Kentucky Fire Cured
KENTUCKY FIRE CURED
made Drew Estate one of the premier cigar manufacturers on the planet. The two frat brothers from New York started out small…. Small, as in a 16 square foot retail kiosk in the World Trade Center in NYC.
In late 1998, Jonathan Drew moved to Esteli, Nicaragua with the hopes of starting a rebirth in the cigar world. With a handful of rollers and an even smaller handful of money, the story of “That Crazy Gringo” began. Imagine, going from a NYC apartment to sleeping on a mattress above a ram shackle factory, hardly knowing a word of Spanish too! In early 1999, Jonathan returned to Brooklyn with several amazing new blends for the next Drew Estate release. It was different, even shocking, and it needed something equally as spectacular to launch it. Enter Scott “ACID” Chester, an emerging artist in the DUMBO scene, whose mixing of industrial, urban, graffiti & motorcycle art would make for the perfect vehicle.
By 2000, they were ready for Round 2 with the release of Natural by Drew Estate. The ying to ACID’s yang, Natural was equally as original and more traditional. The launch of Natural took place on a vintage yacht sailing around Manhattan with invited friends and industry folk. Natural’s alluring flavor and aroma was the perfect match for a special evening.
Contrary to popular belief, ACID was not their first cigar brand. La Vieja Habana was. Originally released in 1998, this traditional cigar put them on the map, but when hurricane Mitch ravaged Nicaragua, the brand was put on hold. In 2001, La Vieja Habana returned loud and proud in stylish Art Deco form, a mix of tropical Cuban and NYC deco. The cigar, a real cigar smoker’s stick, rich tobaccos, great wrapper selections, and a can’t-be-beat price.
Early ‘01, they were making progress when Forbes magazine did an article called Cult Brands and included them alongside such brands as Krispy Kreme, Apple & Harley Davidson! It was a nice validation of the hard work they put in & put a little zip on their pitches the rest of the year.
By 2002, their little factory in Esteli was cranking out some amazing cigars, and a whole lot of them too, like their infused cigar AMBROSIA tobaccos exxotica. Everyone looked at them like they had three heads when they released it, but no matter, it showcased their dedication to The Rebirth of Cigars and to Jonathan’s vision of the Cigar Subculture.
2004 brought them to a crossroads. Their ever-growing company needed a change. So, they packed up shop and left the cozy confines of NYC for the fun and sun of Miami. Their move to Miami coincided with the hiring of a new company president: Steve Saka. His challenge, to guide them to the next level (and to bust everyone’s butt like a drill sergeant).
On the horizon, dreams were about to come true. Jonathan’s full vision of La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate. The dream that began nearly 10 years ago becomes reality with the building of their new factory.
Drew Estate's Kentucky Fire Cured cigars are in line with their mission to create exotic tobacco blends and elevate the expectations of cigar enthusiasts. Drew Estate isn't known for making conventional cigars. All of their cigars offer Jonathan Drew's determination to think outside the box when it comes to producing cigars. What is Fire cured? It is by which they take the tobacco leaves, place them in special climate-controlled barns, hang them over a heavy smoke fire using a variety of wood chips until the tobacco browns and absorbs the smoky flavors of hickory, maple, oak and more! It’s like creating properly smoked meats. You plan it out, pick your meat, pick your wood chips, pick a time, get some buddy's, set up, sit down with some brews and smokes and watch it cook to smoky perfection! Well Drew Estate's brings that same level of devotion to their Kentucky Fire Cured Cigars!
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