Cigar History: The Evolution of Drew Estate

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Jun 1st 2010 at 3:02PM

Have you ever wondered how the Acid and Liga Privada cigars came to be? I had the opportunity to sit with Marvin Samel a few weeks ago, and he explained how a company that started as a pushcart in the World Trade Center mall became one of the largest in the cigar industry.

What started with outsourcing to La Rosa, a small rolling shop in Manhattan, and single-stick sales underground downtown has grown into an international force, with large factory (and small tourist) operation in Esteli, Nicaragua, cigars in humidors across the country and committed customers eager for anything from coffee infusion to the more traditional Liga cigars. It's been a wild ride, according to Marvin, but the future definitely looks bright.

Drew Estate will be in New York on June 24, 2010 for a cigar dinner. Smoke a "Dirty Rat" cigar, and learn more about this unique Nicaraguan-and-America success story.

Gallery: Drew Estate Cigar Factory

Cigar Safari: the resort section of Drew Estate

Disclosure: I was invited to cover this event for Cigar Reader by De La Concha, and wasn't charged anything. It was free for all invited. Each guest received a Dirty Rat cigar, a few slices of pizza (or more, depending on hunger)and some cognac.

Tags: cigar, cigars, drew estate, esteli, manhattan, new york, new york city, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars

Filed under: Cigars

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

paulcjohnson Jun 6th 2010 3:41PM

While the insight into the company's history is interesting, the importance of Drew Estate in the industry is very exaggerated. Having been in and around the cigar business for as long as Drew Estate, I can assure you that Acid is not the number three or four brand in the country. At best, Drew is is in the top 5 in volume among boutique brands like CAO, Camacho, and Rocky Patel. They do make some popular cigars, and they have an interesting story, but they are not widely respected by connoisseurs. The addition of Steve Saka to their management team has improved their perception in the industry, but they have a ways to go yet.