Take-5: Drew Estate Cigar Safari 2013 – Part-2, Fire Cured Tobacco

Following up on our coverage of the Drew Estate Cigar Safari, we jump right in to an interesting topic for 2013 – the use of fire-cured tobacco. In this clip, Steve Saka and Nicholas Melillo share details on how certain tobaccos are fire cured at one of the Finca La Joya barns. As you’ll hear, “fire cured” is a technique that plays a major part in producing the unique mesquite BBQ flavors present in cigars such as the Sam Leccia Black and the soon-to-be-released MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured (KFC) line…enjoy!

Press Release: Drew Estate Unveils New MUWAT KFC

MUWAT KFC Fat MollyMiami, FL – Drew Estate Inc. announced today the impending release of Kentucky Fire Cured Cigars, an extension to the MUWAT brand also to be produced at the Joya de Nicaragua factory.  In development for over 2.5 years, this extension to the MUWAT line of premium cigars was inspired during a trip to the Dominican Republic where Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka were visiting the Universal Leaf tobacco pre-industry facility. “I remember it as if it were yesterday” states JD.  “Fritz Bossert (President of Universal Leaf), Steve Saka and I were smoking Liga Privada T52s in the fermentation area when I noticed a pilon of Kentucky Fired Cured tobacco. We took the wrapper off the T52 and placed a thick Kentucky Fire Cured leaf in its place. The taste and aroma were simply amazing, but there was just one huge problem – the cigar would not burn properly, and is one of the reasons of the lengthy process it took to get ‘KFC’ to market.” Continue reading