This year is the 20th anniversary of the ACID brand. In celebration of that mark, Drew Estate released a 20th anniversary cigar: ACID 20. The cigar comes in one size, a box-pressed robusto 5 x 52. It’s presented in chrome boxes of 20 cigars and was shown off at IPCPR 2019.
The blend of the ACID 20 uses Mexican San Andres wrapper, Indonesian binder, and fillers from Nicaragua. The infusion details of the cigar were not disclosed but described as “truly unique, and worthy of the double decade title.” The boxes sell for $230.40 and ships in September.
Pre-Light
Like a lot of Drew Estate cigars, the wrapper is a beautiful dark chocolate that is slightly toothy to the touch. I really like the look of box pressed cigars and this one is a little unique in the fact that it’s almost a perfect square with a flat hammer cap. It does have a very strong menthol note with a sweet and peppery finish on the foot. If it wasn’t for the menthol aroma wafting from the cigar I would just assume that it was a well made Liga.
First Third
The cap is very sweet on the lips. Menthol, rich tobacco, leather, grain, and pepper round out the the profile after the sweetness dies down a little. It’s actually a fairly complex experience once the flavors settle in. For a more traditional smoking experience, the retrohale is all leather and cedar.
Second Third
I’m still getting a lot of sweetness on the draw but it’s nowhere near as much as the beginning. It may just be that a lot of the sweet paste on the cap has been used. There’s a lot more heat this third from a red pepper that’s developed. Menthol, leather, and grain are all still present from the first third but I’m getting a piney finish now. I’m actually surprised at how well the ash holds up, it’s almost the halfway point when it finally drops the first time.
Final Third
The sweet tip is all but used up at this point just leaving a hint of sweetness on the lips. If the entire cigar was this profile from the beginning, I wouldn’t have know it was flavored. I’m getting a honey graham cracker and cola feel now that I wasn’t getting from the previous two thirds. Pine, leather, rich tobacco, and red pepper comprise the rest of the flavors till the end.
Overall Thoughts
It does everything so well it’s hard to find a fault with it. If I’m being nit-picky, it smoked a little fast for it’s size. The smoke output was phenomenal, the burn was almost razor sharp though out, the draw was perfect, and the flavor profile evolved all the way through. I’m not a flavored cigar fan but I’m a fan of this one. I remember smoking this at IPCPR and feeling that it was in the top 5 new cigars at the show. It was actually the best cigar that I smoked that day and was teased relentlessly for it. Trying it for a second time now, it holds up the previous experience. Honestly, give it a try and be open to the experience and I think you’ll be very surprised at how good this actually is.
It does everything so well it's hard to find a fault with it. If I'm being nit-picky, it smoked a little fast for it's size. The smoke output was phenomenal, the burn was almost razor sharp though out, the draw was perfect, and the flavor profile evolved all the way through. I'm not a flavored cigar fan but I'm a fan of this one. I remember smoking this at IPCPR and feeling that it was in the top 5 new cigars at the show. It was actually the best cigar that I smoked that day and was teased relentlessly for it. Trying it for a second time now, it holds up the previous experience. Honestly, give it a try and be open to the experience and I think you'll be very surprised at how good this actually is.
