As a brand that has been in existence for more than 130 years, Romeo y Julieta has set the standard regarding consistency; creating uncompromising quality and balanced flavor with each box produced, everyday, year after year. For this reason, aficionados tend to keep Romeo y Julieta as a staple in their daily routine. Romeo y Julieta Limitada is no different in terms of quality and construction, however, it does pack a big punch in terms of strength and flavor. Released in 2007, Romeo y Julieta Limitada is the first limited production cigar produced under the Romeo line. As its name implies, this cigar is extremely rare and was only available to the top 300 cigar retailers worldwide during its debut.

Wrapped with a beautfiul Corojo leaf grown in San Andreas, Limitada produces rich flavors including pepper, peat, cocoa, and a slight floral aroma that is incredibly appealing. The wrapper is oily and has a smooth texture with little veins while the mixture of Dominican and Nicaraguan long leaf tobaccos create a balanced complexity that allow for a pleasant aftertaste, which lingers on the palate for hours. Romeo y Julieta Limitada drastically improves with age, so be sure to create some extra room in your humidor.

6/27/08: Tim and Donny get the elusive Jonathan Drew (Drew Estate, Acid, Chateau Real) to sit down for an exclusive interview. Watch what in the cigar industry is the equivalent to a lunar eclipse, except cooler.
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Q: I've heard some manufacturers fumigate their cigars before shipment. Is this safe?

A: Indeed. Almost 90% of all manufacturers put their cigars through a process to keep insects, mostly tobacco beetles, from destroying their blends. Unfortunately, like all plants, tobacco serves not only as a home but also as food to many different types of insects. Before the cigars are shipped for distribution, some manufacturers freeze the tobacco, which rids the cigars of any pests including tobacco beetles. These insects can eat through a box of cigars in about two days and therefore this process is definitely necessary. Other manufacturers prefer fumigating their cigars before shipment. Since this process utilizes a gas and not a vapor to rid the cigars of any unwanted pests, it evaporates and dissipates quickly, leaving no residue. Each fumigation process differs from factory to factory, but none of them harm or taint the cigars since the gases used are odorless, flavorless, and do not saturate the sticks.

Primeros Regionals - From the line of cigars well known for there extreme value driven price comes the Primeros Regionals' take on Cuba's classic flavor and body.

Nub - Considered one of the most innovative cigar concepts in recent years, Nub is a line of short and stout smokes blended to capture the true essence of a cigar from start to finish.

Padilla Habano - Hailing from Tabacalera Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua, Padilla Habano is the perfect choice for enthusiasts looking for a complex cigar with a well balanced, smooth flavor.

Man O' War - Manufactured at Tabacalera Fernandez in Nicaragua, Man O’ War is by far one of the best full-bodied cigars currently available. Not only are the tobaccos perfectly blended to create incredible complexity, but the quality and construction is also top-notch.

Rocky Patel I-Press - A limited blend from Rocky Patel, I-Press is a must try, especially for die-hard RP fans. Wrapped in a dark maduro leaf, I-Press is a box-pressed cigar that provides a rich flavor and slow burn.

Ranked among the top 10 cigar manufacturers in the industry, Don Pepin Garcia has produced a new cigar, Vegas Cubanas, which are a perfect example of his blending expertise. Due to his Cuban heritage, Pepin’s cigars are normally reminescent of those produced in Old Havana – strong, peppery, but smooth. Vegas Cubanas, however, has a slightly different flavor and body, becoming one of the mildest cigars in Pepin’s portfolio. Produced at El Rey de Los Habanos, Pepin’s famous Miami factory, Vegas Cubanas is a medium-bodied beauty filled with Cuban-seed Corojo long-filler cultivated from Nicaraguan farms in 1999. Due to the age of this incredible tasty filler, these cigars are slightly spicy but have a pleasantly mellow aftertaste. The cigar is finished with a Habano Rosado Claro wrapper that adds leather and earthy flavors to the blend, which create an enormous amount of complexity when mixed with the spicy nuances expelled from the Corojo tobacco. Vegas Cubanas is a perfect choice for those looking to try a Don Pepin Garcia cigar, but do not prefer an extremely spicy, full-bodied blend.

Imperiales (6.1" x 52) Only size where a slight cocoa flavor was noticeable. Cigar was complex but stable, offering a smooth start that became relatively stronger after an inch. The flavors held true for another inch before the cigar changed again, providing earthy flavors including peat. The smoke was incredibly spicy through the nose but the aftertaste left some sweet notes that faded after about 5 minutes. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Magnates (7.6" x 49) Initial flavor was slightly bland and uneventful, but drastically improved after half an inch. Noticed very light peppery flavors on the palate but a ton of spice when exhaled through the nose. Very complex as the flavors changed inch to inch. Expect this cigar to last at least 90 minutes. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Invictos (5" x 50) Not much fluctuation in flavor and therefore fewer complexities than other sizes. Light spice is abundant throughout with leathery, almost cedar-like undertones. Burn was a bit uneven while the cigar burned quickly, but produced a lot of smoke. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Generosos (6" x 50) Offered much in terms of earthy sensations, but was very robust from the first puff. Seemed a bit stronger than other sizes but had a great draw. The aftertaste left competing nuances of pepper and spice and the smoke emitted was very thick, but never overwhelming. 88/100 [Buy Now]

Corona (5.5" x 44) Offered very little in terms of sweetness, and had the tightest draw of all sizes. However, the complexity was enjoyable and the strength was mostly noticeable in the stomach, not the palate. A good 35-minute cigar. Burned slightly hot. 87/100 [Buy Now]

Cigar.com (CC): A lot of people are already familiar with your unique cigars so I will not beat around the regular, obvious questions. The Drew Estate slogan is “The Rebirth of Cigars”, what does this mean exactly?

Jonathan Drew: (JD) First of all, it is an honor to be the feature interview for this issue of Cigar.com. Similar to Cigar.com, Drew Estate is a young, innovative company that follows the "Christopher Columbus Rule" that I learned at Brooklyn Law School - which is basically to chart your own destiny. "Rebirth" is about a new beginning, a new genesis, and in some ways touches upon the biblical concept that we must destroy to rebuild. Our ultimate goal was to reinforce the time honored aspect of cigar making, while at the same time, illustrating a whole new world to premium cigars that was yet to be explored.

CC: Your brand has developed into a cigar lifestyle, to what do you attribute the extraordinary success of Drew Estate?

JD: Sometimes people mistake our brand to be Acid, Natural, Java, etc., but the real "Brand" behind the brands is "La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate." I directly attribute our success to the quality of our cigars, period. We certainly have strong packaging and interesting, thought provoking marketing, but the quality of our cigars is what brings the customers back for the repeat purchase and the continued brand loyalty. Cigar enthusiasts are smart, educated, and sophisticated people. They will not tolerate sub-quality or inconsistency in taste, construction or draw. The "Cult-Like" following that we have been fortunate to achieve over the past 10 years is fundamentally based on rigid dedication at the factory level in Nicaragua.

CC: Who is the Drew Estate smoker?

JD: The Drew Estate Smoker is the guy sitting next to you. He is the cigar enthusiast that wants to explore all of the dimensions to cigar smoking, not the same old played out song and dance. However, at the same time he demands quality. I cannot tell you how incredible it is to see my father’s friends kicking back and smoking a Natural Root or an Acid Deep Dish. Age has nothing to do with the Drew Estate clientele, as I believe we have transcended the age barriers. Sophisticated aficionados are smoking Drew Estate - and they're spreading the word.

CC: Everyone is familiar with your Acid line, but your Natural line is equally as intriguing. Can you describe Natural and how it is different from Acid?

JD: Natural by Drew Estate is one of the best tasting premium cigars on the market today in the mild to medium category. Natural is that superstar brand that flies just under the radar. Since it was released only a year after Acid, many people thought that it was infused in some way, but as connoisseurs tried Natural, they realized that it was a whole different world. I have always been fascinated by tobaccos from regions of the world that are different from the typical Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan and Cuban areas. I spent two years visiting countries that grow specialty tobaccos for unique markets, such as Syria, Turkey, St. James Parish, Brazil, Portugal, and Southeast Asia. I was mystified by the unique and exotic tastes we were able to draw out of these rare tobaccos when we placed them into the traditional curing process in Nicaragua. Natural cigars are extremely smooth and mostly mild, but the flavor profiles are very interesting and distinct - never spicy.

CC: Your friends call you the “Green Hero”, where did this name come from?

JD: They call me the Green Hero because I used to laugh when someone would call a cigar "green" when they simply couldn't identify the taste. I would say that if this cigar is green, then I am the Green Hero. These days, people don't want to smoke the same old boring cigar, so the name became irrelevant. Just an interesting tidbit from my past. I see you did your research.

CC: There used to be a cigar called Green Hero, is it still made?

JD: Nope. It was a great oaky, nutty blend in the Torpedo size, but it didn't sell as well as the other Naturals and the bean counters around here asked me to stop making it. It kind of pissed me off when they asked me to kill it. I hope that we bring it back some day. Hero was great with red wine. We have a photo of Adam Sandler smoking one.

CC: Lets move on to your non infused blends. Liga Privada and Chateau Real have developed a loyal following. Is it fair to say blends like these are the future of Drew Estate?

JD: Drew Estate is an "artisanal workshop." I don't "contract manufacture" my cigars in "other people's factories," or claim to have "sub factories in factories." We like to get our hands dirty, experiment, simplify, complicate, and then do it all over again. I think that it was Socrates who explained the Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis philosophy. Again, you've got to destroy to rebuild. It's hard for me to predict the future of Drew Estate in terms of the blends because we are not led around by some clueless board of directors who just want to hit sales numbers. We create what inspires us. Having the correct strategic partners on the growing side is always the wild card. Chateau Real is a very beautiful, mild blend. Liga Privada is a medium to full, rich blend. We've been working relentlessly to make these blends consistent. They will play an important part of our future, as will Joya de Nicaragua - I'm sure.

CC: Is there any new breaking product that Drew Estate is releasing this fall?

JD: In addition to the new sizes of Liga Privada and Chateau Real Maduro, we have just released an important new brand called Tabak Especial. Following in the footsteps of Kahlua (which has been formally discontinued) and the Java line which is distributed by Rocky Patel, we have added Tabak Especial to our roster of coffee infused cigars. Our goal for Tabac Especial was to create a crossover between the traditional and infused segments and we really hit this one on the mark. The Tabak Especial is an absolutely wonderful cigar, both rich and complex as well as gently infused with an esspresso quality coffee. This is a cigar that can be smoked in the house because the wife is going to love the aroma as well.

CC: Recently you finished construction on a beautiful factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. In fact, your factory is the largest in the whole country. What will this new facility offer Drew Estate?

JD: People keep telling me that our factory is the largest in Nicaragua and I don't know what to say. The size of the factory was never important to me, other than that I would finally have the space to branch out for all of my experiments, curing and distilling areas, as well as a modern, comfortable environment for all of our artisans. We used to operate 10 factories prior to July 5, 2007. It was harder, and drained more energy from our staff to manage so many facilities. We have a new program that will begin in September called Cigar Safari where we will bring hundreds of final consumers to the new factory for a 3 night/4 day tour. I designed the factory in a Spanish Colonial style, infused with the Drew Estate funk that is clearly identifiable. All of our friends who have stopped by throughout the construction really freak out, but it’s the Hotel/Cabana area which overlooks the tobacco fields that stops them in their tracks. I asked Frank Llaneza, (who was the Villazon Factory owner, makers of Punch, Hoya de Monterrey, etc for over 40 years) how he liked the factory ... and he snippily replied, "you built a great hotel." I'm not really sure if that was a compliment.

CC: Cigar Safari, that sounds Interesting. Can you tell me more about it?

JD: Cigar Safari is where our hard work and vision finally come to life. This is the ending and the new beginning. We invested into Cigar Safari for the purpose of bringing cigar enthusiasts, not just Drew Estate smokers, to explore the best of Nicaragua. Nicaragua is one of the most fascinating countries in the world, and considered the second safest in the western hemisphere. People are sending me emails about getting married at Cigar Safari or doing their bachelor party here. It's got everyone all jazzed up because of the 5 Star luxury and cigar atmosphere all rolled up into one. My goal is to become the Cafe Brit of the cigar world - coupled with the first class - offering luxury cabanas, pool, Texas Hold'em - the works!

CC: When you are not doing the cigar thing, how do you like to spend your time?

JD: I love saving abandoned dogs and cats with my wife, Marielos. She is my heart. I also enjoy fishing with my father and laughing with my mom. My parents have always been antique dealers and have the sophisticated taste of true New Yorkers, so I learn a great deal about style through them - art deco, art neuvo, americana, primitive, colonial, and victorian. I try to bring the modern and abstract to the table.

CC: Where will Drew Estate be in five years?

JD: Wearing camouflage shorts and kakis, yet on top of the world, baby.