Cigars

Drew Estate’s Undercrown

IMG_0151Since our giveaway right now is a six pack of Undercrown figured we should get a review up. By now I think the story is well known how Undercrown came about, but incase you haven’t heard I’ll sum up briefly. Drew Estate allows their rollers to smoke any of their cigars they have in production. The rollers loved the #9 so much that it created a shortage of the cigars. Drew Estate reluctantly told the rollers they had to stop smoking that cigar and instead of whining about it the rollers made a new blend using different priming of the same tobacco. The new blend was so good that Drew Estate decided to market it to the public and that is how we got Undercrown. This doesn’t mean that Drew Estates is saying this can replace No. 9’s just that it is a good alternative.

Today I smoked the Undercrown Gran Toro. It’s size is 152mm and has a 52 ring gauge. The wrapper is a rich dark chocolate color with some visible veins yet it is smooth to the touch.  The construction is solid with a decent amount of filler to make the cigar firm but still flexes nicely when pressure is applied. I store my cigars at 72% humidity, which could account for some of the flexibility in the tobacco however I have picked these up from smoke shops and found them to feel the same. The wrapper and the foot had the smell of leather, old books, and a hint of chicory root.

The cigar lights quickly and evenly. The draw is easy but not loose. Again, a sign that the construction is of quality. The amount of smoke given off by this cigar is extensive. The quality of the smoke is also excellent and full but light on the tongue. The flavor is medium and has spiced notes mixed with a bit of coffee and at the end, cream. The flavor held consistent throughout the majority of the cigar with only a few changes at the end (that aren’t worth mentioning) and was enjoyable all the way through.

In total this is a great cigar that everyone should at least try. The construction and flavor are fantastic the smoke is exponential and the price is great. I give this one four out of five pints.

 

Wrapper: San Andres

Origin: Nicaragua

Shapes: Belicoso, Corona, Double Corona, Gordo, Robusto, Toro

Brand: Drew Estate

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 pints

New Belgium / Snapshot

IMG_8828Snapshot is the newish wheat beer from New Belgium. I had been putting off trying it since I am not a big fan of wheat beers but a few days ago I gave in. I waited until I had finished the whole six-pack before writing this. I limited my self to two bottles a day to ensure that I wasn’t swayed in a positive or negative way by drinking too much at one time and what I found was a new style of wheat beer that I really enjoyed.

First the appearance, when first poured out of the bottle there was a nice head of about 2 fingers thick that slowly reduced to a small layer of fluff on top. Since this is an unfiltered drink the color shows a nice hazy gold when held to light. As I finish the IMG_8820drink it leaves nice thick lacing on the glass.

On the nose it has a lovely aroma of grass, citrus, yeast, and wheat. Smells you would want to have with a good wheat beer.

Finally the fun part, the flavor and palate. It is light with the flavor of coriander and a fair amount of citrus that leads to a tart/sour and dry finish. According to New Belgium the special process to achieve this flavor is to “Add Lacto (souring bacteria) to a portion of the overall wort, which produces lactic acid that gives a characteristic sourness and mouthfeel. That acidic portion is then added to other portion of the wort that was fermented with the Ale yeast. So two worts – a sour and a regular – are blended together to make Snapshot.” The mouthfeel is thin but creamy and pleasant on the palate. If it had a heavier mouth feel it wouldn’t be as refreshing and enjoyable.

For someone that normally doesn’t normally drink wheat beers I found this to be a very delicious beer. Overall this is a great light summer or spring beer. It is incredibly enjoyable while sitting outside in the sun or in the evening while talking with friends. Because of it’s light and tart flavor my cigar pairing recommendation would be a Liga T-52 or Undercrown. The lightness of the beer will pair well with the heavier cigar.

 

Brewer: New Belgium

ABV: 5.0%

Yeast: Hybrid ale yeast

Hops: Cascade

Malts: Pale, Wheat

Rating: 4 out of 5 pints. Go get some and enjoy.

GRAMM Works Humidor

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I’ve been through a lot of travel humidors. I mean a LOT of travel humidors. The photo is just a representation of the ones I would be willing to take with me. The rest have either ended up in the bin or have been tossed to the side where I can forget I ever had them. Finally there is a travel humidor worth writing about. The GRAMM Works humidor.

I travel frequently and like to bring my cigars with me. (You can never count on finding a good cigar shop or that the cigar shop you find has what you want to smoke.) There have always been three truly major problems for me when traveling with cigars. 1 – Not damaging the sticks while in transit. 2 – Having the proper humidity so they don’t dry out over the period of a few days. 3 – Storage size. How does GRAMM Works solve these problems? Let me fill you in.

My first concern is always not damaging cigars while traveling. With a GRAMM Works you don’t have to worry about this. The tube is CNC machined from aircraft grade IMG_8637 aluminum and lined with Spanish cedar. It also is anodized so you don’t have to worry about corrosion in the future. The top cap threads into the tube to ensure a good tight seal, (I mentioned this was CNC machined right) and has a built in analog hydrometer. Their “enthusiast” cap can also be used to hold your cigar while smoking. It also comes with a handy carabiner, to clip it wherever you want, that doubles as a bottle opener. These things can take a serious beating. I’ve dropped mine more times than I can count, it’s been knocked off of tables at bars, fallen down stairs, thrown around from person to person and has survived with only some surface scratches but no structural issues and my cigars were in great shape. Obviously I don’t recommend doing this what I’m trying to convey is that you don’t have to worry about your sticks getting destroyed from tossing your cigar carrier in your suitcase or backpack.

Next is the humidity. With GRAMM Works the humidity is controlled via Boveda two-way humidity packs. The bottom of the tube has a screw in insert to place the packs into so they don’t come into direct contact with the cigars them self. The packs are available in a variety of humidity percentages based off of your preference. I like the 69% for this size. With this system I haven’t had any trouble with humidity while traveling and the use of the Boveda packs makes it even easier to control.IMG_8752

Lastly…space. Size is a real issue when it comes to traveling. You need it to be small enough to pack but big enough to carry what you want. GRAMM Works tubes are available in three sizes. 5” Robusto, 6” Toro and 7” Churchill. They make single stick tubes and multi stick tubes. Each multi tube can hold about 5 cigars with a 54 ring gauge but you could probably fit another if you tried. In the size category this is where GRAMM Works falls a little but my suggestion is if you need to carry more than five sticks, BUY ANOTHER ONE. Seriously don’t waste your money on a piece of crap just because it holds 10 sticks, get another GRAMM Works, its worth it.

If you need a great carrier that you don’t have to worry about replacing or damaging while traveling I strongly recommend the GRAMM Works humidor. The aluminum construction makes it light weight and durable, the CNC manufacturing makes everything about them incredibly consistent down to the quality of the treads and the humidity pack makes worrying about loose crystals and too much distilled water on your travel sponge a thing of the past. I have had nothing but success with their product and you will to.

 

Manufacturer: GRAMM Works

 

Website: http://grammworks.com/index.aspx

 

Manufactured: In PA. (That’s America by the way)

 

Rating: 4.9 out of 5 pints.

 

Wondering what CNC machining is? Click here for a video.