I could be that this is the week sporting April Fools day, or it could be the near lethal amount of pollen in the air here in Atlanta, but I felt like a change of pace was in order for this week’s review. And then it came to me. I do have those couple of Drew Estate Javas in my humidor that I’ve been thinking about reviewing for, oh, about 6 months now. And when was the last time any sort of flavored or “infused” cigar was reviewed on the Stogie Review? I think the last time was approximately never. Target acquired. Fire.
Cigar Stats:
Size: 6 x 50
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Smoking Time: 2 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: $6.40
Light there or be square
The Pre-Smoke
The Java maduro is a cool cigar. It’s sharply box pressed, with your standard band near the head, and a second at the foot. The background color of the bands is roughly the same color as the wrapper, but the lettering stands out nicely, looking a bit like worn bronze.
Ooo… Shiny…
And when I say sharply box-pressed I mean it. In examining the wrapper for flaws, I noticed that the edges are actually creased. You would think with such severe angles, you wouldn’t find many large veins in this cigar. Well, you’d be wrong, because both cigars had significant veins in them that handled the edges nicely.
Aside from noting the veins, my inspection of the wrapper didn’t turn up anything particularly exciting. The wrapper had a nicely consistent dark maduro color with just a slight sheen. I didn’t notice any obvious wrapper flaws anywhere. So I quickly moved on to testing the aroma of the wrapper. This cigar smells just like a “work mocha”. You know what I’m talking about: Some drip coffee from the break room coffee pot, with a full packet of hot cocoa mixed in.
So I moved on to clipping the cap with my cigar scissors to take a cold taste. Wow, let me tell you, this is cigar is a pain to cut with scissors. The absolute flat, square-ness of the cap makes it incredibly difficult to actually cut into the cigar. (I also suspect the interesting shape of the cigar might make a V-cut less than optimal.) So with the clap clipped, I took a cold taste. The cold taste was just like the wrapper aroma I noted, only much sweeter.
The Burn
You couldn’t ask for a better burn from a cigar. The cigar consistently produced inch plus lengths of solid white ash. I expected that the box-pressed shape of the cigar to gradually round out as the cigar smoked, but that wasn’t the case. The cigar kept is sharp edges throughout the duration of the smoke. And though the cigar was a bit soft to the touch, and well packed with tobacco, I never experienced any draw problems.
The Flavor
Much like the burn section of this review there isn’t a whole lot to day about the Java maduro’s flavor. The cigar starts out overwhelmingly sweetly, which I believe comes from the wrapper. After that syrupy sweetness fades a bit (or your taste buds become desensitized to it), you start to notice the mocha and cocoa flavors that dominate the cigar for the first two thirds.
It isn’t until the final third that more traditional cigar flavors began to appear. The first one I noticed was an earthy cinnamon, and some less “enhanced” coffee. And that pretty much covers it. We’re not talking about a large palate of flavors with the Java.
The Price
I paid $6.40 for these cigars at a local shop, and thinking about it, I feel like I paid too much. But maybe I’m being a cheapskate, it did have a excellent burn, and it was box-pressed.
The Verdict
My verdict on this cigar was obvious to me the day after I smoked the first Java. I knew I needed to smoke another for a properly thorough review, but man, I really didn’t want to. It’s not that I hated the cigar, I just really wasn’t in the mood for smoking hot cocoa. Maybe it brought back painful memories of accidentally inhaling the dust from those hot cocoa pockets in the office, but it was just really unappealing. And while smoking it, I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
On the other hand, this is the cigar my college buddies and I needed when we used to smoke gas station cigars on our way to the beach a little over a decade ago. It goes without saying that the Java beats the heck out of a swisher.
Liked It: No, it go old very quickly.
Buy It Again: No.
Recommend It: If you like hot cocoa and flavored cigars, give it a shot.
Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.
I always enjoy the first part of the Java flavors but after that it gets old. I think if someone likes them but wants just a quick treat then the Java Wafe is a good choice. I just wish they weren’t around the $4 range for such a quick smoke. Thanks for the review Brian!
Thanks Donald,
I couldn’t agree more, especially with the recommendation of the Wafe over the full sized cigar. I did smoke the Wafe on a whim a few months back, and I actually liked it better than this larger smoke. That’s at least in part because it was a much shorter smoke! Thanks for bringing this up, I completely forgot about the Wafe.
Way to take one for the team Brian lol. Good review.
Brian,
I think you should send the rest of them to me. It was still kind of raw here in Rhode Island and I could use the coco to warm up too. (LOL) Good review I enjoyed it!
When ever I’m in the mood for an “infused” cigar with a nice coffee taste, I pick up a Isle Del Sol by Drew Estate. They are medium bodied and not especially complex, but hell…for $3 bucks, they offer a cheap break from the norm!
I guess I know what it’s like to be rookie cigar smoker. Although off and on for about ten years and only three cigars a week, I still am searching for what I like. And I like the Java, and I don’t know why. To be sure, it’s a different smoke, mild and flavorful. I agree that smoking one is like smoking three. The first third is like dessert, the mid-third is good with balance, and the final third a bit less flavorul. But, for some reason, I want one every week. They’re especially good with a glass of mild single-malt scotch. I’m outnumbered, though, so I’ll smoke these when no one is watching.
I LIKE EM ALL….. MINT, MADURA AND LATTE
Hi Greg,
You know what, if you like ’em, who cares what anyone else thinks? I say smoke ’em and enjoy. Thanks for the comment!
I smoked my first tonight and i must say i enjoyed it in the beginning but half way up it turned on me. It got incredibly bitter towards the end and had a very sharp aftertaste. I couldn’t even finish it. For 5 dollars a smoke i definately would not buy this cigar again
i also should add that it wasn’t the maduro i tried but the “latte” i felt like kind of a homo smoking a latte cigar but hey, it was a gift
I’m not attempting to be the tough guy here when I say that I’ve always been for fuller bodied, stronger cigars, but on a whim I decided to try a wafe and I found it to be a nice little smoke. I was really judgemental at first, but I thought it was worth my time and I think that Drew Estates pulled off a decent flavored stogie.
-Oh, and i settled down and had it with a cup of hot chocolate from the gas station, lol, so it was sort of a desert specialty smoke.
My boss just bought and remodeled/upgraded a cigar shop herein Columbia SC. Nice place. I have smoked cigars before but did it without doing any research and I ended up disappointed. My boss then recommended, since I was a beginner smoker, to try a flavored cigar. He suggested a Drew Estate Java Maduro saying a lot of beginners seem to like it. Well I did. From my beginners point of view all I can say is that yes it was sweet, it burned evenly and I was able to enjoy it and smoke about three quarters. I then put it down and let it go off (if that’s even the correct term). Even unlit I kept chewing on it for a little bit. By the way, the store is The Tobacco Merchant and he also has close to 100 brands of good all-over-the-world beer. I will continue to visit his walk-in humidor and trying different cigars until I find one I really like. But first I need a humidor.
The Drew Estate Java Maduro is a very good gateway smoke for the smoker who is interested in flavored cigars. To date, I have smoked four all in a months timeframe. I found that it taste better with a brandy or cognac. All in all, this is a good smoke if you have the time and place to smoke it. Some smokes are designed to be enjoyed around other tokers but I would have to say that this one should be reserved for times that you have some things to work out on your own on the back porch at the end of the day.
I am a newbie andthis cigar was reccomened to me a a flavored smoke at the shop (I asked for one). I was suprise by the sweetness that stayed on my lips in the beginnig and enjoyed the first 1/3. 2nd 1/3 was nothing special but the last of is was harsh. Still looking for my style but this is not it.
I’m only a novice smoker, but I did enjoy this cigar.
I take great offense to Dave’s April 13, 2008 comment stating “i felt like kind of a homo smoking a latte cigar”. What a racist comment. But I guess that just shows how ignorant he is. What an a-hole. The world doesn’t need idiots like that. Grow up, Dave.
Ahhh… ( hug) Shame on him for using “that” word… I’m not gay but my gt has lots of gay friends. They use much harsher terms to describe themselves.
btw – sexual preference (homo or straight) is not racist since it doesn’t involve a person’s race…it’s sexist.
I’ve been reading and hearing about infusions, and this was my first venture into this space. At first blush, I was kinda taken by the sweetness, most likely to do with brain sugar receptors. However, I so enjoy the tobacco taste, and the nuance it produces, the thrill of this stick was short-lived. Brian, your review is spot-on, thanks.
Gus, you’re on the wrong web page if you get offended by that comment. I thought it was hilarious and could completely understand.
Racist? Since when is homo a race? Race is the way you’re born, not sexual preference. You only proved your immaturity and ignorance, not Dave’s.
I’ve just started to explore the thousands of choices available to those who appreciate a good smoke to put a fine’ on the day. Unfortunately, all of the “legitimate” cigar shops in our new town have closed down and I was left on my own to find a cigar to suit my tastes. I went to a local “discount tobacco shop” and found a surprisingly nice walk-in humidor and a broad selection of brands. I had done a bit of online research and had decided to start in the mild to medium range. I asked one of the clerks if he had any recommendations and he said that he had a couple that he preferred and a couple that had been suggested to him. I chose a Gispert Robusto and a Macanudo Hyde Park from my list, a Rocky Patel Edge Toro Corojo (the clerk’s favorite), and the Drew Estate Java Maduro as a wild card. I smoked the Patel first and found it unbelievably enjoyable smoke, even though it’s listed as extra full bodied. The next was the Gispert, which was a nice smoke, although I found it a bit more “peppery” than I prefer. I tried the Drew tonight while stomping around the compound after dinner and enjoyed it a lot. I agree with everything said here. Very sweet (enough so that you really don’t have to light it to enjoy it). It was a very nice smoke, chocolaty and smooth and as stated above, a nice variety from the foot to the crown. I may have a problem though, as I’ve yet to find a cigar that I wouldn’t enjoy smoking again (especially the Edge, it may be my “go to” cigar) I look forward to exploring all the varieties available and looking to the commentors here for more insight.
Helpful hint, try a Partagas Black Label, they are FANTASTIC. one of my favorites.
Gotta say, if i would have seen your review a couple of hours ago it would have saved me the pains of smoking quite possibly the worst cigar of my life… and I’ve had some pretty nasty ones. Your review was spot on about the taste, and the overall quality. the first 20 minutes or so was decent, then it went downhill. Mine lost its flavor, so it became a chore smoking it. I ended up ditching it because it was so bad, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND for anyone who remotely likes smoking cigar.
I don’t think I’ll smoke my other one. I couldn’t even finish the first one. Good reviews! wish I would have read them first.
All these reviews are just a matter of personal opinion. It’s like everything else that involves taste. You make not like it but that doesn’t mean someone else will. If all reviews were accurate some cigar companies would be out of business. And old saying…try it, you might like it.
Its perfect for a desert cigar!! Even ate a chocolate chip cookie with it. Along with my crown reserve!
Ive been exploring the cigar world for 11 years now, I also have quite the sweet tooth, and while there are other cigars i like, i did indeed enjoy this one, though i did get bored with it by the last 1/4, i would smoke them again.
I like the java very much but i recently tried the mint and was not a fan. Didnt taste much mint and halfway through I put it out because the taste had a chemical aspect to it. Overall a fan of drew estate but the mint was a let down
Thanks for the review…I just received one as a Father’s Day Gift along with a Padron Churchill so I will try the Java tonight for a pre-holiday after dinner choice and save the Padron for tomorrow nught’s celebratory after dinner smoke…thanks again.
I used a punch instead of scissors, I think the punch is easier on the flat square. Good review on the flavors. It is certainly a sweet cigar. For the money it is not a bad choice, it is better than a swisher, has flavor to it. I would smoke one again, I wouldn’t go out of my way to locate one though. I personally enjoy Maduros over anything else, but if there are more than one in the selection, I might choose another one depending on price.
Received the Maduro Java as a birthday present. I’m enjoying it as we speak. The sweetness surprise me significantly but I like it. I concur with the review. I had two shots of Jim Beam Red Stag prior to my smoking and that was a nice sweet mellow to precursor.
I find cigar smoking to be visual, too. the smoke from this was a beautiful, wispy bluish light, like a gas flame. I feel as though I could write a novel on an old typewriter. Also all cigars give me quite a buzz; this was nice on a evening of about 70 degrees in Washington DC. Sitting on my front porch was the best placed to take it in.
I’m still very much a novice to Cigar smoking but this was a nice foray into something different.