My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish

The joint-collaboration by Drew Estate Subculture Studios with Joya de Nicaragua called “My Uzi Weighs a Ton” (MUWAT) made an official debut at the 2011 IPCPR retail show.  The MUWAT was a cigar geared a large ring gauge cigar enthusiasts
available in three lengths with a 60 ring gauge. As retailers and
consumers sampled the MUWAT, some of the initial
feedback provided was they were looking for a more fuller cigar in terms of
strength.   The MUWAT was positioned as a medium/medium to full strength
cigar.  As a result a decision was made to modify the blend to bring it
closer to full strength.  One of the stronger blends that was developed
was internally known at Drew Estate as known as the “EF” blend.  A decision was then made to use this new
blend in a new line extension to MUWAT.  This became known as the My Uzi
Weighs a Ton Bait Fish.  Essentially this new blend succeeds in meeting
some of the initial feedback.  In the end while MUWAT Bait Fish is a
very good cigar, I’m still preferential to the big ring gauges.

The MUWAT Bait Fish (or officially known as the MUWAT
“Infamous Bait Fish”) goes the opposite from the three 60 ring gauge
releases of the original MUWAT.  The Bait Fish is a petit corona of size
4 x 44.  A decision was then made to
initially offer the Bait Fish as a retailer-exclusive to New Havana
Cigars. This cigar went on sale on in early December, 2011.

Blend Profile

Like the original MUWAT, Tobaccos for the MUWAT Bait Fish come from both
the Drew Estate side and the Joya de Nicaragua side.   Jonathan Drew
himself blended the MUWAT and MUWAT Bait Fish  It was rolled at the
Joya de Nicaragua factories.  Just to reiterate, the MUWAT Bait Fish blend differs from the MUWAT blend.

Wrapper: San Andreas (Mexico)
Binder: Connecticut shade
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina, Nicaraguan

Vitolas Available

The MUWAT Bait Fish is currently available in a single vitola – a 4 x 44 Petit Corona.

Appearance

The MUWAT Bait Fish has a chocolate colored wrapper.  The wrapper is slightly toothy, but at the same time not very veiny (i.e. it has a bumpy feel to it).  The band is the black background with the silver font that says “My Uzi Weighs a Ton by Subculture Studios & JDN.  The font on the band is smaller than the original 60 ring gauge MUWAT.  The foot of the cigar does not have a deep aroma, but I was still able to pick up cedar and barnyard scents.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

I placed a straight cut into the MUWAT Bait Fish and immediately followed up with the pre-light draw.  Overall, the pre-light draw provided some basic notes of leather.  It wasn’t the most complex prelight draw, but it wasn’t a bad one.  I consider a pre-light draw more of an appetizer for a cigar experience and I do not factor it into assessment scoring.  At this point, I was ready to fire up my MUWAT Bait Fish and see what would come to the table.

Flavor Profile

Upon lighting the MUWAT Bait Fish, the leather notes from the pre-light draw continued.  The MUWAT Bait Fish delivered a lot of smoke early on and this would continue throughout the smoking experience.  Soon joining the leather notes, I picked up some cocoa notes.  There was a slight sweetness to this cocoa.  One thing I picked up when I smoked the original 6 x 60 MUWAT was some pepper spice on the afterdraw.  With the MUWAT Bait Fish, I also picked up the same thing, but I would say this pepper spice was more subtle.

As the cigar progressed into the second third, the cocoa/leather/and pepper flavors held.   The pepper did come up a notch (and was no longer limited to the afterdraw) to join the cocoa as the primary note, but overall I would not say this was a pepper bomb. 

The the MUWAT Bait Fish moved past the halfway point, notes of coffee would replace the cocoa.   The coffee would become the dominant flavor (but not overwhelming).   The pepper subsided a bit early in the final third, however made one last return during the final part of the smoke.   The pepper never got harsh and it made for a little bit of spice on the finish – making for a rather smooth finish.  The resulting nub was cool, but slightly soft.   I was able to get a very small nub at the end.

Finishing Nub on the My Uzi Weighs a Ton Bait Fish

Burn and Draw

For the most part, the burn of the MUWAT Bait Fish remained razor-sharp requiring very few touch-ups. While the cigar burned at an ideal rate, it actually burned a little slow.  I found this surprising since the cigar did produce a large volume of smoke.  The slow burn didn’t contribute any negative, but probably was the reason why my nub was on the softer side.

The draw had a little resistance on it.  I actually prefer a little resistance on the draw, so this was ideal for me.  Overall it made for a very good smoke.

Strength and Body

As for how the MUWAT Bait Fish was positioned, this was advertised to have more strength than the core MUWAT.  In the case of the MUWAT Bait Fish, this blend definitely has more strength.  However, I would stop short at saying this is a full strength cigar.  I still assessed the strength profile as being medium to full.  As for the body, the notes of the MUWAT Bait Fish have a medium-bodied depth – actually a tad lower than the core MUWAT.  In the case of the MUWAT Bait Fish, there is a slight advantage to strength over body here.

Final Thoughts

Normally I am not a fan of the petit corona.   I will say that for a petit corona this was an enjoyable smoke.  The MUWAT Bait Fish has enough complexity in terms of flavor to qualify as a “medium” on my complexity scale.  This is the type of cigar that can be smoked any time of the day.   I can see a novice cigar enthusiast trying the MUWAT Bait Fish if they want a stronger cigar.  Experienced cigar enthusiasts will appreciate the strength and nice flavors from the cigar.  If I were to be asked to choose between a 60 ring gauge MUWAT or a Bait Fish MUWAT, I’d still pick the 60 ring gauge versio – however this would be a cigar I’d smoke again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Daw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 90

Source: This cigar was gifted to me by a friend.