Drew Estate brought a new size of their Undercrown Maduro and Shade blends to TPE this year, Corona Pequena. The blends are the same as their larger counterparts. The Shade uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, Sumatra binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Undercrown Corona Pequena comes in 32 count boxes and sell for $176 per box. The cigars measure 4 x 44.
“4×40 double cap, light tan wrapper, with minimal veins nearly invisible seams. The bunch has some give good cigar for cold days or for time constraining situations when trying to get in a quick smoke.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Aroma: 91
“On the nose, fresh humid lumber, marzipan and a prune like note hit with intriguing complexity while a cold draw reveals a leathery red fruit menagerie.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Dry draw gives a slight mustiness which is reminiscent of some Cuban brands I’ve smoked in the past. As soon as flame meets the foot, I get a blast of pepper that I was not expecting. I was expecting this to fade quickly but to my surprise the first half inch at least was a spice bomb! The retro cleared my sinuses quickly leaving a red pepper singe on the tip of my tongue. As it settled in, I was getting a hint of graham and honey mixed in with the spice notes and the red pepper on the tip of my tongue would fade into a slightly salty finish. I’m liking it thus far.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“Peppered leather kick this cigar off post light up into gear. With a medium body, this profile settles down from the initial light up and becomes a bit smoother to the taste. During the short portion of this third, notes of mainly blonde brownies, vanilla wafers with a touch of additional sweetness that lingers on the tongue. Good stuff!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Flavor: 92 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Draw is wide open with little effort to get heavy thick plumes of flavorful smoke. Burn is razor sharp. I had my reservations about this cigar but boy was I wrong. It is a great little smoke, and had a really good nic kick to it. The honey has become more defined to clover honey as wood and earth fade to the background.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Small cigar means small thirds. Cigar continues along the same trend of cayenne pepper and a bit of orange zest to it. I’m also feeling there’s little sweetness of honey trying to pry its way in.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Final Third
Flavor: 93 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“A light sugary syrup flavored pancake dominates the first portion of this last third. Simply delicious notes accented by a light black peppery profile make this cigar complete bliss. I end this short lived cigar with creamy iced coffee, slight sweetened, as I kick back and enjoy the days end.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“The final third was very much an encore performance of the second third. This is not a bad thing since this has been a fantastic little cigar up to this point. Graham and oak along with a slightly salty short finish is a great combination.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 96
“I wish every cigar could draw like this one.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Burn: 97
“Slightly wavy but tight packed ash. Never had to touch it up or anything. Excellent.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Construction: 95
“I’ve had issues in the past with many smaller vitolas. This was not the case today. This cigar was beautiful to look at and performed flawlessly.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 93
“Very boxable cigar especially in the fall time or for time constricting situations. Buy some quick.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“This was an excellent cigar for the size and time commitment. Sometimes you just need a cigar for 40-50 minutes but still want a kick in the teeth. I definitely got that here. I’d be interesting in picking more of these up to add to my rotation.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
“I loved this little nugget. What more can I say. You couldn’t ask for a better “little” cigar in my opinion. Near perfect draw, great flavors and excellent construction throughout made for a great smoking experience.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“Want a short smoke that’ll blow your pants off with delicious medium bodied notes of vanilla wafers and pancakes, pick this one up now! I could chain smoke these little guys over and over, they were so delicious… I really hope they have a lonsdale or similar sized stick on this blend for even more enjoyment. Surprisingly, I got 45 minutes out of this little guy and enjoyed every single one of them. Grab this now, try is immediately, then buy more, repeat!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“This was in interesting cigar that messes with you. 1. the size it’s TINY! 2. It picks up strength quick and only eases off a bit. This is not one I would smoke in the morning, this may be your 2nd to 3rd cigar of the day, she has a bite. The size is great for those quick winter smokes that are coming up. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
"This was an excellent cigar for the size and time commitment. Sometimes you just need a cigar for 40-50 minutes but still want a kick in the teeth. I definitely got that here. I'd be interesting in picking more of these up to add to my rotation." -Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
