JC Newman

June 30, 2018

Florida Sun Grown Belicoso (6 1/2 x 54)





Video review HERE.


Florida Sun Grown “FSG” Cigars feature tobacco grown in Clermont, Florida, by Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Company and the Florida Sun Grown Farm.

The “FSG” by Drew Estate project began in 2011 and debuted in 2016 at the Florida Barn Smoker. The core FSG blend features Florida Sun Grown filler as an accent tobacco to select Nicaraguan fillers which adds an authentic Florida agricultural nuance to this unique and captivating blend. The binder is a Habano seed tobacco from Honduras and the cigar is finished off with a lush Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.

In addition to four core sizes, Drew Estate is releasing a Limited Edition Trunk-Pressed Toro. This prized cigar features its own unique blend which utilizes a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Mexican binder, and Florida Sun Grown filler tobacco, along with fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras.

From the Florida Sun Grown Farm in Clermont, Florida Jeff Borysiewicz said, “Drew Estate’s commitment to the American tobacco movement is unmatched. From the Connecticut River Valley, to barns in Kentucky, and to my farm in Clermont, Florida, nobody supports American leaf farmers like Drew Estate. Since 2010 I’ve pioneered the resurgence of Florida tobacco believing that consumers in the United States would be excited to bring American tobacco agriculture back to the forefront. When I purchased the land for our farm, I spent countless hours analyzing the temperature, sun-light, wind, humidity, and altitude that would bring my farm as close to the conditions of Pinar del Rio, Cuba as possible. These are very exciting times for this farm and for American tobacco.”

From his Wynwood Safehouse, President and Founder of Drew Estate, Jonathan Drew said, “My friendship with Jeff spans almost 20 years. When Jeff first approached me about his idea to bring Florida tobacco back to the premium cigar industry I promised him that Drew Estate would stand by his side, just as we have done with the farmers in Connecticut and Kentucky. Pioneering anything is never easy, but what Jeff and his entire company have done is a truly breakthrough innovation. Drew Estate is genuinely committed to American tobacco.”


Blend:
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Florida  Sun Grown, Nicaraguan

The Florida Sun Grown “FSG” by Drew Estate is available for purchase in the following vitolas from Drew Diplomat Retailers:

Robusto (5 x 54), MSRP $230.00/20 CT Box 
Toro (6 x 52), MSRP $260.00/20 CT Box
Belicoso (6 ½ x 54), MSRP $280.00/20 CT Box REVIEWED TODAY
Sixty (6 x 60), MSRP $300.00/20 CT Box
Limited Edition Box-Press Toro (6 x 54), MSRP $150.00/10 CT Box



The cigar is beautifully made and has a dark, oily wrapper. It has a very nice feel in the hand. Although it's 6 1/2 inches long it seems to play off larger than that. 





With the tapered cap of the belicoso I took the minimum cut and the test draw was very good. The initial flavors were a sweet grapefruit, brown sugar, creamy nutmeg, honey, cinnamon, and black coffee. There was black pepper which I rated at a 7. 




The first third (32 minutes) had the citrus notes changing over to a sweet cedar. There were plenty of honey notes giving the cigar a nice sweetness. The nutmeg was still prominent. There were still nice cinnamon and brown sugar notes also and there was a nice black coffee base. The black pepper seems to have gone up to a 7 1/2. The finish is a nutmeg and cream with a small amount of lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied. I rated the first third a 92.




The second third (1 hour 6 minutes) had the coffee and nutmeg notes elevating. The seemed to come even with the sweeter notes. The cigar is still medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged. With the elevated coffee and nutmeg notes the second third score lowered to a 91.




The cigar ended at 1 hour 40 minutes. In the final third the sweeter notes made a surge. The brown sugar and honey combined to make a very sweet flavor. The nutmeg and black coffee remained very elevated but the brown sugar and honey more than made up for their amounts. The cigar is a solid medium to full bodied. The finish had a little honey to go along with the nutmeg and cream. The black pepper was also elevated on the finish. The final third improved back to a 92 score. You can purchase these cigars HERE.


Overall Score: 92

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