ACID One by Drew Estate Cigar Review

This week’s review is another one of my favorites, Drew Estate’s only non-aromatic ACID blend, the ACID one.

ACID one by Drew Estate

I have stumbled across a few of these cigars in brick & mortar shops, but not regularly. The first time I picked one up I had no information about it, outside of the fact that it was an ACID, and i knew i liked ACIDs. That was sometime ago, and I wish I knew how to appreciate cigars back then as I do now, because I didn’t give this cigar the attention it needed, therefore, I hadn’t smoked as many as I probably should have.

The Good Stuff: As stated previously, the ACID One is the only non-aromatic cigar in the ACID series. But don’t let that fool you. Don’t go into this cigar thinking its going to have habano type characteristics. Any ACID blend is far from that, and the ACID One is no exception. Drew Estate states that the ACID One is cured with 5 different red wines, from 5 different countries, and then wrapped in the finest Nicaraguan Cameroon that has be cask cured for ninety additional days.

Size: Torpedo 5 x 54  –  Wrapper: Dark Cameroon  –  Body: Mild – Medium

ACID one by Drew Estate

Prelight: The first thing you will notice about the ACID One is its impeccable construction. This cigar not only has no soft spots, or signs of construction flaws, but is carries with it a perfect structure. I smile a bit when I unwrap a cigar that looks this good. The wrapper itself is Cameroon, but looks very dark and could easily be mistaken for a maduro. The first scents from the unlit cigar were a bit piney, and a bit minty, with a hint of cherry. The band itself is a bit different than the other ACID lines. Instead of the guy on the motorcycle there is a yin yang, placed over and image of the Earth, with a diamond embroidered “1”. If you look very closely in the right light you can also make out the words “Japan”, “Nicaragua”, and “Africa” written backwards across the stars on the band. Maybe these were 3 of the 5 countries the wine came from? The Drew Estate Website does state that one of the wines was a tradition Sangria from Drew Estate’s hometown in Esteli, Nicaragua. Anywho, the head of the cigar sports a very long and sharp torpedo edge, as the foot of the ACID One is concealed underneath a careful folding of the wrapper, much like the ACID Atom Maduro.

ACID One by Drew Estate

First Smoke: Again, I cut this cigar using a double bladed cutter, and lit up REALLY easily under my single flame colibri torch. I am not going to list 5 different times “this cigar tastes like red wine”. That should be a bit obvious. Instead I will note all the subtle tastes that I hit while I was smoking this cigar. First of all the wrapper itself is incredibly sweet. I like it a lot. The first bold flavors are a bit earthy, a bit of leather, mixed with soft grape and cherry accents, and a subtle barley. This is a more natural tasting cigar. The draw itself is very very large, but the cigar isn’t very loose. It’s just perfect. The smoke is very smooth, i could probably got at this thing for a few hours without getting tired. The burn is really consistent and I have yet to touch it up. The ash collected well over and inch and a half before falling into my ashtray.

ACID One by Drew Estate

Halfway There: The draw on the ACID One is still remarkably smooth. It makes your almost forget you were smoking a cigar. The taste of mixed fruit, and natural hints is still present, but taking a back burner to what seems to be a more minty, peppered, pine taste. This cigar is delicious. I had to touch it up once, just slightly, but the burn outside of that little area are perfectly even. One big plus about the ACID One is the smoke isn’t as strong scented as a lot of the other ACID cigars. This is one you may just get away with lighting up in a room fool of non-infused smokers without bothering a single one.

Finish: The ACID One finished just as smooth as it began. I nubbed the crap out of this one, and had I had a pocket knife handy I would have probably taken a few more draw off this bad boy before I threw up the white flag. The flavors ended very smooth, with of course a wine taste with hints of fruit and pine. An excellent finish. I had no problems at all with unwrapping, or burn flaws.

ACID One by Drew Estate

Overview: This is one hell of a great cigar. I really enjoyed it, and will again. I would recommend it to any cigar smoker, from beginner to non-infused. The attraction of wine, with deepened tastes that don’t overpower the smoker is a killer combination. The value of this cigar? It depends. Here in my local B&M shops they are priced RIDICULOUS. But if you can find them locally for a descent price comparable to what you can find on-line, do it.

ACID Liquid by Drew Estate – Cigar Review

With all the reviews I have been trying to kick out lately, I get more and more excited to site down and come up with another. This one will count as my weekly cigar review and it is that of Drew Estate’s ACID Liquid from the Fiery Red label.

ACID Liquid Cigar by Drew Estate

Out of all of the ACID series the red line has to be the most “either you like it, or you hate it” branded line. I really enjoy almost any infused cigar so even one that most people would hate, I’d probably still enjoy.

The Good Stuff: According to Drew Estate The Fiery Red banded ACID cigars are supposed to serve as a warning for the most incerdible infused cigar smoke of your life. These concoctions start with ripe, black smoking tobacco intensely infused with the best botanical and oils around. Some smokers are taken by the powerful aroma’s and vibrant flavors, while only the hardcore aromatic cigar smokers sulk in their bliss.

Size: 5 x 50  –  Shape: Robusto  –  Wrapper: Connecticut  –  Strength: Medium – Full Bodied

Prelight: The first thing that you notice about the ACID liqiud is it incedibly smooth, light, oily Connecticut wrapper. This only accompanies the Drew Estate – Perfect construction. Its very rare that a less-than-perfect cigar is produced from their factory in Esteli Nicaragua. The ACID liquid cigar sports a very round cap, and has no veins or soft spots. The scent is amazing. It smells very similar to the acid blues, but a lot lighter, and much more complex with everything from hints of wine and floral scents, to creamy nut aromas. I think the hardest part about this review is going to be nailing the infusion as this blend is just remarkable in flavor construction.

First Smoke: One thing I didn’t like about this cigar right off the back was its tight draw. I love big hits, and huge smoke. This cigar was just wrapped much tighter than I am used to. Most of Drew Estate’s ACID cigars are very loose producing a remarkable draw that produces massive amounts of flavor. I’m scared this will make the pallet that much hard to nail down. Upon my first few draws my tastebuds were overwhelmed with a strong, and slightly bitter taste. Notes of dark wine, cashew, and a very floral combination. There were very slight hints of cedar, but i think those may have came to to storage of my humidor. This cigar didn’t leave much of an aftertaste. I got about an inch and a half before the first ash gave way.

Halfway There: The ACID liquid has become very bold in strength and continues to step it up. The flavor is still there although its beginning to soften on the floral end and just become much more wine/tobacco based. Still not much of and aftertaste and the draw is much too tight for my liking. I’m beginning to feel light headed at this point, but I’m not sure if its the massive hits I have to take off this cigar to produce any kind of draw or if its the bold strength of the tobacco. Still no signs at all of any misconstruction, and the burn is absolutely perfect.

Finish: Drew Estate’s ACID Liquid finished off incredibly strong. By the end of the cigar the flavor was almost gone, but the tobacco strength was almost double what it began with. I took this cigar close enough to the nub to call it quits. Again, no signs of unwrapping and the burn was near perfect all the way through.

Overview: Despite my negative reviews this cigar was not a bad smoke at all. I’m just overly critical when it comes to any of the ACID branded cigars. My only miff with the cigar was the tight draw. I have two of these guys and both are the same so it has to be a consistency issue. One thought is that the flavor is so complex, the draw must be tighter to not only get the full effect, but to carry the flavor all the way through the smoke. Just an opinion though.

Would I try it again? Yes, but not an everyday smoke.

Would I suggest it? Totally, especially to anyone who is into cigars, and interested in trying aromatics.