers from Brazil and Nicaragua.
The company says that this is the first cigar Willy Herrera has blended that is not part of the Herrera Esteli family.
“Since day one, Drew Estate has demonstrated that no premium cigar company better understands its team, and that the heart of the company is the production floor and factory,” said Herrera in a press release.
“This is why I chose to work closely with the rollers responsible for the original Undercrown blend, and challenged them to create a Connecticut blend that would satisfy my palate. It was a long road, taking more than a year to develop. In the end, it was a very rewarding process, as finding a Connecticut blend to fit my palate wasn’t easy.”
The original Undercrown was developed by the company’s production team as a way to deal with the shortage of tobaccos that prevented rollers from smoking Liga Privada while working. As such, they used some tobaccos that were similar to Liga Privada, but different grades and primings along with the Mexican wrapper.
Undercrown Shade will be available in six sizes: Belicoso (6 x 52, $9), Corona Doble (7 x 54, $9.50), Corona (5 5/8 x 46, $7.50), Gordito (6 x 60, $9.95), Gran Toro (6 x 52, $8.25), and Robusto (5 x 54, $7.75). It will ship in boxes of 25 this fall.
For those who think the name sounds familiar, the company released the Undercrown ShadyXV late last year, a regional exclusive.
The cigars will be shown off at the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, which begins July 17.
Update (Aug. 10, 2015) — The Robusto and Toro sizes are shipping how, retailers have reported reciting the cigar as early as Aug. 5.
#UndercrownShade is shipping now in the Toro & Robusto sizes… Get them while they're hot! #DE4L Photo by @robbyras pic.twitter.com/johhZpLrE6
— Drew Estate Cigars (@drewestatecigar) August 10, 2015