WHO ARE YOU CALLING CHICKEN?

HAPPY TO REPORT THIS DID NOT TASTE LIKE CHICKEN

Drunk Chicken was established in 2019 by Desiree Sylver. As I recall from a interview I’d heard, Desiree and her husband were long time cigar enthusiasts that created their own blends with a factory here in the US. They would travel around and shared their cigars with friends and were encouraged to develop a brand and release the cigars. Desiree enjoying keeping chickens on her property and the Drunk Chicken brand was born. 

I had the opportunity to meet Desiree on February 17, 2024 at City Cigars Lounge in Miami and after a brief discussion of her line, I selected the Original blend as my introduction to the line. I should have taken Desiree’s advice and picked up the sampler because I enjoyed my time with the OG and now I want to see what else Drunk Chicken has to offer.

STATS

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PRELIGHT

The Drunk Chicken Original I picked up visually stood out among the rest of the Drunk Chicken line. This cigar is dark and as described to me, was one of the stronger, fuller cigars in the line. The Mexican wrapper had a rough texture with visible veins, The wrapper leaf looked thick and the seams were raised. The cigar wasn’t quite round, probably pressed from being in the box. As a result, the cigar stayed put when I set it down regardless of the side I put it down on, which was actually nice.

I was getting cooking spices, a little cinnamon aroma off the body of the cigar, and a musty tobacco off of the foot. I used my perfect cut to open the cap and taking a draw revealed that cigar was quite open with very little resistance, and had a salty, vegetal note. I also noted that the wrapper did not quite cover the cigar fully, a small rim of the foot left exposed.

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FIRST THIRD

Upon lighting and taking that first draw, I got notes of leather, dark chocolate and espresso flavors. The retro hale had an herbal citrus spiciness. Not too overwhelming, it never irritated the sinus or never made my eyes water. The Original was very well balanced, very smooth with lots of flavor that left the pallet, warm and coated in this chocolatey tobacco sweetness. The finish didn’t seem to stay long, and was quickly washed away with a simple sip or water.

The smoke on the Drunk Chicken Original was outstanding. When I tell you that puffing on this cigar was actually entertaining that should say something about the smoke this cigar produced. Hearty and white, I was enjoying trying to blow smoke rings and watching it rise. The Ash was stacked, had a nice white color with dark crevices and it turned brown as smoking time past. The burn was wavy through the first third but the cigar burned well and did not require any maintenance outside of the occasional draw. When the ash finally dropped near the second third, it had a gritty feel.

SECOND THIRD

I started the second third and the cigar was threatening to go out. Smoke production started to diminish, and I had to take a couple of puffs to get ignition going again. It could’ve been a factor with the humidity and the breeze outside. The middle of the cigar had more of that dark chocolate note and the smoke was a getting warmer than I would’ve liked. Temp aside, it did leave the pallet with this creamy warm feeling.

FINAL THIRD

Final third opened with a huge blast of coco and the finished became more almond and cedar, little bit of char and fruit sweetness for good measure. The flavors produced by the Drunk Chicken Original where similar through much of the cigar. There was not much complexity, but there was enough going on there to keep me engaged and entertained. 

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I’ve rated the Drunk Chicken Original cigar a 90 and despite the warmth, I smoked it down to the nub.

As I mentioned above, I enjoyed puffing and watching the smoke of the Drunk Chicken Original. The Gordo may be a Vitola, that is slightly larger than I naturally gravitate towards, but it was a good introduction to the brand and as I mentioned, I’m looking forward to trying a few of the other blends.

Instagram: @drunkchickencigars

You can purchase the cigar reviewed above at Neptune Cigars.