Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p0qJHb7fIq...ona_viva_1.pngLast Friday, Governors Smoke Shop (@GovernorsSmokes on twitter), a relatively new shop in the Columbus area, hosted a large Drew Estate event. Our local sales rep Sam Smerkol was there holding down the fort, as well as special guest David Lafferty Regional Manager East Coast for Drew Estate. If you have met David before, you will know that fun and craziness follows this guy around.

Here is a video we shot of the event: http://vimeo.com/35848645

Sometime during the event, David handed me a new size of the Undercrown by Drew Estate called the "Corona ¡Viva!" to be released this spring.

A quick Google search found this quote from Steve Saka President of Drew Estate regarding this new size: Corona ¡Viva! - 5 5/8 x 46 - slightly tweaked blend to increase the octane just a wee bit... did this figuring the guys most likely to desire this format are those with more experience and would desire a slightly stronger cigar (ME... lol) Keep in mind though the tweak keeps the UC blend intact, we didn't want to overshadow the natural sweetness or the creaminess of the core UC, so this is minor adjustment that I suspect many may not even notice. We probably won't even tell people... at least formally. (Source BOTL Website)

Undercrown has done very well and received much praise from the cigar blog world (if you want the whole story on how this cigar came about visit Tony's site here. It's got all the info you need and I won't need to repost it.) I've smoked well over a handful of Undercrowns, from samples at the tradeshow, to sticks from my B&M. Some I have liked, others I have not. Let's see how this new size held up.

Vitola: Corona ¡Viva!
Length: 5 5/8
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Negro
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan & Brazilian
Price: $?
Smoking Location: New Havana Cigars
Beverage: Water

Pre-Light
First off, I loved the size of this cigar. The classic Cuban corona size just really sat well in my hand and was a nice change from the big ring gauge cigars that seem to be dominating the market right now. The wrapper was a very dark brown color, almost black in some places, with a lot of oils that shimmered in the light. There were a few small veins but nothing that took away from the brilliant dark color. The pre-lit aroma had sweetness mixed in with some floral notes. The cap clipped easily and the cold draw tasted nutty and leathery.

First Third
The first thing anyone smoking this cigar will notice right away is the amount of smoke this stick puts off. I've heard others say that Undercrown's "smolder". The Corona ¡Viva! is a perfect example of that. The resting smoke quickly filled the area of the lounge I was sitting in. The flavors in the first third were a little weak on the front with just some muted leather and sweetness, but the finish was powerful with lots of dry cocoa. There was almost no spice in the cigar at this point, which I found interesting because I remember some other Undercrowns having some. The construction was perfect and the cigar's burn created a nice tight, compact ash. I would put the strength of the cigar in the solid medium range.

Second Third
The second third of my Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! is where things started to really get interesting. And by interesting, I mean awesome. On the front of each draw, I was met with a very different sweet flavor that had a bit of a twang to it. I wracked my brain over and over about what this flavor could be and the best I could come up with is it was almost candy like. Not sickeningly sweet candy (this is tobacco we're talking about, after all) but twangy with almost some tartness. I know to my readers that might sound crazy/dumb, but it's the best way I can describe it. The finish flavor was still a strong dry cocoa which, even with its strength in flavor, it faded away nicely to leave my palate feeling clean. Still no sign of any problems with the construction or draw. Just like the first third, I would say the nicotine strength was in the medium range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts
The final third of my Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! continued on like the second third, but only increased in flavor strength. Once again, the front of the profile was dominated by the sweet tangy flavor which actually started to creep into the finish as well. It did not overpower the cocoa taste, but it was in there. I burned this cigar as far as I could and I can honestly say that even with how much I love the size, I wished it was longer. I did notice that the nicotine strength started to pick up toward the end of the cigar and I could feel my heart rate pick up a bit, so I guess I would put the final third in the medium to medium-full range.

My final thoughts on The Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate? This is a game changer for the Undercrown line. Like I said in the intro, I've had hit or miss experiences with this brand, but this was not just a hit...it was a home run. Once this cigar got heated up, the sweet twangy flavor was unique and popped on every draw and the dark cocoa finish ended the flavor experience cleanly. If the full release in the spring is anything like this sample, I just might have a new favorite from Drew Estate

Would I buy it again? Yes

Would I buy a box? This is for sure a box purchase cigar.

for more pictures please visit http://tinyurl.com/6my76hh

Dan

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review Dan, another cigar to put on my "must-have" list

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review! Awesome to see another new sub-50 rg :tu

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Thanks for the review. I look forward to seeing these hit the market!

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Ecstatic to hear about this one; love my short smokes.
:tu

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

These sound awesome. One of my favorite sizes too. Great review!

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to trying the new vitola.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Cant wait for this one.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review, as time goes on I am trending toward the smaller ring gauges.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Going to be on the lookout for these babies:dr

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review. Sounds delicious, and I love the fact that it's a corona; I look forward to trying this.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review! Put me on the pre-order list with Sam! :tu

Seriously sounds like a great stick to compliment the original UC

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review brother....sounds :dr:dr

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review! I can't wait to try it!

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Thanks guys.

Dan

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

omg i can't wait. i LOVE coronas

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Wonder if the price of these will be a bit cheaper than the norm

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Very cool! I cant wait for this one to hit the market. Thanks for the review Dan :tu

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Nice! I haven't tried an Undercrown yet, but I'm very happy to see they're doing a corona gorda.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Had one of these last night. It was ROTT, so I wasn't gonna review it, but made some notes nonetheless.

Pre-light this is one unique-smelling baby. A deep, rich and spicy combination that I can only compare to Mexican chocolate, with cinnamon and some cloves floating in the background.

The appearance is luscious and flawless; the wrapper is like a thin sheet of the darkest chocolate, while the tobacco in the foot is the color of espresso foam.

As Dan noted the smoke is rich and dense, heavy in the air. The flavor at the beginning is just a powerful kick of well-fermented tobacco, with undertones of spice and a clean, dry finish.

Later on and past the middle flavors intensify and become somewhat sweeter, yet retain a slight bitterness, like perfectly-prepared Cuban coffee.

The last part is intense and chocolatey, sort of brooding; nothing comes through clearly, but there's a lot going on in that smoke. I expect that a few months' age will define the edges of this cigar and say whether its solid core will turn into something special. But it is definitely something you could enjoy now if you wanted to...or couldn't wait, like me :ss:

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

A box showed up at my local shop today and I snagged it before it even made it into the humidor. I'll be smoking one first thing tomorrow!

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

I got a couple of these on the way from the devil site. Looking forward to giving them a try!

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Any feedback on this vitola? I am phasing out my "clown cigars" and going corona or smaller, I like regular Undercrowns and I'm hoping these live up to there big brother's standards.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

I'd love to hear some feedback too. Have a couple on their way but haven't had one.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Bought a box a couple months back and they my favorite vitola out of that line. A bit young in my opinion, so sitting in my humidor to see how much better they can get.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Great review. I bought a box last month and only have a few left. I'll be getting another box for sure. Nice cigar. :banger

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

cant wait to smoke one

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

I was actually disappointed yesterday when I went to my humi for one and I was all out. Big fan of this vitola too, will probably be my next box purchase. If you haven't had one yet, do yourself a favor, try this stick!

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

...and I just bought a box.:D

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Smoked One Last Nite After Resting Them 2 Months. Great Stick!:dr Pepper, Spice, Tons Of Smoke, And That Nice Dry Cocoa Sweetness. Draw & Burn Were Perfect, Duration 1h & 15 Minutes.:tu

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Bought a box of these a few weeks back and they have quickly gone to the top of the rotation. Love the Undercrowns to begin with but these are a step up.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

That's the kind of stuff I was hoping too see. Off to go shopping I guess. :fp

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Grabbed a single a few days ago, and I can't wait to try it. I love the Undercrown toros, but the corona is one of my favorite sizes.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

My cousin gave me some Undercrowns for Christmas, and I smoked the Corona Viva after dinner. Smooth and, as Dan said, a wealth of flavorful smoke. Spice quickly smoothed out into a medium bodied, slightly sweet smoke that stayed interesting throughout. A pleasant suprise, one of the best NCs I have smoked this year.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Wow Tom likes something I like? never... :)

Dan

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

It's actually got me thinkin' I need to try the LP #9, Dan! :r

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Buying a few LP #9 might get me close to .01%, Mark. :r

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Nothing against the LP9, but sometimes a blend and vitola come together to be better than the whole. The corona viva does that. I like it more than than any other LP other than the OR Dirty Rat. Just a damn good smoke.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

lol, I must say if I had the choice between any Liga Privada for the rest of my life, or any and all cubans for the rest of my life.. It's gonna be one hell of a LP life.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Thanka, Matt, good to know.

I still have a couple other Undercrown sizes...what were your thoughts on sizes other than the Corona Viva?

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Smoke what you like, like what you smoke. We definitely wouldn't be in competition with each other for cigars. ;)

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

I've enjoyed every LP I have had this far and maybe 1/2 of the CCs I have had the opportunity to smoke, but when a CC is on I'd take that over a LP any day.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Ive had the robusto and torpedo, both were okay but not something I look for to try again.

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Thanks, Matt, I won't expect the same experience I had with the corona. :)

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

agree 100%

the rat and the corona viva are my favorite DE releases also.

Dan

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

Just enjoyed another one this evening...FANTASTIC stick. :dr :dr :dr

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

You know i never cared for the dirty rat, but I did enjoy the corona viva. Its funny
I've only bought one single so far... *grinz* Maybe i should change that! ;)

Re: Undercrown Corona ¡Viva! by Drew Estate (pre-release)
 

I went to a Drew Estates Event this past weekend, and they sold out off the corona viva. Everyone that smoked one really enjobed it, me included.