Drew Estate El Tigre Dominicano Toro

Drew Estate has been a pioneer cigar company since its creation in 1996. The cigars they blend have been in everybody's humidor at least once. From the Factory Smokes to the Liga Privada Series, Drew Estate has cigars for every cigar smoker. Their newest cigar, the Undercrown El Tigre Dominicano, is their take on a Dominican forward cigar, and acts as the official unofficial announcement of they soon-to-be factory in the Dominican Republic. This cigar is definitely unique, and unlike other cigars in their catelog. Read the review, and consider trying the Undercrown El Tigre Dominicano the next time you want something different.

The El Tigre has a great presentation, and stands out against the other cigars in the Undercrown line. The band has a black and silver color scheme, with red accents along the border. As with all the other Undercrown cigars, the Undercrown logo is prominent on the primary band. There are also some very elegant looking embossed accents around the primary band. The secondary band uses the same color motif of the primary band, with the difference being it's not as shiney. The secondary band has "El Tigre" in calligraphy. The cigar itseld is a medium brown color, and does show a few veins. The cigar itself is smooth to the touch, and is rolled as a soft box press.

The El Tigre is constructed with Dominican Criollo '98 and HVA Fillers, a Connecticut Corojo H99 Binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra Wrapper. The draw is smooth, but can be a bit tight. The ash is white and sturdy. The ash falls towards the end of the first third. However, the foot does flake a little, so you may want to watch out for your black shirts. The burn can be jagged at times, which may warrant a few touch-ups throughout the smoke.

The flavor profile on the El Tigre is consistent. While many cigars today have dynamic flavor profiles, the El Tigre provides a consistent flavor throughout the smoke. While this can be refreshing in a world full of complex xigars, it can be percieved as one dimentional. The cold draw may provide notes of earth, brown sugar, and a very slight hint of dried fruit. The first light may provide some strong notes of earth and white pepper, with a lingering toastiness on the palate.

The first third has a strong earthiness, with a subtle walnut flavor backing it up. There may also be notes of white pepper, cidar, and dark roast coffee. There are also very subtle notes of baker's chocolate. The retrohale of the first third may have notes of earth and strong white pepper. The second third may have front notes of white pepper and dark roast coffee, with accompanying notes of earth and toast. These flavors stay consistent throughout then entire cigar. There may be a very mild flavor of dark brown sugar, and an underlying taste of charred cedar. The retrohale of the second third may have the same notes of white pepper, earth, and toast. The final third may have the earthy notes come back to the forefront, along with hints of baker's chocolate. The notes of charred cedar and toast become more prominent, while the white pepper note pulls back a bit. The retrohale of the final third stays consistent with the rest of the cigar, with notes of white pepper and dark roast coffee.

The El Tigre is priced at $13.00 for a single, and $260.00 for a box of 24. While this does fit in with many other cigars on the market, this may be more suited at the $10-$11 mark. The El Tigre is a great cigar if you want consistency throughout the whole smoke. However, it can leave some cigar smokers wanting more of a dynamic flavor profile. The overall flavor of the cigar is akin to a very consentrated cup of Sumatran coffee, with very subtle hints of baker's chocolate and toast. This would be a great cigar for newer cigar smokers, as it would allow them to tune their palates to singular flavors.

GC Rating: 88

Thanks to the Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop for sponsoring this review of the Drew Estate Undercrown El Tigre Dominicano Toro. If you'd like to try the El Tigre, or anything else from the Drew Estate Catelog, visit woodenindiantobacco.com and use the coupon code for 10% off your order plus free shipping.