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Aficionado_de_Perfectos · September 2013

I was thinking of making this thread anyways, but what really pushed me forward with it was the "I hate to sound like an a..." thread. I see DE in a different light than the user who started that thread.

'I'm generally into more traditional cigars, but I occasionally dabble with some Drew Estate infusions. Though I haven't had one for awhile, I found Ambrosia, Tabak, and Isla to be pleasant and exactly what I had hoped to experience from their reviews/label description. Even now, there are times when I actually find myself wanting the cream texture of an Acid 1400cc.

DE really lives up to their motto, "The rebirth of Cigars." They had a somewhat diverse portfolio when I first started getting into cigars around '05, and they have really expanded since and continue to do so on a regular basis. Liga Privada and Undercrown are well established in the realm of traditional cigars to the tune that Acid isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind regarding DE anymore.

New products continue to come out, and I look forward to trying them out whenever I get a chance. After sampling at least a few, they don't always end up being new go tos for me, but I've never been disappointed with one. It's generally been what I expected it to be from reviews and other channels for word of mouth.

I haven't gotten around to trying out Herrera Esteli yet, but it's on my list for the next purchase I make. I'm kind of waiting for MUWAT KFC to be carried cause I'm really anticipating those as well. DE's product line really runs the gamut both in terms of price and blending. It can also be said that there is not a tremendously diminished level of quality at their lower pricepoint. The same cannot be said about other companies who cover a similar range in price.

All that being said, I would like to know what others think about DE. I'd also like to know if anyone feels the way I do regarding DE but about another maker. Who do you all feel has diverse offerings with respect to price point and blend without dropping the quality too much at the lower end and all that?

Bigshizza · September 2013

The #9 is still one of my faves and have enjoyed the FFP, Dirty Rat but did have some construction issues with the newer produced UC. The price point and the fact it's HTF makes them not worth the effort to track down, in my opinion. It gets old after awhile always seeing the "on order" label.

Bombay · September 2013

When I first got into the hobby two plus years ago I was all over them. Any 9 or 52 I could find was good by me. I still like the FFP and I have had the UF-13. I would like to try the Dirty Rat but they are kinda hard to come by. Recently at least in my area the prices have gone up and I cant pull the trigger for two reasons. One there are more things I want to try and I dont get to enjoy sticks that much and two the price point has slowly increased to what I believe is above their target price point. That is not to say I wont enjoy them from time to time and I still enjoy the Undercrown great stick at a great price especially on a deal of fivers etc. Lastly, if there were more 52's on the market I would try to get some of those for myself.

jthanatos · September 2013

I enjoy a lot of the LP stuff, but I have to wait for deals and specials. Otherwise, I feel they are overpriced. I also like the MUWAT line, especially the baitfish. I would even say the baits are my favorite quick smoke. At the end of the day, I like DE's usually high quality, but I don't think their top of the lines are quite up to par with others like Padron, Davidoff, or DPG.

Bombay:
When I first got into the hobby two plus years ago I was all over them. Any 9 or 52 I could find was good by me. I still like the FFP and I have had the UF-13. I would like to try the Dirty Rat but they are kinda hard to come by. Recently at least in my area the prices have gone up and I cant pull the trigger for two reasons. One there are more things I want to try and I dont get to enjoy sticks that much and two the price point has slowly increased to what I believe is above their target price point. That is not to say I wont enjoy them from time to time and I still enjoy the Undercrown great stick at a great price especially on a deal of fivers etc. Lastly, if there were more 52's on the market I would try to get some of those for myself.

You have a pm.

dennisking · September 2013

I haven't had a Liga Privada that made me want to go out and buy more. The LP9 was oily and dirty tasting. The Undercrown was just so so but in all fairness, I did smoke a Frank Llaneza 1961 before it and that is a very powerful cigar.

As far as the regular DE stuff, I liked the Tabak Especial and Dirt torpedo but that's all I've smoked.

Bombay · September 2013

jthanatos:
I enjoy a lot of the LP stuff, but I have to wait for deals and specials. Otherwise, I feel they are overpriced. I also like the MUWAT line, especially the baitfish. I would even say the baits are my favorite quick smoke. At the end of the day, I like DE's usually high quality, but I don't think their top of the lines are quite up to par with others like Padron, Davidoff, or DPG.

Bombay:
When I first got into the hobby two plus years ago I was all over them. Any 9 or 52 I could find was good by me. I still like the FFP and I have had the UF-13. I would like to try the Dirty Rat but they are kinda hard to come by. Recently at least in my area the prices have gone up and I cant pull the trigger for two reasons. One there are more things I want to try and I dont get to enjoy sticks that much and two the price point has slowly increased to what I believe is above their target price point. That is not to say I wont enjoy them from time to time and I still enjoy the Undercrown great stick at a great price especially on a deal of fivers etc. Lastly, if there were more 52's on the market I would try to get some of those for myself.

You have a pm.

back at ya

phobicsquirrel · September 2013

I like the 9 and t52, but have leaned more towards the 52. I wasn't a huge fan of the pigs, though I have several that are in the humi that hopefully I'll like when I burn them. Never really did any of their infused stuff. Wasn't a huge fan of the undercrown. I do think that for the one's I do like they are not worth the price. Sure if I can get a good deal on boxes then I'll jump but their prices to me at least aren't worth it. I can get something else for that price especially since they have went up in price over the last few years.

Russ55 · September 2013

At this point in my life, when I smoke a cigar, I want to be blown away. DE cigars don't do that for me. Part of that is blending style, and a smaller part of that is country of origin. They have a lot of hype associated with them, so that's a bit of an uphill battle as well. I find most of their cigars, the ones I've tried, to be somewhere between average and good. None of them have been worth the hassle or price, for me.

Aficionado_de_Perfectos · September 2013

Mods, please delete. Repeat post.

Aficionado_de_Perfectos · September 2013

Great replies, folks. I really like to see how people feel about the makers that I'm into and what not. I had a feeling that some pure traditionalists, such as the folks who wrote the replies above probably are, would not really be on board with DE because of Acid being one of their flagship products.

I'm glad to hear the opinions of naysayers as well and would be even more interested to know what their "go to" labels are so that I may interest myself in the board spectrum of offerings from another maker as well.

I guess part of it is the nature of the beast. Boutique cigar companies, by definition, don't necessarily offer the range I enjoy from DE. That's not to say that I don't enjoy cigars from various makers. I've generally got some Perdomos and CAOs stocked as well.

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