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Cigar Review: Drew Estate My Uzi Weighs a Ton

28 Jun 2011

When Jonathan Drew announced the release of his personal blend—named My Uzi Weighs a Ton (presumably after the Public Enemy song) and available only in sizes with a 60 ring gauge—I assumed the cigar would be another full-bodied flavor bomb.

And when it came to light that the cigar would be made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory, known for producing full-bodied cigars, I considered my assumption confirmed. As you’ll see below, I was wrong.

Uzi (or MUWAT, as Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate calls it) is made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory with leaf mostly from Drew Estate, including a San Andreas maduro capa wrapper, Connecticut capote binder, and Brazillian mata fina filler. Also used as filler is Nicaraguan leaf from Joya de Nicaragua’s tobacco stocks.

The Uzi comes in three large sizes: Robusto (5 x 60), Toro (6 x 60), and Churchill (7 x 60). (For this review, I smoked one each of the Robusto and Churchill, which came as un-banded pre-release samples.) The cigar is being released under Drew Estate’s “Subculture Studios” mark, which is the graffiti and art studio that is part of Drew Estate. The final product will not be un-banded and will come in paper-wrapped bundles of 20.

The thick cigar has a vein-free wrapper that is medium brown. It’s a bit soft to the touch, but I found no ill-effects from that in the construction, which featured a even burn, sturdy ash, and easy draw.

Far from the ligero bomb I thought I might get when I first heard rumblings of this project, the cigar is a well-rounded combination of powdered cocoa, sweet cedar, tea, and cinnamon. There’s a toasty element present, as well as a slight sourness, particularly on the finish.

For a cigar with a quirky name that comes only in ridiculously thick sizes, My Uzi Weighs a Ton is actually quite traditional. It’s relatively well-balanced and solidly in the medium- to full-bodied range.

The only significant downside of the smoke it that the flavors, while pleasant, change very little from start to finish. For a blend that takes between 75 minutes (for the Robusto) to 120 minutes (for the Churchill) to smoke, that’s a long time for a single unvarying flavor profile, particularly at a double-digit  price point.

Still, this is a nice smoke, just not exceptionable, especially when compared to the Liga Privada and the many derivations of the Liga that have come out since. Maybe a smaller ring gauge would better fit my palate. For now, My Uzi Weighs a Ton earns three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

10 Responses to “Cigar Review: Drew Estate My Uzi Weighs a Ton”

  1. BillK Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 9:45 am #

    This cigar combines two things I dislike. It has an oddball name and fat ring sizes.
    However, I'm 55 years old and I'm fairly certain I am not part of the demographic they were aiming for. That seems to be the case with most Drew Estate products.

    • Katmancross Monday, February 20, 2012 at 5:37 pm #

      Amen brother.

  2. @TheCoronaGorda Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 10:46 pm #

    I award this cigar 0 stogies. I bitch and complain ad nauseum about large RG cigars, not because manufacturers are rolling them, but because stupid people continue to buy them! Yes, I called you dumb, get over it! There's a reason cuban cigars tend to be medium-bodied and smaller RG: higher wrapper-to-filler ratio = better cigar. There's more flavor! Try smoking some corona gordas impartially and tell me they're not better! If you say they aren't, your opinion is wrong ;P haha…

  3. ROTHNH Saturday, July 2, 2011 at 8:24 pm #

    It is early yet, but so far this cigar has been labeled as mediocre. Add the crazy name and the double digit price, I really don't see people lining up to buy these …

  4. A to the K Friday, December 9, 2011 at 9:10 pm #

    Garbage Smoke. Very bland.

  5. Luke Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 5:37 pm #

    After smoking this cigar I can honestly say, you are all haters. Stick to your GR Specials, I'll take a new innovative smoke with a subtle well thought out blend over the same tired puros.

  6. Katmancross Monday, February 20, 2012 at 5:35 pm #

    I'm smoking the 7 x 60 and I have a sudden urge to watch prison movies.
    It's not a bad cigar but I expected more. The problem with being Drew Estate is that the bar is pretty high. It's not like it's one of Famous Smoke's house cigars or CI's many $30 bundles.
    Thank goodness I only paid $5 on cbid. If I had paid twice that, I'd be deeply bitter.
    Live and learn. Now back to the prison movie.

  7. Matt Saturday, July 27, 2013 at 4:18 pm #

    I really enjoyed this smoke. It is mild to medium, smooth, and great aged flavor. Loved the toro.

Trackbacks and Pingbacks

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