UK Cigar Scene Magazine October Issue 10 | Page 17

However its success caused a problem. Staff in the
company, including the rollers, had always been
allowed to smoke as many cigars as they liked.
All of a sudden everyone was smoking the Liga
Privada. The CFO insisted the rule was changed
and in reaction the rollers got together and created
their own cigar. Other members of staff tried the
blend and enjoyed it and it was decided to put this
blend into production with the name Undercrown.

MUWAT, short for ‘My Uzi Weighs a Ton’, is
actually made in the Joya de Nicaragua factory,
using a mixture of Nicaraguan and Brazilian
tobacco for a little extra sweetness.

Today production in Nicaragua has grown to the
point where the company has two factories, the
huge La Grande Fabrica in Esteli is over 96,000
sq feet and has recently had a second storey
added. There is also a second building across the
road which is 60,000 sq ft which holds the huge
tobacco stocks, necessary because the Drew uses
tobacco which has been aged for a minimum of
three years.

From a distance the company can look like a fun
bunch of guys who just happen to make cigars. But
everything I heard from Fabien convinces me that
this is a very serious and dedicated company.

It will be interesting to see what the UK makes
of Drew Estate. I know there are a lot of cigar
smokers who have been looking forward to these
cigars arriving on our shores.

Let’s see what the UK thinks when the cigars hit
the stores.
Nic Wing was talking to Fabien Ziegler of Drew
Estate

In the factory 417 pairs of rollers work in pairs,
one buncher and one roller or finisher. 98% of the
rollers and 50% bunchers are women, all trained
by the company from scratch. Cigars are produced
in an old style with each individual leaf rolled into
a tube. This is a company standard and although
cigars weigh slightly more and are firmer Fabien
says it leads to a much better draw and far fewer
issues with quality.
All cigars go through three quality control levels
and the rollers are incentivised based both on the
quantity and quality of the cigars they make.
Uniquely the factory is totally air conditioned, one
of the only buildings in Esteli to have this facility.
It means that the humidity and temperature of
the cigars in production is totally controlled even
during the wet season.
Today there are a total of 117 different blends in
production so a huge level of planning is required.
Acid Kubba Kubba is the company’s top selling
line. The tobacco is infused with natural herbal
and aromatic oils using a specially developed
technique.
The Larutan line exotic and aromatic uses
tobacco’s which would otherwise be used in pipe
tobacco to create different cigar, very popular
with pipe smokers. On a topical note as we are
discussing coffee at present, Fabien claims the
Larutan Dirt is the perfect cigar to go with coffee.

Fabien Ziegler Picture by Joe Liggett

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