That good wood

Southern Draw Cigars is a rapidly growing boutique cigar brand that was started by a group of long-time cigar-loving veterans who set out to create custom blended cigars of the finest tobaccos with a helping hand from AJ Fernandez. This most recent release draws its name from a type of wood – Cedrus libani – which is known for being firm, high quality wood with a pleasant scent and is often used to make cigar boxes.

Originally, only a total of 60,000 of these beauties were made, in a single size, and they came in individually numbered 10-count boxes. Now Southern Draw has added three additional sizes, still limited production, to meet the exploding demand for this fantastic blend. Up top is an Indonesian Sumatra wrapper coating a Nicaraguan Habano 2000 binder. The core is a blend of four different varietals – Dominican Piloto Cubano, Nicaraguan Criollo 98, Nicaraguan habano 92, and Nicaraguan corojo 99. It has a great depth and complexity, spewing out flavors of cedar, pepper, bread, some creaminess, and herbal notes. The draw is nearly perfect as it delivers an overall medium to full bodied experience. Check out a box while you still can.

Good news! Southern Draw Cedrus has earned a 91-rating, noting: “Its spicy notes of ground red pepper are bridged by snaps of leather and coffee that lead to a sweeter toffee character and caramel finish.”