drew estate

Six Cigar Celebs Tease Their Secrets for IPCPR

Filed under: Cigars

The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers annual show is right around the corner, and you can expect some new product to be unveiled in New Orleans, this year, as usual. The plans for the year run the spectrum. EO Brands unveiled its new cigar labels, the first visible change following the company's merger with Rocky Patel, and Drew Estate will reveal that it has something big coming out this year. But, why listen to me talk about it? I've had the chance to catch up with a number of cigar industry personalities recently. So, watch the videos below to hear it straight from the source.

Drew Estate
There's always something interesting brewing at the Drew Estate factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and this summer is no different. Marvin Samel, co-founder of the company, hints that something interesting is coming his year.

Gallery: Cigar Celebrities at Cigar Expo

Jonathan Drew, Drew Estate, and Pete Johnson, Tatuaje

Tags: cigar, cigars, drew estate, New orleans, rtda, tatuaje

Continue reading “Six Cigar Celebs Tease Their Secrets for IPCPR”

Virtual Cigar Factory Tour: The Drew Estate Manufacturing Process

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Have you ever wondered how your favorite Liga Privada cigar finds its way in a box and on a cigar shop's shelf? Well, if you can't make it down to the Drew Estate Cigar Safari resort for a few days, check out this interview with Marvin Samel, one of the founders of Drew Estate. On a recent trip to New York, he explained the entire process, from seed to ash. I'd say you'll learn the secrets behind the Drew Estate cigars, but as usual, lips remain shut tight when it comes to the infusion process!

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, cigar lounge, cigars, CigarShop, drew estate, new york

I Smell a Dirty Rat: Drew Estate Talks about Its Rarest Cigar

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

You probably won't find the "Dirty Rat" on the shelves of your local cigar shop. The rare corona-sized stick is too expensive to manufacture for mass distribution, so it's rolled in small quantities for the Drew Estate staff and is shared with friends and at cigar events. The unique cigar is worth a smoke if you can get your hands on it. It's smooth and flavorful with a solid construction and a great draw.

Cut and light a Dirty Rat, and you'll certainly be the envy of the cigar shop.

Gallery: Dirty Rat Cigar Event: Drew Estate and De La Concha

Marvin Samel of Drew Estate and Ron Melendi of De La Concha

Marvin Samel of Drew Estate Smoking a Dirty Rat

[Photos by Steve Zak]

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, cigar lounge, cigar shop, cigars, CigarShop, corona, drew estate, esteli, nicaragua

Cigar History: The Evolution of Drew Estate

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

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

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

The Drew Estate Cigar Factory

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Video

Drew Estate stands out in Esteli, Nicaragua. Eschewing many of the traditional aspects of manufacturing hand-rolled cigars that you'll find in Pepin Garcia's factory, it has a more American flair, with the conversion of construction and marketing at every point in the process. Born of the minds of two Long Islanders, Drew Estate has grown into a substantial cigar manufacturing operation with an incredibly wide range of cigars and its own collection of secrets.

On my recent cigar trip to Nicaragua, I hadn't expected to visit Drew Estate. Hell, I'd never heard of it. I knew a few of the brands it produces but never related them back to Drew, simply because they aren't cigars that I smoke. Most of what comes out of Drew Estate is infused, with Acid cigars the most prominent. I don't look down my nose at those who smoke infused (hey, the point is to enjoy whichever cigar you choose), but I simply don't lean that way. Nonetheless, I was excited to see the factory, if only to deepen the experience.

I'm glad I did.

In addition to seeing an impressive cigar operation and learning of a fun travel alternative, I discovered that Drew Estate is also moving into the traditional cigar market, and its fairly new T9 and T52 cigars are certainly worth more than a few puffs. What's really staggering, though, is the planning and execution that goes into running a segmented operation that draws hard lines between the infused and traditional products.

Gallery: Drew Estate Cigar Factory

Tags: cigar, cigar factory tour, cigar lounge, cigars, drew estate, drew estates, esteli, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars

Continue reading “The Drew Estate Cigar Factory”

Drew Estate: A Cigar Company's Take on Corporate Social Responsibility

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Art, Charity

When you think about corporate social responsibility – i.e., good corporate citizenship – the cigar industry probably isn't the first that comes to mind. The cigar business is small and only appeals to a handful of customers. Though I've been a cigar smoker for close to 15 years and was a consumer business strategist for a major consulting firm, I'd never thought about the possibility of corporate social responsibility in the cigar world – it jest never occurred to me.

While I was walking the Drew Estate factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, though, I began to hear the cues that signal an effort to be a valuable member of the community. The company – which produces the Acid and Java cigar lines, along with newer products such as the T9 and T52 – pays twice the region's prevailing wage for its positions. There are healthcare facilities on the premises. Wood for cigar boxes comes only from approved sources with environmentally friendly practices, and the company makes it a point to hire people with disabilities.

Jonathan Drew, one of the company's owners, spoke with me at length about Drew Estate's commitment to the surrounding community, which involves several measures intended to benefit not just the factory's employees but the people of Esteli.

While the holiday celebrations that involve the entire neighborhood, healthcare for employees and pregnancy leave are prominent aspects of Drew's informal philosophy of corporate social responsibility, I was struck by two rather unusual aspects: food and art.

Gallery: Drew Estate Cigar Factory