Barn Smoker 2020

• Posted on 28 February 2020
• By Sheila Habano
• Posted in Barn Smoker, Drew Estate
• 0

Drew Estate's Barn Smokers are an all-day extravaganza and festival including educational seminars, teaching cigar connoisseurs the art of tobacco growing, processing, and finishing.

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest-growing tobacco companies in the world.  Drew Estate has led the boutique cigar movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that have attracted new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Nicaragua, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Kentucky Fire Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Tabak Especial, and Undercrown, among others. 

This year, Drew Estate is hosting their Barn Smoker events in Florida, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Louisiana. The Barn Smokers are an all-day extravaganza and festival including educational seminars, teaching cigar connoisseurs the art of tobacco growing, processing, and finishing. Each event is held on a tobacco farm in one of five states, all of which supply tobacco to Drew Estate. The event features a tour of the tobacco facilities, exclusive cigars, lunch and a raffle that benefits Cigars for Warriors.

Here are the following dates:

Florida Barn Smoker in Clermont, FL on May 16th, 2020

Pennsylvania Barn Smoker in Strasburg, PA on July 25th, 2020

Connecticut Barn Smoker in South Windsor, CT on August 8th, 2020

Kentucky Barn Smoker in Hopkinsville, KY on September 26th, 2020

Louisiana Barn Smoker in Convent, LA on October 24th, 2020

A standard admission ticket of $100 includes a fully catered meal, liquor tastings and a voucher to purchase 10 cigars for an additional price of $10.00.

I will be attending the 3rd Pennsylvania Barn Smoker July 25th in Strasburg, PA. Strasburg, which is located in Lancaster County, has a rich history of tobacco growing in Pennsylvania.  With some of the most fertile non-irrigated soil in the U.S., Lancaster County has a strong farming industry. The early Mennonite and Amish settlers in Lancaster County quickly took to tobacco farming, encouraged by the county's heavy soil and high humidity during the growing season. The term “stogie” comes from the home of the Conestoga, an Iroquoian-speaking people from the Susquehanna River Valley and the legendary Conestoga wagon.

Pennsylvania tobacco was a top filler of choice until the 1970s for many of the country's premier cigar companies. Pennsylvania Broadleaf is exclusively grown in the Lancaster, PA area, mostly by the Amish and a few ‘English’ farms.  The flavor of Pennsylvania Broadleaf is extraordinarily deep and distinct. The leaf has a sweetness which is often associated with Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro. Although, the nutrient-rich soil in Lancaster imparts a unique spiciness with leather at the core and subtle notes of espresso.  An excellent varietal for full-bodied cigars.

The Pennsylvania tobacco industry declined in the ’70s due to high prices and overseas competition.  However, PA Broadleaf had a newfound comeback when AJ Fernandez unveiled Diesel in 2008. Drew Estate’s Willy Herrera is planning a PA Broadleaf-wrapped cigar, release date is TBD, and he kindly distributed his experimental PA Broadleaf blend to attendees at the 2018 Barn Smoker. This is one reason why the Barn Smoker is such a cool event; you never know what new ideas may be brought forth.

If you are unable to attend any of the Barn Smokers, El Cigar Shop offers many premium cigars by Drew Estate at smokin’ prices.  Have fun!

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