It has been a while since I have reviewed a cigar, so I decided to pull an absolute gem out of the humidor. For those of you who have followed my top ten list of cigars under $7, you will already know a little backstory on the Undercrown line of cigars from Drew Estate. They are basically the little brother or cousin of their acclaimed Liga line. If you recall, I rated the Undercrown Gran Toro as the number two cigar in my list. Today, I am going to test drive the Undercrown Corona Viva, a beautiful little 5 5/8 by 46 stick.

It is quite the departure from all the 6x60 monsters stealing all the headlines, but this particular vitola does an excellent job in highlighting all of the complex flavors from the wonderful San Andres Maduro wrapper to the robust flavors of the Nicaraguan Habano and Brazilian Mata Fina filler. The Brazilian Mata Fina is quickly becoming one of my favorite tobaccos. On a recent cigar trip, I got to blend my own cigars and it was the first time I was able to "play" with this spicy yet mildly sweet leaf. It is good enough to make a great puro but also does well with other tobaccos. I blended it with everything from bold Nicaraguan Ligero, to Dominican Cuban Piloto secco. It seemed no matter what I added to the Mata Fina, its wonderful flavor still came through. Enough about my pipe dreams of being a master blender... on to the cigar that was created by true masters of the craft!

Before clipping, I spent several minutes just smelling the cigar. A rich aroma of leather and the woodsy smell of freshly split oak really gets me excited to light this puppy up. A few pre-light draws and I can already taste some soft cocoa and spice notes.

After lighting, the coffee and cocoa flavors become more pronounced. The spice also builds with a mild black pepper flavor, but it is not enough to overpower the sweetness. The well-balanced sweetness  floods the palate along with the large volumes of smoke that are the signature of these well constructed Drew Estate cigars.

This stick is a great example of how coronas may be the absolute sweet spot when it comes to cigar size. The wrapper has a tremendous influence over this cigar, but it still allows the Brazilian Mata Fina to shine through. The Sungrown Habano binder from the Connecticut River Valley also contributes to the texture and body of the cigar without getting in the way.

As I finish the first third and move to the midway point the spice flavors increase a little, but the cocoa and coffee flavors don't go away. It continues to produce large amounts of smoke, but still remains cool. I can't emphasize enough on how well blended and constructed this cigar is. A few sips from a glass of Dogfish Head Raison D' Être really bring out the rich mahogany flavors as I complete the final third of this cigar.

This is a cigar that I would encourage everyone to add to their humidor. To me, it is a strong medium-bodied cigar, but for those of you who prefer a milder smoke, don't let that scare you away. After smoking a few, you may determine that the Undercrown deserves a better title than that of little brother to the Liga series. I believe that this one stands on its own and at half the price.

Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits regional manager in Jacksonville. Follow him on Twitter @chrisgnole