The Particulars

The Review

This LEGACY review for the Drew Estate Kentucky Fire Cured (Fat Molly) - Robusto (5 x 56) is based on the journal entry dated 2024-10-22.

Note: My original review format only had a single overall score of 1 to 5 with the “Buy it Again?” value assessment.  This mean’s there’s no sectioned scoring for different factors and I didn’t capture data for my flavor wheel, which may be blank.  If I have journaled the cigar again since I began capturing flavor wheel data, that data will be present.  If the cigar is still available to me, I will eventually replace the legacy review with one in the current format. 

The Tapa Negra wrapper is super dark and oily. Both it and the San Andrés wrapper have good mottling, limited veins, and mild toothiness with tight seams. It’s a good-looking cigar that gives off a rustic vibe and has a very ample cap. It took a deep V-cut really nicely.

The cold smell is HOLY SHIT THAT’S STRONG. 😅 It’s straight bonfire with a heavy smokiness of the hickory, maple, and oak infusion. The cellophane does a good job of keeping the smell contained, and I would definitely try to keep these a little more separated from your other cigars. Definitely don’t mix them naked unless you want that bonfire smell imparted on them. I honestly don’t know if I would’ve bought these if I had smelled them at a local B&M first. 🫤 And I was a little hesitant about how that infusion was going to impact the flavors of the smoke.

Lit, it’s a much milder affair; at least it doesn’t taste like straight bonfire smoke. There are still a lot of the wood-burned flavors, heavy on the hickory to me, but there’s mild chocolate, spice, and sweetness that gets added to the mix. It’s very different from anything else I’ve smoked.

The draw was good, construction was on point. It had a decent char line that didn’t need any touchups until I got to the Tapa Negra wrapper. At that point it went out, took a lot of effort to relight, and only carried a little bit further before it was out again. The ash was fragile on this smoke; don’t try to go for a stack or you might wear it. 😅 My biggest gripe was that bonfire smell gets all over you. This is probably the worst offender in leaving a distinct odor on you post-smoke.

Overall, it’s a really interesting blend and very different from anything else I’ve had. I’m not sure it’s for me, but it could be a great summer BBQ and beer smoke. If you’re into smoking meats, definitely check this one out. 🔥

Review Base Rating (0-5):

3.00

Would I Buy It Again?

Outlook not so good (skip it)

Review Final Score (0-10):

4.67

Postscript

2026-Mar-12:  Hi, my name is Sean and I’m smoking this Kentucky Fire Cured cigar. Welcome to Jackass! 🎶🎵🎶

Honestly, smoking the KFC again wasn’t as bad as the smell it emits when taking it out of the wrapper. But holy shit, these things smell atrocious, just emitting a strong, smoldering fire-pit smell. It’s like Surtr the fire god shit IN my nose.

So it’s no surprise that it has that charred hickory taste in spades, but somehow a thick, syrupy sweetness, baking cocoa, and some moderate pepper and baking spice manage to break through. I forgot how smooth it is with a fairly creamy finish. But fuck, it really is a bonfire in your mouth. I can’t even really chart how charred these things taste. And that’s my biggest issue: there’s not much left for your palate when the fire-cured tobacco just annihilates it.

My advice for surviving this cigar?

• Drink or eat something that’ll kill your sense of taste.

• Pour something really fucking peaty if you like to drink brown.

• Get a head cold and plug your sinuses.

• Start an actual bonfire and drown yourself in the smoke to build up an immunity.

But to be honest, if the choices are smoke a Kentucky Fire Cured or jump in the bonfire, I’m probably throwing myself into the fire. 🔥

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel