Drew Estate

The Raji From Smoke Inn & Drew Estate
Drew Estate The Raji

2021 marked the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the first Smoke Inn premium cigar store, and on Friday 05/06/22 Drew Estate and Smoke Inn’s owner, Abe Dababneh, celebrated the landmark achievement with the launch of a special cigar that not only commemorates Smoke Inn’s historic birthday but also honors Abe’s father and mentor, Raji Dababneh. This cigar was blended by Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera and produced at El Titan De Bronze, the Little Havana boutique cigar factory that’s owned by Herrera’s family and where all Herrera Estelí Miami cigars are made. While the top band is visually the same as the Miami release it is a completely new blend and something Willy says is unlike anything else he has blended. Also every Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji cigar (yeah I know, it’s a mouthful, deal with it) features a commemorative band around its foot. I was fortunate enough to make it to the event and pick up a couple of boxes so you know a review had to happen, so let’s get into this thing.

The wrapper is the color of dark roasted coffee beans with a fair amount of mottling, some noticeable veins running along the body and a soft powder coat finish. The cigar was firm to the touch but a bit bumpy giving it an overall rustic appearance. The odor from the body is cedar, barnyard and hay. From the foot the hay really stays out and notes of sweet tobacco. The cap cuts easily causing no damage to the body. The cold draw is a little on the firm side but not tight, I get flavors of Licorice, heavy cream some bread and a hint of spice. After all the preliminary things it is time to light this thing.

Straight away the cigar starts off with the taste of well seasoned meat with a nice briny flavor that gets your salivation going when you press your young to the roof of your mouth and a pepper finish that lingers. Smoke production is ample and has a medium weight mouth feel. On the retrohale I notice more of the pepper and a sneaky sweetness hiding.

Moving into the second third of this cigar the meatiness is still present with the spices picking up a bit and the flavor of well aged tobacco that has a slightly sweet floral taste. The burn stays even with no need for touch ups and the smoke continues to billow out leaving a lovely aroma in the room.

In the final third, which is almost always my favorite, the flavor really picks up. At this point the cigar basically becomes a meal with a taste you can nearly chew on. The meat flavor becomes dense and is akin to eating a steak that was prepared just right and finishing with a rich spiciness. The burn line stays even for the duration and the smoke production was like a freight train.

This ended up being a phenomenal cigar that I took down to a nub I really can’t say enough good things. It finished out to a medium/medium full flavor that stayed with me for while after smoking that kept reminding me how good the cigar was. It would pair well with just about anything but my suggestion for a non-alcoholic drink would be a black tea and for booze definitely a nice bourbon on the rocks or bring out the subtle sweetness in the cigar with an old fashioned. If you’re not in Florida to pick one up in person they will be available on Smoke Inn’s website while supplies last and with how good these are they won’t last long. In fact I’m going there now to pick up another box.

FOOT NOTE: The Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary The Raji cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes that are adorned with the Smoke Inn logo. Ramping up the celebration and honoring Raji Dababneh even more, Raji’s signature is emblazoned on the bottom of every box. Along with a commemorative Raji ashtray every box purchased between now and the end of August (if stock holds out that long) will give you an automatic entry into the Smoke Inn/Drew Estate Little Havana Weekend Drawing that will be done on September 14th. (The trip time will be determined in October.) Winners will experience a celebratory Dinner Thursday Night Near Smoke Inn’s Headquarters in Boynton Beach. Friday the group will depart to Little Havana where we will tour the legendary El Titan de Bronze Factory where the Raji Cigar was made along with other Little Havana Sites, Plus a Special DE Experience. Lunch and dinner will be provided. The experience will end with a Saturday Morning Special LIVE broadcast of KMA Radio from Smoke Inn HQ with a specially catered Brunch. If you’re not in Florida to pick one up in person they will be available on Smoke Inn’s website while supplies last and with how good these are they won’t last long. In fact I’m going there now to pick up another box.

Wrapper –  Mexican San Andrés

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaragua /Dominican Republic

Website: www.Smokeinn.com

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints.

  • Mitch Rockwell AKA El Prez is the founder of Distinguished Ruffian. While starting out as a chef at a young age he was introduced to cigars while cooking for various people. He left that industry and became a Licensed Optician and Hearing Instrument Specialist but, cigars and cooking are his real passion.

Smoke Inn’s 25th Anniversary Event Release UDPATE
The Raji

Due to venue conflicts, The Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary The Raji launch event will NOW take place at Smoke Inn’s headquarters in Boynton Beach Florida on Friday May 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. EST and will be open for all to attend! Attendees of the epic event will meet Jonathan, Willy, Abe, and the man of honor Raji Dababneh, while grooving to beats spun by Drew Estate’s very-own D.J. Eli. There will be special promotions on select Drew Estate products that evening including The Raji with opportunities to take home special event cigars such as the Herrera Caja China and the highly sought-after Savage Feast, as well as other surprises as the evening unfolds. Fans from all over the country will be able to take advantage of the special promotions and give-a-ways through Smoke Inn’s e-commerce site.

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2021 marked the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the first Smoke Inn premium cigar store, and Drew Estate and Smoke Inn’s owner, Abe Dababneh, are celebrating the landmark achievement with the launch of a special cigar that not only commemorates Smoke Inn’s historic birthday but also honors Abe’s father and mentor, Raji Dababneh.

The Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary The Raji (6 x 50, Toro) is a limited-edition cigar that’s lovingly produced at El Titan De Bronze, the Little Havana boutique cigar factory that’s owned by Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera’s family and where all Herrera Estelí Miami cigars are made. Constructed using a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, the Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji is a spicy medium- to full-bodied cigar with hay and floral notes. Every Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary The Raji cigar features a commemorative band around its foot, and the cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes that are adorned with the Smoke Inn logo. Ramping up the celebration and honoring Raji Dababneh even more, Raji’s signature is emblazoned on the bottom of every box.

“When I was growing up in Chicago, I watched my dad work tirelessly at the little grocery store he owned,” says Abe. “He always put in whatever it took to overcome any challenges and keep a roof over our heads and food on our table. He is a true inspiration for me as a businessman, husband and as a father. I learned, and continue to learn, so much from him. Dedicating our 25th anniversary cigar to him is the best way for me to give my heartfelt thanks to him for all that he has done for me.”

“Relationships are the cornerstones of cigar culture, and they are the starting point for everything we do at Drew Estate,” adds Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate. “Abe and I have been close friends from the very start, and he has always been a true ‘stand and deliver’ guy who deserves the tremendous success he has experienced so far. His father, Raji, clearly has been a great mentor and teacher, just as my own dad, Gary, has taught me along the way. It’s an honor to pay tribute to all our fathers and mentors, as well as celebrate Smoke Inn’s 25th with this majestic Herrera Estelí Miami expression.”

Sales for “The Raji” will begin on May 6th for all attendees of the event and will also be available on Smoke Inn’s website for consumers nationwide.

Liga Privada Dirty Rat
Liga Privada Dirty Rat

Good day, Distinguished Ruffian family. T Money back for another cigar review, just for your reading pleasure. This is a well-known cigar but has become kind of a unicorn due to availability and after-market pricing. I’m sure you all know the name and brand. As legend has it, Steve Saka created this cigar to have with his espresso while in Nicaragua. He has said to have over 50 boxes in his humidor and won’t smoke any that were made after his departure from Drew Estate. He even created the Sobremesa Short Churchill to replace this cigar so he could hoard his precious stash. I’m talking of course about the Liga Privada Unico Series Dirty Rat.

This has been a go-to early morning smoke for me, but they are hard to come by. This cigar has been aging since 2012. I have only a few left and wanted to get my notes down before I ran out. When I first started smoking cigars, finding the Unico Series on the shelves, was like finding the Holy Grail. The first one I had was the Feral Flying Pig. I’ve since stashed a couple of boxes of those away for a rainy day. The L40 was the next one I tried and being a hater of Lanceros, it didn’t do much for me. Then, this one came along. The corona size is also one that I had to grow to love and this is the one that sealed the deal for me. So without further ado, let’s get into it. It is a 5×44 Corona that comes with the same wrapper that is on the T-52. If you like the T-52, you’ll love this cigar. It has a Brazilian binder with Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. It comes in a box of 12 with an MSRP of $12, but as you know, there is a huge markup on these hard-to-find Ligas. I bought this box from Jerry’s Cigars in Tucson, back in 2012. I cut it with the trusty Palio and fired it up with the DuPont DeFi Xtreme.

Liga Privada Unico Series Dirty Rat

Starting off, the smoke output is absolutely crazy, as with all Liga Privada cigars. There is a TON of earth right off the bat. Slight amount of pepper on the retrohale, but nothing crazy. Getting further in, it has some semi-sweet chocolate coming to the forefront. The sweetness and the earth just meld really well together. The strength and body are at the lower end of medium as I reach the second third.

The second third starts to really show that semi-sweet chocolate flavor. Earth is now barely hanging on, but it is still noticeable. The retrohale is still about the same with some slight spice with a bit of cherry wood. I had a tunnel starting and had to let it go out. After letting it go out and a relight, it seemed to fix itself. It’s tough with these corona-sized cigars to fix a tunnel, but this didn’t have a problem. Strength and body are about medium for both.

Finishing up the last third, there isn’t a whole lot of change. A bit more bite on the retrohale, but that is to be expected with the smaller ring gauge. Semi-sweet chocolate,

dark earth, and a touch of leather round out the cigar. I nubbed it at about the hour and 20-minute mark.

Overall, I think the age really smoothed out this blend and melded the flavors together. I remember there being much more transitions when I first smoked the cigar. This one was crazy smooth and even the retrohale didn’t make me sneeze or eyes water as I remember the younger versions doing. I haven’t been able to find any lately, so I have no frame of comparison, other than my original notes. If you like a corona size cigar and want something with coffee in the morning, this is your go-to. Great burn, only a small issue with the tunnel and huge smoke output.

T Money score: 4/5 rebuy box. If you can find these at, or close to MSRP, grab them. You definitely won’t be disappointed.

Wrapper –  Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder – Brazilian Mata Fina

Filler – Nicaraguan & Honduran

Website: www.drewestate.com

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 pints.

  • Travis Peterson AKA T Money is the Co-Captain of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapter of Distinguished Ruffians. He started his cigar journey in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. Outside of cigars he has a passion for brewing beer, playing guitar, bowling and golf. He is also a self proclaimed grilling and smoking expert.