In 2015 Master Blender Willy Herrera released his first blend for Drew Estate that did not fall under his namesake brand name. To create the Undercrown Shade, Herrera worked closely with the Undercrown roller team that blended the original Undercrown line. The original Undercrown line was developed by rollers who could not smoke the Liga Privada line due to supply issues. Instead, they worked together to create that line that uses similar tobaccos to Liga, but from different primings.
Cigar Review: Undercrown Shade
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Shade Grown
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Dominican Criollo ’98, Nicaraguan Criollo & Corojo
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Gran Toro
The Look: The Undercrown Shade comes packaged in 25 count cedar boxes that are branded with the Undercrown logo. Inside the box, the cigars feature a blonde looking Connecticut seed wrapper that is shade grown from Ecuador. The wrapper is the star of the show once the cigars are unboxed. It’s oily with only the thinnest veins and is exquisitely rolled. The band gets a variant of the original Undercrown band, this time using gold and white as the primary colors. The cigar also has a foot band that denotes shade. In the hand the cigar is slightly spongy, but has no soft spots and nice weight.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Undercrown Shade has a slightly sour note, along with caramel and hay. The aroma off the foot of the cigar is predominantly earthy with strong notes of hay.
Once the cigar is lit there are notes of caramel that dominate the palate with subtle hints of vanilla. At times, the cigar becomes sour, but if I slow down those notes are kept in check. The short finish is rich and buttery with hints of hay and earth on the retrohale.
The second third of the cigar still sees the caramel notes and the cigar begins to remind me of cracker jacks. Around the second third of the cigar it becomes a bit bitter after the ash drops. At this point the cigar becomes predominant earthy with a hay like finish that grows in length.
The last third of the Undercrown Shade continues down the path with a bitter sour note that transcends back to sweetness after the band. The retrohale continues to be earthy with an abundance of hay some subtle hints of coffee.
The Finish: Smoking the Undercrown Shade was like smoking two different cigars. The first half of the cigar was outstanding and would have paired well with a rum such as Zaya, but int he second half of the cigar it turned considerably. For me, I like bitter cigars and I like sweet cigars. I don’t mind when the two notes mingle together. However, when the cigar starts one way before doing a complete 180 it just doesn’t sit right with me. While thee cigars are popular, they don’t fall in my list of favorites.
Score: 88
Price: $165.91 (Box)
Undercrown Shade
Undercrown Shade Foot
Undercrown Shade Burn
