From DrewEstate.com, “Skillfully manufactured at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, alongside the same buncheros and rolleros who create premium cigars, Factory Smokes by Drew Estate are economically priced due to their bulk manufacturing and less expensive bundle packaging. A handmade value priced line of cigars perfect for sharing with your friends on a Monday, mowing the lawn, washing the car, you know, smoke it, enjoy it, toss it if you must, then grab another.
From the Wynwood Safehouse, Jonathan Drew, Founder & President of Drew Estate, ‘Our expansion in the bundle business was a decision we did not take lightly. Bundles aren’t glamorous and the efficiency required to produce them effectively is not easily reached, which is why there aren’t a ton of entrants innovating in the value priced space. This is long overdue for Drew Estate, and when we reached the production scale required to compete we knew we wanted to do what we do, and disrupt the space with an innovative, deep value line of quality smokes for a broad set of thrifty individuals.'”
Drew Estate Factory Smokes Shade Robusto (5×54)
$2.50 – $56.24
Drew Estate’s Factory Smokes are a home run for cigar lovers everywhere! These cuban sandwiches offer construction, flavor, and consistancy of a more expensive blend. Nonetheless, you’ll get them at rock bottom prices when you buy a bundle today. The word around the Cigars Daily Lounge is that these sticks are far tastier than they are costly…er.
This Connecticut Shade blend has surprisingly brilliant flavor for a bargain stick. The silky golden brown wrapper leaf on these cigars holds vibrant flavors of cedar and earth with a light sweetness. For the mild cigar lover, these are a no brainer.
Jonathan McCarty (verified owner) –
I watched the review on your YouTube channel and, as I’ve had some really good Drew Estate sticks before, I decided to give them a try with your Bargain Barrel sampler. There’s been a little variation between the two sticks I’ve smoked so far, but they’ve both been highly enjoyable. I was more than happy to order this to keep my humidors stocked because they’re affordable and most importantly, a decent smoke.
Joey (verified owner) –
Great cigar for the price. Even burn, smooth draw, thick smoke clouds and good flavor. Bought some to let my friends smoke when they come over without cigars. Enjoyed it, bought more, and do not feel bad about handing out two dollar sticks. Smoked great. You will not be disappointed with this bargain stick.
Joey (verified owner) –
Great cigar for the price. Bought some to let my friends smoke when they come over without cigars. Enjoyed it, bought more, and do not feel bad about handing out two dollar sticks. Smoked great. You will not be disappointed with this bargain stick. Good flavor too.
PhilHigh42 –
Really surprised at how good this stick is. As others have said, it’s a great cigar to hand out to friends who may be new to cigars. Factory Smokes have definitely earned some real estate in the humidor!
Jbirtha (verified owner) –
I got the bundle pack of this and for around $1.83 a stick, I have to say this a great cigar for an every day smoke. I was actually pretty impressed with them as I have smoked about 4 so far. The burn is nice and slow, the ash holds, have had no burn or construction issues.
Overall for this cigar, it is a great smoke. I rated it an 81.5/100 with my cigar book.
Would definitely recommend
Derek Vermeland (verified owner) –
These are a decent smoke but lack dimension in the flavor (kind of expected at this price point). Decent construction although it burned unevenly all the way through. I’d definitely recommend them for the price but there are plenty of others that are better for a little more money. If you’re a beginner and looking for a lighter smoke, try them out. If you’re looking for a budget smoke for everyday, try them out. If you’re looking for complex flavor, try something else out.
smokingdog (verified owner) –
Smooth, with a great mellow flavor. Great smoke at a bargain price.
smokingdog (verified owner) –
Drew Estates does it again with a good smoke at a great price. Burn is a little uneven, but had no runs. Perfect staple for an everyday smoke on a budget.
Rudy Monroy (verified owner) –
Great cigar for its price. Perfect for working on the lawn or enjoying a stick after putting your kids to bed. I enjoy these guys on the golf course on a weekly basis. Perfect smooth draw with light body feel.
eLpRoTe (verified owner) –
Tried all the flavors in the robusto size. This cigar was the best. Nothing special with the flavor but it isn’t bad. Smoke output was great. Wouldn’t smoke again but if you smoke a lot and want a cheap cigar this is the one for you. Compared to a 5-10 dollar stick this is a 2.5 star. The price is the only reason I gave it 4.
Edward Jenkins (verified owner) –
Construction was OK, and the taste as well as smell is great. For a 2 dollar stick you can’t really complain.
Shaun Sampson (verified owner) –
I will say for a $2.00 cigar and mowing the lawn, pretty tough to beat. I had to touch up a time or two, but nothing I would be mad about. Is it a 90+ stog? Not really but for a simple smoke and some yard work, I’ll buy a bundle without hesitation. Expectations were low and beat them. A half decent smoke with some touch ups, decent flavor. Tough to beat for $2.00
MrLyonsCo (verified owner) –
Not a bad smoke. Burned evenly through the entire smoke. Mellow with notes of cinnamon and spice through the entire stick.
Garrett Fong (verified owner) –
Good cigar for the price. Best short-filler cigar I’ve had yet, definitely worth the buy.
Jeremy Plunkett (verified owner) –
For the price! Not bad for a daily smoke/yardgar/morning cup of coffee stick.
Thatgarguy (verified owner) –
Nice cigar for the price so you can’t beat it! This stick has awesome and “natural” flavors, it tasted woody and creamy from my experience. I was puffing on this at a car wash on a windy day and didn’t have any problems with canoeing at all. Only issue for me was that the leaf was cracking on the last 3rd but was for sure just caused by the weather. Overall it’s a simple stick that burns evenly and smokes good so it’s perfect for a daily smoke that you won’t regret for the price.
Liberator2033 (verified owner) –
I remember it having a sort of mellow almond-like flavor throughout. Very earthy tasting with light spice. Not my favorite, but an easy smoke to have around breakfast with a cup of coffee on the porch.
Thatgarguy (verified owner) –
For a cheap stick it’s nothing too special in terms of looks with the band on, but looks can be deceiving. I was able to “rest” this for about a month being humidified and after lighting up a few I was surprised at how much flavor you can get for such a budget price. It burned nice and clean with only 2 minor touchups to prevent canoeing. The flavors for the 1st and 2nd third were just a mild flavor of earthy tones with some dirt taste which isn’t as bad as it seems, but by the time I got to the last 3rd all the flavors bundled up together and was switched to a hay type of flavor which was honestly good to taste once all flavors became infused. Overall a good stick that is nothing to complain about for the price unless it was cracked but other than that it’s a good stick to puff on when doing stuff and you won’t feel bad for stopping halfway.
lholdcroft22 (verified owner) –
Awesome sticks for the price. I really enjoy the creaminess and the flavor. If you enjoy what I can only describe as a natural tobacco flavor, these are on point.
Baston (verified owner) –
Top budget cigar
Gingerbeardman (verified owner) –
So much flavor for a stick that’s only 3 bucks 100% will buy again and again!
kkjmhrs (verified owner) –
Just had my first CT. Shade. I’m new to the whole rating thing, but find that I’m usually within a point or two of Tim’s reviews on the “$10 range smokes”. This one is a good, I’ll call “work smoke”, but I rated it at 69. It was very loosely packed, about 35-40 min. smoke time, and had an uneven burn that required multiple retouches, so I dinged it pretty hard. No flavor notes to write home about, but for the price and my intended purpose for these, I will purchase more. I’m sure the consistency from stick to stick will vary.