Drew Estate – Rocky Patel – Java Maduro Robusto Review

In lieu of my latest post, the review of Drew Estate’s ACID Opulence 3’s I’ve decided I was going to start reviewing more cigars. Preferably infused.

This week I will be review Drew Estate’s Java Maduro Robusto.  I have had the pleasure of enjoying these cigars many, many times. Both from order, and purchased from brick and mortar shops.

Drew Estate JAVA

Believe it or not, this was actually one of the first cigars I have ever smoked. And what a way to start.

The first thing you may notice is it’s very unlike the common Drew Estate branding. Instead it looks almost identical to something created by Rocky Patel. I’m not sure on the exact procedure in which these cigars were developed, but I do know this; the super-star tag team of Mr. Patel, and Jonathan Drew result is REMARKABLE in every way possible. Not to mention two of the greatest amenities combined (coffee and cigars).

These guys hit the market sometime in early 2005 and are still available in most B&M stores. With the fall of the great Kahlua cigar (also created by Drew Estate) this cigar along with other coffee infusions (I’ll go into a few of those later) are still just as popular as ever.

The Goods:

Robusto  –  Size: 5.5 x 50  –  Wrapper: Coffee Infused Maduro  –  Country: Nicaragua  –  Box Pressed

JAVA Maduro sports a dark, oily, sweet wrapper wrapped around perfectly aged Nicaraguan long-fillers. As these cigars are aged, they are slowly infused with a rich, mocha flavor giving off an incredibly smooth taste, creamy finish, and extremely pleasant aroma.

Drew Estate’s JAVA also comes in a LATTE. The difference is the Connecticut Ecuador wrapper rather than the standard Connecticut Broad leaf. Its much creamier, but  I personally prefer the boldness of the Maduro wrapper.

Prelight: I’m usually not a huge fan of box-pressed cigars. They just seem a bit uncomfortable and a bit un-conventional. But, this press suits this cigar just perfect. The construction again is immaculate. It’s very rare that Drew Estate lets sloppy cigars leave its institution. There were no visible un-wrapping, and no soft spots. The whole cigar seemed a bit softer than other, but this is a HUGE plus in my book. This means two things to me. 1) they are properly humidified. and 2) expect a bigger draw.

First Smoke: As usual this cigar was cut using a Cuban Crafter’s Perfecto Cutter, and lit with a standard single torch colibri flame. The cigar took on an ever burn right away. I’m not sure if this is because of the construction, or the box-pressing, but if it’s due to the box-press then I take back my dislikes for them. The coffee aroma strikes immediately. I think this is the best smelling cigar I have ever smelled. The cigar produced HUGE draws, with just enough punch. Good in strength, but far from over-bearing.

Halfway There: Towards the end of the smoke the cigar greatly increased in strength. The coffee flavor still survived but was mixed in with a bit more spice, and an almost wood-like flavor at this point. Still great. I’m still amazed at the percision of the burn.

Finish: By the time I hit the nub this cigar was kicking my ass (in a good way).  I didn’t want it to end. Still just as flavorful as the first half of the cigar, but it feels as if its almost doubled in strength.

Overview: My over-view is just a bit biased as this is BY FAR one of my favorite cigars. One of the main reasons why I wanted to do the review was not only spread the word of a great product, but take the time to enjoy one for myself. You don’t need to be into infused cigars to like this one, or even cigars for that matter.

One last thing, Drew Estate offers two other lines of coffee infused cigars. One of which is the Tabak Especial. This is a more raw coffee infused cigar. AMAZING. but not as creamy as the JAVA’s. Quote from Jonathan Drew himself:

the woman just love those TABAKS. Fire em up, and your the hit

The other is the Isla Del Sol. These are a bit more heavy on the cocoa end, and at a price you just can’t beat!