Agile Cigar Review: Undercrown Maduro Corona Pequeña

Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are rescoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at Undercrown Maduro Corona Pequeña. This is a cigar line we previously assessed in the ShadyXX size back in October 2020.

Wrapper: Otapan Negro Último Corte
Binder: Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano
Filler: Select Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate
Corona Pequeña: 4 x 44

At the Tobacco Plus Expo 2020 (TPE 2020), Drew Estate announced a pair of line extensions to its Undercrown Maduro and Undercrown Shade lines. The line extensions to both lines were in the form of a 4 x 44 vitola known as the Corona Pequeña. Undercrown Maduro is actually the original blend that started the Undercrown in 2011. The brand was renamed after the additions of the Undecrown Shade and Undercrown Sungrown blends.

In any factory, it is common for rollers to smoke the cigar they are making. With Drew Estate’s popular Liga Privada, because there was high demand with limited tobacco, it was not possible for the rollers to smoke that cigar. Therefore, the rollers came up with a variation of the Liga Privada blend which would be dubbed Undercrown (now Undercrown Maduro). This basically involved using alternate primings from the same tobaccos that were acquired and used in the Liga Privada blend. Over the years, there have been several blend variations and sizes made in the line. The idea of releasing the Corona Pequeña was to offer a size to deliver a shorter smoke during the winter months.

The Undercrown Maduro consists of an Otapan Negro Último Corte wrapper from Mexico, a Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano binder, and fillers a combination of Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaragua Cuban Seed fillers. The 4 x 44 Corona Pequeña comes packaged in a 32-count box.

Photo Credit: Drew Estate

Flavor-wise, the Undercrown Maduro Corona Pequeña delivered a very straight flavor profile of coffee, dried fruit, earth, chocolate, and white and red pepper. The coffee and dried fruit notes became primary early on with the other notes playing a secondary role. Both the coffee and the earth alternated in intensity for most of the first half of the cigar. By the second half, the coffee took control as the main primary note. It was also in the second half where the pepper increased and closed in on the forefront.

The flavors delivered were full-bodied from start to finish, this was countered by medium to full strength. The cigar had an excellent burn and draw.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The expression great things come in small packages is very appropriate here. The Undercrown Maduro Corona Pequeña is an absolute flavor-bomb. It’s not the most complex Undercrown Maduro that I have had, but one can make the argument it’s got the best flavor. Since flavor is the most important attribute in a cigar experience, the Undercrown Maduro Corona Pequeña scores nicely. It might not my first choice of a cigar to recommend to a novice, but it’s one an experienced cigar enthusiast could enjoy. It’s a cigar I’d smoke again – and even with the 32-count box, it’s one that garners box-worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Dried Fruit, Earth, Chocolate, Red and White Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent