Herrera Esteli Habano Toro

Some may have forgotten it, but Drew Estate's first appearance on the Cigar Aficionado Top 25 list was for a Herrera Esteli blend, which scored a 94 rating and was named the #8 cigar in 2013. The medium-bodied smoke, with earthy, sweet, and spicy flavor captivated the judges. This was thanks in part to its extended finish, which kept them puffing from beginning to end.

Now, in this vitola, you can enjoy a rare run of Herrera Esteli cigars described as the, Especial Cabinet Selection. These feature an inviting brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and use the Honduran binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos that have made this cigar a hit year after year. And thanks to our Drew Estate Lounge hookup, we'll be able to share this one with you, while supplies last.

For those unfamiliar with Willy Herrera, he worked at the El Titan de Bronze making Cuban-inspired smokes until he got the call to join the Drew Estate team. They brought him on and gave him the biggest challenge a blender can get: to make a truly great cigar. He was handed the key to the tobacco storeroom and assigned a bench, where he got to rolling. Many, many attempts later, he finally spun up something that passed Jonathan Drew's high standards. And for that, we are thankful.

After proving himself, he won the dubious prize of having to handle greater and greater blending responsibilities, as well as having to bring in a strong Cuban approach to cigar making, which is often valuable in the cigar biz. Nowadays, you can see him with a crisp salt and pepper beard and tattoos, walking the storeroom, smoking and describing blends in many of Drew Estate's promotional videos.

Sound like he's living the dream? We won't try to soft-pedal it. He probably is. And you can get a little piece of it when you light up the Drew Estate Herrera Esteli Box Press Toro Especial Cabinet Selection.