Back in June of last year, Drew Estate announced a new limited edition size of it's Undercrown Shade line, Undercrown ShadeSuprema. This is a Drew Diplomat retail exclusive and was shown off at IPCPR 2019.
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 ShadeSUPREMA is a perfecto vitola measuring 6 x 50-54. The blend is an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, Sumatran binder and Dominican Criollo 98, Nicaraguan Corojo, and Nicaragua Criollo fillers. The company describes this as stronger than the regular production version. It comes in boxes of 5 that sell for $47.99.
“First thing I noticed was this cigar was very bumpy. Not very cylindrical shape more oval. Light brown in color with a leather feel.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Aroma: 88
“The main notes of the both the body and foot is barnyard. There is a underline spice that is hard to pinpoint but it leaves a tingle in the sinuses. The cold draw presents a wonderful honey sweetness and white pepper on the lips. Makes me want to keep puffing on it without lighting it.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Savory grilled prime rib is how this cigar opens. As it works it way over the shoulder, there is an aggressive salt and black pepper mix on the back of the palate. There are woody notes trying to balance out the mouthfeel sadly it's to no avail. The retrohale is pure cracked black pepper. I wouldn't say that the flavors are off putting but might be considered harsh to someone how doesn't like a pepper forward cigar.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“I chose to not cut the foot of the cigar and light the small tip. The draw was obviously very tight. I was very surprised to get a strong blast of pepper and cedar right off the light. As soon as I got to the main body of the cigar, the pepper faded and was replaced by a sweet creamy caramel, butterscotch, and a buttered bread note. On the retrohale I get a strong cinnamon, with just a hint of black pepper zing. The draw has opened up nicely and smoke is pouring off the foot. The ash is holding the perfecto shape of the cigar, and burn is rock solid. it is obvious early on that the construction of this cigar is superb!” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Moving into the second third, the flavors from the beginning continue, with the addition of nilla wafer cookies. The pepper and cinnamon are still on the retrohale and at this point they are fighting with the sweet notes in the draw to be the dominant profile. This is a surprise as one would expect the sweetness to dominate from the first third. The tight grey ash is still hanging on almost at halfway, and burn continues to be excellent, confirming the thought construction of this cigar is excellent.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“I felt the second third was the best. The complexity and flavor really picked up. I started to get some salted pretzels and even a little caramel. Also the pepper strength went up which I enjoyed. The only down side was I felt that this was smoking slightly fast.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The last third stayed pretty much the same with pepper and nuts and roasted flavors. I felt like I was getting a taste of rye chips which was a nice change from the first and second third. I wish the rye taste was a little more prominent throughout the last third.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
“Getting into the final third, the pepper and cinnamon on the retrohale have settled down, being replaced with the nilla wafer note from the draw, making the sweetness of the cigar move to the front. That is really the only change detected. The cigar remained pretty predictable to the end. While writing notes, it did go out and needed a relight which surprised me. This did not affect the flavor profile though and the cigar finished very pleasurably.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 89
“Open and airy from start to finish. This causes it to burn faster then I would like. I thought it might cause problems with the burn but these fears were unfounded.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Burn: 93
“It burn like a champ for the first two thirds but the last third had issues of canoeing.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Construction: 92
“Though it was spongy and had a loose draw, there wasn't a problem. The ash, that was very dark in color, held on for about two inches before falling off. I was quite surprised by this.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full Experience Overall: 90
“This cigar smoked far better then it looked. Great changes in flavor profile throughout. It might be young, in terms of the tobaccos used, but it still brings a lot to the table. Laying this cigar down, for some rest, might do it some good. Well worth your time.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“I feel the only downside to this cigar was the draw but because of how much flavor I got off cigar, it ended up not bothering me that much. I felt the second third was the best part of this cigar. Although it smoked fast, the flavor of slight pepper, salted pretzels and caramel was enjoyable. For a mild to medium cigar I though this was very flavorful. For me this would be a perfect cigar for a golf course.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
“All in all this was a very pleasurable, you can smoke it anytime cigar. The sweetness in the profile should make it a must have for anyone that is a fan of those types of cigars. The unique shape makes for an interesting conversation piece with your smoking buddies and makes the cigar very photogenic as well. Your friends will want more if you share! Box Worthy without question!” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“The horribly bitter wrapper made me never want to smoke this cigar again.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
"I feel the only downside to this cigar was the draw but because of how much flavor I got off cigar, it ended up not bothering me that much. I felt the second third was the best part of this cigar. Although it smoked fast, the flavor of slight pepper, salted pretzels and caramel was enjoyable. For a mild to medium cigar I though this was very flavorful. For me this would be a perfect cigar for a golf course." -Jake P. (Jake P.)
