Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9

Parejo Toro

I had one LP No. 9 before, which I did a (much less in-depth) review on, and my general verdict was “great, but not worth the price.” My palate wasn’t quite as developed yet, though, and I was a bit miffed that I couldn’t get the band off without tearing it to shreds, so I’m up for giving this stick a second chance from scratch. Last time I had the robusto, this time it’s the toro.

Statistics

CotM: April 2013







Chosen by: YUNOtiger

YUNOtiger





Shape: Parejo







Size: 6 x 52







Country of Origin: Nicargua







Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf #1 Darks







Binder: Brazillian Mata Fina







Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan Cuban Seed







Color: Oscuro







Strength: Full







Price Paid: $13.21







Smoke Date: 7/08/2013

7/08/2013





Age: 3 months

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Lagavulin 16 year old Islay Single Malt Scotch served neat in a Sagaform rocking whiskey glass. Peaty and smoky, Amazingly, the peat-bomb did not overpower the LP, but rather brought out its sweetness. The earthiness of both brought them together, while their differences enhanced both.

Appearance/Nose

This cigar was absolutely stunning. The wrapper was rich, dark, and supremely oily with a fine tooth. Everything was smooth and straight and made with the utmost precision and care. The band features a faux hand-written logo that looks extremely classy, with a silver-on-black lion logo on the back side. The presentation could not be any better. The nose was coffee and licorice.

Construction

The construction was impeccable. There were no flaws of any kind to be found. The wrapper featured a gorgeous spiral wrap. The caps were very nice. The ash was bright white and held firm for at least an inch and a half. I’m sure it could have held on much longer, but I am nervous about losing ash in my lap. When the ash did fall, it came off in solid, concrete-like chunks. Very impressive!

Cold Draw

A tight cold draw revealed a very different set of flavors from the nosing–hay and sweet coffee.

Smoking

First third

The draw remained a bit tight as the first few puffs revealed sweet coffee and chocolate, licorice, and earthiness. The smoke production was simply unreal. Early on, the flavor profile was very similar to the Undercrown–coffee, cocoa, earth. There was definitely more sweet cinnamon spice and creaminess in the no. 9, though.

After the first inch or so, the flavor transformed–the spice disappeared and the creaminess took over completely, with chocolate and (I know it sounds odd) a hint of marshmallows. Underneath the cocoa-marshmallow-cream was an earthy, sweet, licorice base. Marvelous!

Second third

The sweet creaminess and immense smoke continued. The draw remained a bit tight.

The burn wobbled a little, but never needed touching up. The flavor continued on with sweet cream, coffee, cocoa, and earth.

Final third

In the final third, the earthiness and coffee became more prevalent, but the creamy marshmallowy flavor persisted.

Because of the trouble I had in the past, I decided to take the band off a little early, to hopefully keep from damaging it. After a couple of tense minutes, I succeeded! Man they glue these things on tight!

Notes

Draw: Tight

Tight





Body: Full

Full





Primary Flavors: Cream, earth, cocoa, marshmallow

Cream, earth, cocoa, marshmallow





Smoke Output: Impossible! (as in, “how could there possibly be this much smoke coming out of a single cigar?!”)

Impossible! (as in, “how could there possibly be this much smoke coming out of a single cigar?!”)





Smoke Time: 2 hours

Overall

After my first LP No. 9, I couldn’t understand what the big deal was about Liga Privada. After my second, I am a convert. Wow! I don’t know what I was smoking before (pun intended). Maybe it was the extra 3 months in my humidor, maybe it is my more developed palate, or maybe there was a problem with the other one, but this stick was absolutely amazing! The creaminess and smoke volume were out of this world, and the flavors were magnificent.

Rating