I smoke a cigar a day, as it is part of my “calming” routine. Sometimes that smoke is on the way to a meeting, getting on a video conference, or after a long and exhausting day of being me. If you know me or follow my social media, then you know exactly how much truth there is in the statement of “being me”. It’s a lot. It is now my favorite time of year, and my favorite time to smoke a cigar outside. If you have read my previous reviews, you probably know by now that I am not a fan of the hot weather. So, when the seasons start to change from summer to fall, I relish it with the joy of someone who understands it is time for a dark, full-bodied, maduro cigar outside in the crisp fall breeze or the light chill of a Hill Country autumn.
I was introduced to this cigar’s little brother, Undercrown Maduro, about seven years ago. I enjoyed that cigar, but it lacked a certain “pop”. A couple of years later, the Undercrown 10 came out. This cigar had the “pop”. It is now one of the few maduros that I keep in my personal humidor.
The Undercrown 10 Maduro is made by the Drew Estate Cigar Company. This cigar is made from a blend of Nicaraguan tobacco in the Jalapa region of the country. It is then wrapped in a Mexican Maduro leaf from the lush San Andres Valley. This unique cigar is sure to satisfy the highest expectations of Maduro cigar smokers.
- Wrapper – Mexican San Andres Maduro
- Binder – Connecticut Broadleaf
- Filler – Nicaraguan
- Size – 5×50 Robusto
I will be pairing this cigar with a hot cup of Dirty Duck French Press Coffee. Rum or coffee is my preferred drink with a dark maduro cigar. I go into my home office, I grab my cigar from my big humidor, I turn on some Randy Rogers Band, selecting “In My Arms Instead”, hoping that the fiddle intro will somehow summon the spirits to actually make the “leaves turn to rust”. They didn’t, and it’s still 100-plus degrees outside. Anyway, I grab my small cigar punch, make my hole, turning down the flame on my torch. I rotate my cigar clockwise, then counterclockwise to ensure that the whole end is lit evenly and correctly. I approach this cigar with the excited expectations of an adult who dislikes the Texas summers and is eagerly awaiting the first, and slightest hint of a cool autumn breeze (which at the time of this article being typed is nowhere in our future. I am still excited as I know what I am going to get when I light this cigar.
Once lit, I take a deep drag on this cigar, and the hit of a rich espresso flavor is unmistakable. It is immediately followed by a strong pepper taste that is long-lasting and prominent. As I start to get a little closer to the middle, more earthy tones like oak and cedar start to emerge and really bring the first third of this cigar to a wonderful balance.
In the middle of this cigar, the pepper starts to let up a little bit and is not so prominent. I notice the beginning of a very slight sweet aroma to form, but it doesn’t last long. However, the sweet, creamy taste of cocoa, raisin, and a hint of caramel are starting to emerge.
The last third of this cigar is a delicious smorgasbord of all of the flavors. The pepper starts to poke its spicy little head out, and the espresso hits the tongue with a quick but lasting punch as if to say, “hey, remember me?” The creamy chocolate espresso taste, with a hint of oak, vanilla, and a little bit of spice.
“The pepper starts to poke its spicy little head out, and the espresso hits the tongue with a quick but lasting punch as if to say, ‘hey, remember me?’”
Pairs well with
- Dirty Duck French Press Coffee
- Espresso
- Balvenie Single Malt Scotch 14 Year Week of Peat
- Dark Rum
- Lager
- Red Wine – Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec
From the October 2026 issue of The Kendall Gentleman.
Clay Smoot has reviewed cigars for The Kendall Gentleman before in The ’64 and 1875 Bully by Romeo y Julieta. For more from this issue, read Tommy Mathews’s BetterMENt: Following the Ratio.