2019 Florida Barn Smoker Recap
This past Saturday hundreds of Drew Estate family and fans joined us on the Florida Sun Grown Farm in Clermont, Florida for the 4th annual Florida Barn Smoker. We were graciously welcomed by owner Jeff Borysiewicz to learn the process from seed to cigar of how the Florida Sun Grown Corojo is grown and how it is utilized in the FSG by Drew Estate. Click here to see the album of photos from the event, and be sure to tag yourself and your friends.
Attendees started their morning with a rich Nicaraguan iced coffee and Tabak Especial from one of the 4 new brand activations that are featured, which we will go into later on. After a rousing welcome speech from Jonathan Drew, President and Founder of Drew Estate, groups were split up to learn the tobacco cultivation process. Jeff Borysiewicz and Drew Estate Factory Spokesperson Pedro Gomez explained the process and the challenges of growing tobacco in Florida, and then led the group deep into the tobacco field to plant their own seedling and try their hands at harvesting a FSG Corojo leaf. At the next station, Jonathan Drew walked them through the process of fermentation, under the cover of the Florida Sun Grown tobacco barn, both in modern and ancient times. Finally, Master Blender Willy Herrera and Henry Pineda showcased the techniques and difficulties in blending cigars, and how it is a process that must constantly be reworked over time.
After a fantastic BBQ lunch provided by Pig Floyd’s BBQ, attendees were able to visit the many liquor tents with companies such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Diplomatico Rum, and many more. Then they were able to visit the 4 new brand activations Drew Estate has unveiled for Barn Smoker. As we alluded to earlier, they could grab an Iced Nicaraguan Coffee to pair with a Tabak Especial. At the Undercrown Station, they received an Undercrown Sun Grown and learned how to roll a cigar from Henry Pineda and Michael Giannini from Venture Cigars. Or if they weren’t full from lunch, they could wander to the Herrera Esteli activation and sample some of Miami’s finest caja china (roast pig) and played Willy Herrera in game of dominoes while smoking a Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro. Finally, in true Drew Estate fashion, we dropped a nightclub in the middle of a farm to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of ACID with a party. DJ Eli was cranking tunes with smoke machines, lights and a massive celebration all while smoking a Corona Cigar Co. exclusive, the ACID Beach. All these extra cigars came in addition to the entry pack of 11 cigars and exciting new swag to be had throughout.
In addition, one of our main goals at every Barn Smoker event is to raise money for Cigars for Warriors, a non-profit 501(c)3 who’s sole goal is to ship cigars to deployed men and women around the world. They are less than 20,000 cigars from shipping 1 Million cigars to our fighting men and women. To help raise money, we ran a raffle for amazing prizes including 3 FSG Mega Standing Ashtrays! All told, we raised over $12,000 for Cigars for Warriors, so thank you to everyone who donated.
Now, normally this is where we would stop but the 2019 Barn Smoker season is a little different. We now have VIP packages available, and beyond the special swag they receive, for the Florida Barn Smoker we hosted an after Barn Smoker dinner. Featuring 3 rare cigars, a delicious meal and night of hanging with JD and the entire DE crew, it was truly memorable. We won’t say much more because we want you to get the true VIP experience for yourselves.
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the Florida Barn Smoker, it was a hit! Now a little birdie named Fabien told me that Connecticut Barn Smoker tickets may be dropping on Monday at 3pm… perhaps a little earlier for Drew Diplomats… So stay tuned!
About Drew Estate
Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”TM, 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, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.
