I was wary to pick one of these up, as normally I really just don’t enjoy 60+ ring gauge smokes. There’s a certain ‘lockjaw’ feeling that isn’t for me. But, being a fan of what Drew Estate has been doing outside of the Acid world… I had to give it a go.
The first voluminous puffs ring of Joya de Nicaragua’s Antano series, and not in a bad way –more of a variation on the theme as opposed to a wanna-be syndrome. It certainly comes alive immediately. no waiting around for this one to get to the point.
To it’s credit, it doesn’t make any raucous changes. It slowly gains in strength in a very even fashion. And, damn, this thing lasts a long time; definately a slow going smoke. Admittedly, it did require some touch-ups with the lighter but the draw remained consistent.
It continues developing near linearly to the end, with a pretty big last gasp.
The Roll: A touch soft, but not too far off the mark.
The Wrapper: Even and smooth.
The Ash: Nicely white & a little soft.
The Value: At ~$11 it’s a fair price.
Would I get it again? The only thing that really keeps me from saying ‘yup’ is the ring gauge. If it was available as a 52, I’d pick them up on a regular basis. Otherwise, this is good stuff. Word is there’s a smaller size coming out shortly. I’ll be checking it out.