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What Are Acid Cigars?

Acid cigars have nothing to do with illegal drugs or corrosive liquids; rather, the name "Acid" stands for "Arielle Chester Industrial Design," the name of the design company of the artist who created the cigars' distinctive labels. Florida-based company Drew Estate manufactures the cigars in Nicaragua.

  1. History

    • Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel, who founded Drew Estate, started selling cigars in New York in 1998. Inspired by the work of artist Scott Chester, they introduced the Acid brand of cigars in 1999. In 2004, the company moved its operations to Miami. Drew Estate manufactures its cigars in Nicaragua: in 2007, it opened the largest cigar-manufacturing facility in the country, measuring approximately 100,000 square feet in area. The company uses blends of herbs, wines and spices to create the distinctive flavors of its cigars.

    Identification

    • Acid cigars have distinctive, eye-catching labels based on Scott Chester's artwork. Drew Estates divides the Acid brand into four color-coded sections: blue, red, gold and purple. These color codes give an indication of the cigars' characteristics: the "blue" cigars have a classic cigar taste, "red" cigars are more intense, "gold" cigars are more mellow-tasting and "purple" cigars are highly aromatic. The company also produces "Krush Classic" cigars, which are miniature versions of its full-size cigars, "Acid One," which was their original product, and "Acid Five," a limited-edition version of the Acid One.

    Varieties

    • The "Blue" line of Acid Cigars includes the "Blondie," "Kuba Kuba," "Deep Dish," "Kuba Deluxe," "Kong Cameroon" and "1400cc" cigars. The "Red" Acid cigars include the "Nasty," "Nefasto" and "Liquid" flavors. The "Atom Maduro," "Cold Infusion" and "Earthiness" cigars make up the "Gold" product line, while "Purple" encompasses the "Ming Dynasty," "Extra Ordinary Larry," "Roam" and "C-Notes" varieties. The "Krush Classic" Acid cigars are only available in "blue," "red," "gold" and "purple," rather than in the more extensive variation of the full-size products.

    Associated Brands

    • Drew Estate produces several other brands aside from Acid cigars, including the Asian-inspired "Ambrosia," the classic Central American-style "Chateau Real" cigar and the coffee-infused "Isla del Sol" and "Tabak Especial" brands. "La Vieja Habana" is the company's original brand of cigars, while the "Liga Privada" lines are made from aged dark tobacco. Drew Estate's "Natural" cigars are pure unflavored tobacco, while the "Subculture" line contains flavors like "Peach" and "Irish Hops."

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