Brand: Drew Estate
Line: Chateau Real
Vitola: Small Club Corona 4 x 44
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Mexican San Andreas Negro Oscuro
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo & Dominican Piloto Cubano
Body: Mild
Strength: Mild
Box Price: $144 (Box of 32) Buy it now.
Description: As I climbed out of bed this morning, I was informed by my husband that I was to do a review of Drew Estates Chateau Real. I figured I would get to it at some point, but was happy to find that this afternoon was ‘that point’. As I filled our little pool for our 3 year old to play in, I decided this would be the perfect time to light up a smoke.
First of all, the wrapper on this baby was beautiful. With it’s super fine veins and beautiful Connecticut Shade, it was almost too pretty to smoke. Almost. Pre-light draw was good with just a hint of resistance. My first thought was, “Ooo..peppery.” and promptly went and filled my glass with water. Lighting was a bit rough, but let me explain further. I have yet to get my own torch lighter, so I had to make due with matches and a regular lighter. Normally this isn’t a problem, but today there was a small breeze that was just enough to blow my matches out quickly. Frustrated, I decided lighting a cigar in the house wouldn’t kill anyone. Despite my (many) botched attempts outside, once inside, lighting was easy going and the burn stayed wonderfully even through the life of this cigar. Thank you Drew Estate for having the foresight to think of people like me. *smile* Onward!
This cigar starts off with a nice little kick. I was leery of the pepper notes at first as I am truly not a spicy anything lover. However, I found that this wasn’t too terribly bad, and died down a bit as the cigar continued. While it did stay present throughout the smoke, it was more of an accompaniment rather than the main feature. This cigar has been described by others as ‘complex’ and they weren’t kidding. It really was a symphony that combined leather, wood, and hints of nutty goodness. My husband said he thought maybe even a bit of a floral in there, to which my first thought was ‘Lavender’. All this was combined into a creamy mixture that I thoroughly enjoyed to the very end, literally. I almost burnt my fingers on this one. Ash stayed nice and tight, holding on for about an inch or so, and construction was great. It had a nice weight to it that gave it a very substantial feel.
Verdict: If I had to boil this down to one word, that word would be ‘comfortable’. Through the course of this cigar, I just kept seeing a big, comfy chair; a cozy corner; and peaceful relaxation. I could have easily settled in and nodded off to the wonderful smell of the smoke, and would have been happy to if not for the aversion to being burned by burning things, and the fact that my 3 year old was playing in a pool. Overall though, I would say this is a good smoke. I would almost go so far as to suggest it as a morning smoke as it has a nice mild body and strength. I’ll be picking up a few more of these.
Similar Cigars: Another great cigar with the same type of wrapper and flavor profile is the Casa Torano. I don’t think you can go wrong with either cigar and would not choose one over the other.
Popularity: 15% [?]
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great review, Denise! Mild cigars are flying under the radar right now, and that’s too bad because there are some great ones out there. Thanks for sparking this one up. I have a couple Chateau Real churchills quietly mulling their fate in the humidor right now. I have yet to meet a Drew Estate I liked, but I think this might be the one to change my mind.
Thank you, Cigarfan! Since I typically smoke only 1 cigar a day, I just prefer the more mild ones. I’ve tried one of two with more body, but they always seem to knock me over. I hope you enjoy the Chateau. :) If not, feel free to say so also. Everyone has different tastes, so it would be silly of anyone to think that just because they like something, everyone else should like it too.
These are really close in flavor to the Casa Torano and make a great morning smoke. I like mild cigars as long as they have some flavor to them.
You know, I wasnt expecting to mucg from this cigar because im not the biggest Estate fan, but it really surprised me. I thought the burn was phenomenal, and it had a nice taste to match. I would smoke one of these any day of the week
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