Nica Rustica by Drew Estate
6"x52
Unknown Rest (Thanks @ChefBoyRG54 )
What can I say? The Nica Rustica is pretty rustic, but I've seen supposedly polished sticks that looked much more rustic. There was a decent amount of water spotting and the seams were visible. Other that the toothy feel and covered foot there wasn't much else about the stick I would consider rustic.
The covered foot is a cool gimick touch that helps the stick stand out. On the flip side it makes lighting it a little more difficult. I could do without the minor annoyance, but it wasn't a deal breaker.
This thing has a beautiful start. A nice bit of spice combines with coffee, wood, fruit, and creaminess to create a great smoke. I was honestly thinking, "this is way better than an Undercrown." I was smiling like the cheshire cat and plotting how to explain purchasing a fiver is absolutely as important as the mortgage this week. I couldn't quite figure out a convincing argument though.
Leather popped in for a second and disappeared. So far the finish is short and a little oily. Speaking of oil, this thing looked like the Exon Valdez made a stop in my tupperdor. Staring down the body it glistened in the sun like a professional wrestler in the spotlight. With the heft it was probably closer to a bodybuilder on stage. It was taught and vascular with nice definition.
Chocolate appears and the fruit is gone. It ran away without notice. It didn't even have the decency to fade out or leave a "Dear John" letter. Coffee, wood, and earth are the most prominent flavors. The spice is fading fast. I try grabbing it by the tail with a retrohale. It slips my grasp with a laugh.
The finish is still pretty short, but it is slightly oily and creamy.
Did somebody drop a can of mixed nuts in this thing? Nuttiness appears and the cream notches up. Earth and Coffee are the only other flavors at this point. I'm wondering where all the other flavors are sliding off too. Is there a party somewhere that I wasn't invited too? I don't know, but I'm enjoying myself right here. The flavors that I have keeping me company are hitting on all cylinders and making this a full flavored medium body stick.
Earth and coco are pushing their way to the front again and I get a hint of spice. Coffee and a rich sweetness like toffee hit and then the toffee runs away laughing. The spice takes off to catch the toffee. The flavors are all toying with me as the stick searches for an identity.
Then, just as I'm starting to have flashbacks to the schizo effect of the Gurkha War Pig, it all settles down. I get coffee, earth, tobacco, and nuts. A bit of leather pops in and out. It is feeling like the stick has hit cruise control. Then a charred taste joins in. It tastes like charcoal for lack of a better descriptor.
I start thinking the blender was thinking, "let's put every masculine flavor we can think of right here." Yet, they missed the spice. Where is it? Where did the cream go? The stick is starting to get a little boring. It is a good smoke, it just isn't in my wheelhouse and the finish is drying me out.
Nicotine is starting to show up. The charred flavor has slid out and the coco comes back with a hint of creaminess. We're rounding the corner with earth, cocoa, coffee, wood, and spice flirting around in the background. Rustica seems to describe the flavor profile more than the appearance of the stick. This is a masculine profile. There isn't a lot of fruit or sweetness to distract the senses.
The profile is chugging along without any huge changes. The nuts come back and then the chocolate disappears. It is earth, wood, coffee, and nuts. The wood pops to the front with a brief return of the charred flavor. We get charred wood. Then we're right back to coffee, earth, wood, and nuts. The stick is back on cruise control. The nicotine is ramping up and the body is moving towards full, but just shy.
A couple of puffs later and my kid came running out. I couldn't get her to go back in and she started talking non-stop. I really couldn't concentrate on what was going on. She finally went in and then the neighbor's daughter came over and sat down. She wanted to talk about the dog and the weather. Plus, she is a 22 year old dance major that is easy on the eyes. Not exactly a situation that was conducive to concentrating on the nuances of Drew's stick.
The stick only required one touch up through the whole burn. The draw was just right. It allowed plenty of smoke to flow through and was super easy on the lungs. Yet, it was a slow burner. Speaking of the smoke, it was copious. There were times it completely encased the shaft in a beautiful blue cloud.
I really enjoyed the stick. It was great in nearly every way that matters. However, the flavor was just a bit too rustic and stick like for me. I will definitely be looking to pick up a fiver of these on Cbid. There are times it would make for a nice change of pace. I just don't think I could make it part of my regular rotation.
6"x52
Unknown Rest (Thanks @ChefBoyRG54 )
What can I say? The Nica Rustica is pretty rustic, but I've seen supposedly polished sticks that looked much more rustic. There was a decent amount of water spotting and the seams were visible. Other that the toothy feel and covered foot there wasn't much else about the stick I would consider rustic.
The covered foot is a cool gimick touch that helps the stick stand out. On the flip side it makes lighting it a little more difficult. I could do without the minor annoyance, but it wasn't a deal breaker.
This thing has a beautiful start. A nice bit of spice combines with coffee, wood, fruit, and creaminess to create a great smoke. I was honestly thinking, "this is way better than an Undercrown." I was smiling like the cheshire cat and plotting how to explain purchasing a fiver is absolutely as important as the mortgage this week. I couldn't quite figure out a convincing argument though.
Leather popped in for a second and disappeared. So far the finish is short and a little oily. Speaking of oil, this thing looked like the Exon Valdez made a stop in my tupperdor. Staring down the body it glistened in the sun like a professional wrestler in the spotlight. With the heft it was probably closer to a bodybuilder on stage. It was taught and vascular with nice definition.
Chocolate appears and the fruit is gone. It ran away without notice. It didn't even have the decency to fade out or leave a "Dear John" letter. Coffee, wood, and earth are the most prominent flavors. The spice is fading fast. I try grabbing it by the tail with a retrohale. It slips my grasp with a laugh.
The finish is still pretty short, but it is slightly oily and creamy.
Did somebody drop a can of mixed nuts in this thing? Nuttiness appears and the cream notches up. Earth and Coffee are the only other flavors at this point. I'm wondering where all the other flavors are sliding off too. Is there a party somewhere that I wasn't invited too? I don't know, but I'm enjoying myself right here. The flavors that I have keeping me company are hitting on all cylinders and making this a full flavored medium body stick.
Earth and coco are pushing their way to the front again and I get a hint of spice. Coffee and a rich sweetness like toffee hit and then the toffee runs away laughing. The spice takes off to catch the toffee. The flavors are all toying with me as the stick searches for an identity.
Then, just as I'm starting to have flashbacks to the schizo effect of the Gurkha War Pig, it all settles down. I get coffee, earth, tobacco, and nuts. A bit of leather pops in and out. It is feeling like the stick has hit cruise control. Then a charred taste joins in. It tastes like charcoal for lack of a better descriptor.
I start thinking the blender was thinking, "let's put every masculine flavor we can think of right here." Yet, they missed the spice. Where is it? Where did the cream go? The stick is starting to get a little boring. It is a good smoke, it just isn't in my wheelhouse and the finish is drying me out.
Nicotine is starting to show up. The charred flavor has slid out and the coco comes back with a hint of creaminess. We're rounding the corner with earth, cocoa, coffee, wood, and spice flirting around in the background. Rustica seems to describe the flavor profile more than the appearance of the stick. This is a masculine profile. There isn't a lot of fruit or sweetness to distract the senses.
The profile is chugging along without any huge changes. The nuts come back and then the chocolate disappears. It is earth, wood, coffee, and nuts. The wood pops to the front with a brief return of the charred flavor. We get charred wood. Then we're right back to coffee, earth, wood, and nuts. The stick is back on cruise control. The nicotine is ramping up and the body is moving towards full, but just shy.
A couple of puffs later and my kid came running out. I couldn't get her to go back in and she started talking non-stop. I really couldn't concentrate on what was going on. She finally went in and then the neighbor's daughter came over and sat down. She wanted to talk about the dog and the weather. Plus, she is a 22 year old dance major that is easy on the eyes. Not exactly a situation that was conducive to concentrating on the nuances of Drew's stick.
The stick only required one touch up through the whole burn. The draw was just right. It allowed plenty of smoke to flow through and was super easy on the lungs. Yet, it was a slow burner. Speaking of the smoke, it was copious. There were times it completely encased the shaft in a beautiful blue cloud.
I really enjoyed the stick. It was great in nearly every way that matters. However, the flavor was just a bit too rustic and stick like for me. I will definitely be looking to pick up a fiver of these on Cbid. There are times it would make for a nice change of pace. I just don't think I could make it part of my regular rotation.
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