Drew Estate Undercrown ShadyXX Subculture Belicoso

The Drew Estate Undercrown ShadyXX Subculture is a collaboration between two people that share a passion for their art but seemingly have nothing else in common: Jonathan Drew and Eminem. They actually have more in common than most people think, as they both came from modest backgrounds and worked their way up the ranks in industries that didn’t exactly welcome them with open arms. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Drew Estate Cigars and Shady Records (Eminem and manager Paul Rosenberg’s record label) they decided to collaborate to come up with a truly special smoke.

The Drew Estate Undercrown ShadyXX Subculture is actually the third collaboration between Shady Records and Drew Estate, but this is the first cigar that has regular production and national distribution. In fact, before you had to go to Shady’s hometown of Detroit, Michigan to find this smoke. Similar to the famed Undercrown Maduro line, this blend features a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper that secures a Connecticut Habano binder and is then packed full of fillers from Brazil and Nicaragua. This full-bodied smoke has notes of chocolate, earth, and leather, with a nice amount of pepper and a long lasting finish. Pair this Cigar Aficionado 93-rated smoke with Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon or your favorite bourbon.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.