Drew Estate Cigars is a renegade in the cigar industry. Co-founded in 1995 by two fraternity brothers. Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel made iy clear that the company “…wasn’t built for the purist. It was built for the new smoker.”
Drew Estate started out small as a 16 sq. ft kiosk located in the World Trade Center in Manhattan. But with the end of the cigar boom in 1998 things were especially tough for the young brand.
Jonathan Drew decided to move to Nicaragua in order to learn more about crafting premium cigars. While Marvin Samel held down the operation in New York.
In Nicaragua, Drew gained better contacts and worked hard to develop a new brand. Alongside an effort to re blend the original cigar they produced. Their first brand was La Vieja Habana.
A traditional style cigar that received an 89 rating with Cigar Aficionado. That high rating brought a lot of attention to the young brand. Building on the success of their first launch, Drew Estate launched what would become their biggest brand to date, ACID Cigars.
ACID became a hit in part due to its secretive infusion process. Aging its tobacco in specialized greenhouses with florals and essential oils to create a one of a kind profile. The original ACID Blue is still standing tall as one of its most popular brands. With its size, the ACID Blondie is a particular best seller.
While ACID has a reputation as one of the mildest smokes, Drew Estates offers a wide variety of blends. Smokers who prefer a more medium bodied or full bodied smoke can find it. From the Deadwood to the Herrera Esteli, there is a Drew Esate cigar for everyone!
Drew Estate is now the largest infused cigar manufacturer in the world. But it was ACID that launched them onto the infused cigar scene. Made in collaboration with Scott “Acid” Chester, a New York artist. The ACID blend was a big success despite vocal opposition doubting its potential within the traditional cigar market.
The company continued to grow with exciting new cigar brands including Liga Privada and Château Real. In 2007, Drew Estate opened its first facility in Esteli, Nicaragua. The 96,000 square foot facility known as La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate.
Because of the company’s immense growth, 8 years later they opened an even larger 114,000 sq. ft. facility, known as Drew Estates II.
Producing millions of cigars each year, the Drew Estate factories store tobacco from nearly all tobacco growing countries, including some incredibly rare tobacco from Cambodia, Brazil, and Indonesia. In 2014, after 3 years spent creating the legendary Drew Estate blends, Willy Herrera was given the title of Master Blender recognizing his immense accomplishments for the cigar world.
More than just a cigar making operation, the Drew Estates catalog includes pipe tobacco, loose tobacco, and more. Drew Estate is also the exclusive distributor for other premium brands such as Royal Agio, Nirvana, and Debonaire.
Drew Estate is committed to the “Rebirth of Cigars”, a movement they started by being at the forefront of innovation and forging an interactive and loyal community surrounding the brand. In 2011, Drew Estate released an app to make more personal connections with its customers. Five years later a new app, known as The Drew Diplomat app, was released to act as an exclusive social media platform for Drew Estate fans.
In 2014, Drew Estate was sold to Swisher International becoming the premium cigar division for Swisher’s operations. According to Drew, the change allows them to focus on their artistic passion for cigars and not have to worry about the day to day minutia of running the business. In 2017, Jonathan Drew was renamed President of Drew Estate and he continues to be the eccentric face of the brand.
Drew Estate caters to the passion of nonconformist aficionados. Explore the world of modern cigars with the plethora of cigars and brands crafted by Drew Estate.