Now let me clarify something, I don’t mean “Average Joe” as in you are not special(I’m sure you’re all special…). I’m more referring to availability to the average person. As you run through Tony’s Top Cigars of 2012, many of them are still very new and haven’t hit some of the far reaching markets, especially not up here in Canada. They will roll out slowly to more shops but some may never make it to local B&M’s. Most of the cigars in my list below are pretty easily available nationwide, with a couple small exceptions, and they have nothing to do with release dates. It’s obviously biased to what’s easily available to me but I think my situation will mimic a lot of our friends out there.

As Tony mentioned in his post, this list is completely home-spun, written for the enjoyment of it, and I by no means consider myself any sort of expert smoker or expert shopper. Everyone’s opinion will vary and these might not be what you expect to see. But I’d love to hear your thoughts, let’s have some fun with this one!

#10 – My Father Le Bijou 1922

I had a bit of a tough time squeezing this cigar into this list, and I have a couple reasons for that. Firstly is the price, most of the vitolas are at or over the $10 range which makes them a little too pricey for most. The savior here is that you can grab the tasty little Petit Robusto for a much fairer price. My second concern was availability, they seem to be available in a lot of stores but also sell out quickly and are slower to re-stock to due the lower yield they have. But this is a cigar I’m constantly looking for, I don’t always buy it because of the price but when I see a sale or a package deal, I’m quick to throw one of these in there. The intense espresso flavors are almost enough for me to want this cigar, but it also gives great cedar, spice and cocoa all backed by a smooth and creamy finish. It’s an all around great cigar and will always be on my shopping list.

My Father Le Bijou 1922 Toro Review
My Father Le Bijou 1922 Box Pressed Torpedo Quick Draw

#9 – Padilla La Terraza Capa Habano

Now this is a cigar I honestly stumbled into by accident. I found it on sale, read a couple decent reviews and opted to grab a whole box for a steal of a deal. And I’m really glad I did! For the price of only about $2 that you can find these, the cigar is spot on and burns very nicely. You will find some woodsy, almond and coffee flavors here, perhaps a bit of a menthol kick at the start as well. All in a nice smooth medium bodied cigar. Just make sure to get the Habano version as the general consensus is that the Maduro just doesn’t match up.

Padilla La Terraza Capa Habano Quick Draw

#8 – Maldonado Dynasty “The Mogul”

This is a name you’ve probably seen pop up on our site before. Paul, leader of the Maldonado Dynasty, has been a great supporter and friend of Casas Fumando but that doesn’t mean we take his cigars lightly. I’ve been lucky enough to smoke through a whole bunch of these cigars, including some pre-release, first release and even a bunch from a fresh batch I received a few weeks ago. Paul is constantly working to make things better and it shows in his cigars. The quality of the sticks continues to rise while the flavors continue to impress. You can expect a silky medium-full bodied cigar with lots of coffee, cocoa, dried fruit and nutmeg flavors that will keep you on your toes. The availability of these is still a bit limited so it was a tough choice for me to add to this list, but if you don’t mind getting them shipped you can definitely find a place to buy these.

Maldonado Dynasty “The Mogul” Review

#7 – Perdomo Champagne Noir

I’ve always been a pretty big fan of Perdomo, they constantly impress me with top-notch construction on all of their sticks. It’s been rare for me to run into burn issues on their cigars and all of their sticks come in at fair prices. This is a definite commitment to quality that I can appreciate. Typically, Perdomo’s don’t make many top 10 lists because they don’t tend to be in the trendy boutique sphere and also don’t do anything too crazy. They seem to stick to their roots and just keep producing good cigars. I was a fan of the 10th Anniversary Champagne and when I heard about the Champagne Noir, I jumped to try it. I was happily greeted by a delicate mixture of baking spices, cedar, espresso and roasted almonds. Not to mention this was probably one of the slowest burning cigars I have ever lit up. The standard Toro size flew past 2 hours easily, normally I burn through a toro in under 1.5 hours.

Perdomo Champagne Noir Review

#6 – La Aurora 107

It’s been quite a while since this cigar was released but I still find myself seeking them out. The flavors never cease to impress and they usually come in at a very fair price, especially if you find them on sale. There is a wide range of vitolas in this line for everyone. Every time I light one of these up I know I’m going to get an amazing mix of cedar, light spices and some fruity sweetness. These are available just about everywhere so if you’ve been skipping them over recently cause they aren’t all new and trendy, I think it’s time to re-visit this stick!

La Aurora 107 Corona Review
La Aurora 107 Robusto Review

#5 – Padron 2000 & Londres

I think most everyone knows about this cigar and has probably had one at one time or another. I know I discovered these long ago when I first started smoking cigars. The prices on these are right in the sweet spot of most consumers and they are very widely available. The whole line is very good but I always tend towards the 2000 and Londres. Both the Maduro’s and Naturals seem to be pretty similar in the flavor department and you can expect to find lots of coffee and cocoa making this one tasty cigar!

Padron 2000 Review

#4 – Illusione 888 & 88

I couldn’t decide on which one of these I enjoy more so I decided to group them together since they are pretty similar in my eyes. The ~88~ and ~888~ are staples in my humidor. I know the prices are a bit high but the flavors and construction on these definitely make them worth my while. When you spark up one of these you can expect to find lots of earthy and cedar notes, but the two real winners here for me are the tarty sweet notes near the end and the amazing smooth creamy retrohale that they offer. If you haven’t tried one of these yet, make sure to pick some up! I added the link to our “~888~ Slam” here, the flavors were very similar to the regular ~888~ but I liked the vitola a little more just because it was more comfortable to hold, but both are winners.

Illusione ~88~ Review
Illusione ~888~ Slam Review

#3 – Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial

The first time I had one of these it was sent to me by Tony and I was just blown away by the awesome flavors and construction. I mean who can complain, almost all the cigars out of the My Father factory are top notch. What really caught my attention and keeps me smoking these is the price they come in. For a premium cigar with some awesome flavors and constuctio, the price is amazing. They are also very widely available which can’t be said for all the My Father products. If you like a solid medium bodied stick with awesome flavors such as spice, cedar, espresso and cocoa, you will love this stick.

Jamie Garcia Reserva Especial Review

#2 – Montecristo No. 2 (Cuban)

I know, I know, this is not an easy one for most of our American friends to track down. But it constantly tops my list and many others as one of the best value for a premium cigar you can find. With the right connections, you can get these for under $8 per stick. They have tons of good flavors ranging from coffee to cedar to earthy to creamy, it’s just so good. They do benefit from a bit of time resting but are easily smokable fresh too, you just won’t get some of the more delicate flavors.

Montecristo No. 2 2010 Review
Montecristo No. 2 2008 Joint Review

#1 – Drew Estate Undercrown

If you’ve been keeping an eye on my twitter feed or the Facebook page, you would have seen quite a few of these pop up over the course of the last year. The meaty and balanced flavors of espresso and spices in the Undercrown just seem to hit the spot everytime. Add on some excellent construction and spot on consistency, and this is a winner. I’m also a fan of the T52 and No.9 but I’ve had a lot more luck tracking down the Undercrowns and their price is also much more digestible as a more frequent cigar. I also love the wrapper on this cigar, it’s so dark and has a ton of toothiness and roughness to it, definitely some eye candy in the cigar world. As I write this I realize I’m running low on them and need to order another box… lol

Drew Estate Undercrown Review

There are tons more great sticks I could go into that are easily available, these are just a few that I’ve been smoking or wanting to smoke this past year. And this list could change completely in the next 6 months so take it for what it is and enjoy. If you have a couple that are on your constant shopping list and have been heavy hitters this year, let me know in the comments!

The post Casas Fumando “Average Joe” Top 10 of 2012 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The L40 name actually comes from the format, and ring gauge. Traditionally, Lanceros are sized at 7 x 38. Steve Saka, being the pain in the ass he is, didn’t feel that the 38 ring gauge gave room to create a cigar that he personally could deem worthy of the Liga Privada stamp. It’s this perfection that has always made Drew Estate and their Liga Privada lines stand out. After all, the line was originally created solely for the enjoyment of Saka himself.  Anyhow, cheating just a bit Saka decided that a 40 ring gauged lancero complimented the blend much more and decided to run with it. Thus, the L40 was created. These cigars made their debut at this year’s IPCPR trade show and are due out “soon”. Not sure how soon, but judging by how much Drew Estate has been kicking out lately, it wouldn’t surprise me if they start hitting shops in the next few months. They should retail at about $13 a stick I’ll let this information pulled form the L40’s product sheet explain the blend in detail as it says it all better than I could.

In our ongoing creation of the Liga Privada line, hundreds of different, distinct blends and vitolas are crafted in our ceaseless search for the perfect smoke. Most samples are dismissed with only a rare, select few being deemed worthy, but regretfully due to tobacco limitations, costs, construction limitations, etc. most of these blends can not be made into a their own stand-alone line. However, they are so perfect in flavor and aroma, we continue to selfishly make them for ourselves to smoke. This is not our desire, we want the Liga Privada connoisseur to enjoy the very same cigars our “El Jefe” smokes regardless of any reason. And with this in mind, we have created the Único Serie – a home for these unique ones. All of the cigars within this series are not only different in size and recipe, but they are extra special, extremely limited and exceptionally delicious.

Blend Summary for Único Serie “L40” Lancero:

Capa: CT River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Habano Leaf

Capote: Plantation-Grown Brazilian Mata Fina

Tripa: 3 Extra-Choice Nicaraguan Cuban Seed

Strength: Medium-Full

Packaging: 15-ct SBN Cabinet Boxes

Additional Info:

– The “L40” Lancero is a unique blend, differing from other LP blends.

– “L40” refers to the slightly larger ring size than is typical of a lancero format. This additional girth was necessary to accommodate the desired blend of tobaccos. Contains 5 different tobaccos – extremely unusual for this vitola.

– Most lanceros are “one note”, this one is a symphony.

– Its recipe was in development for 2+ years prior to release.

The being said, it’s time to get into this review.

Size: 7 x 40  –  Wrapper: Stalk Cut Habano  –  Binder: Brazilian Mata-Fina  –  Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: The Liga Privada Unico L40 is a toothy little beast. Rubbing my fingers down the body of the cigar feels almost like fiving a stick of sandpaper a massage. Not only is it toothy, but man is this cigar oily. Every time I handle the cigar I am left with a nice, silky, layer of oil on my fingertips. This cigar looks awesome in the sun. I sweat it looks like it’s wet from all the reflection of the oil. The wrapper feels very durable and tough, and shows lots of smaller veins. The wrapper is a very, very dark brown with lots of darker, almost black spots throughout the body leading up to its round triple cap. Maybe it was just me, but I was really expecting this cigar to have a pigtail. Maybe I am just stuck on the Dirty Rat, but I personally feel it would have gave some nice character to the visual aspect of this cigar. Anyways….. The L40 is a lot softer than I thought it would be. I am probably used to the smaller ring gauges in lanceros making for a much stronger cigar. Each time I compress the cigar it feels almost spongy, resulting in a lot of give. I doubt this will really effect the overall experience, but I do hope it doesn’t mean this will result in a overly-loose draw.

Right away, as soon as I removed the L40 from it’s cellophane,  I could smell the strong, pungent aromas of the cigar. The powerful smell of the wrapper gives off this really sharp, spice, herb, and potpourri smell while the foot is more of a sweet cedar. Wow, I really don’t think I have ever smelled a cigar with this much aroma before lighting up.  The L40 cut very easy and clean using my Liga Privada Double bladed cutter. Strangely enough I am getting a really woodsy, earthy flavor from the cold draw. I was expecting something much more spicier. But the draw is clean, and a not really loose at all.

First Smoke: The Liga Privada L40 leads in with just a hint of pepper, backed by some nice spice, coffee, chocolate, very sweet tobacco, and the nice earthy undertones. I can actually pull out this nice nutmeg/wheat flavor. The starting of this cigar doesn’t disappoint. I know the draw was a worry for me since the cigar felt so lightly packed, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. Each draw delivers a massive amount of smoke. I am only hitting this cigar once or twice, usually I’m a three draw guy. The stationary smoke, like any Liga Privada is very plentiful. I really think it has a lot to do with all the oils on these wrappers. You can literally see the oil burning off the wrapper as the cigar sits in my ashtray. The burnline is a bit thick, but dead even leaving behind a very nice trail of tightly compacted black and dark grey ash which held on for a little under an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this Liga Privada Unico L40 and I am already starting to experience some nice change up in the flavor profile. The more earthy notes have really began to fade out while there is a nice, sweet cedar coming in pairing excellent with the sweet tobacco, coffee, and chocolate notes. There are a few hints of the potpourri I picked up in the cold draw too, although they are a bit hard to pick apart. The burnline is still rocking dead even. The retrohale on this cigar is incredible. It coats the nasal passage with this really warm cedar and leaves behind this neat coffee priming. The L40 is milder than I expected. I am feeling a little nicotine kick in the second third, but not nearly as much as I expected.

Finish:  Wow, the cedar is REALLY taking command into this final third of this L40. Another neat addition is the reappearance of the pepper that only lasted a few draws into the beginning of this Liga Privada L40. I am still picking up some really nice chocolate and coffee notes but they are only an afterthought compared to the sweet cedar that dominates the final third. I am actually feeling quite a bit of nicotine at this point, but it isn’t anything like what I get form the Liga Privada No.9. This is a full cigar, but seems much more toned down. All in all it took me about an hour and a half to take this cigar down. The cigar finished smooth and creamy with absolutely no signs of harshness. On a side note, I had to relight this cigar twice during the entire experience. This isn’t anything that bothers me at all, in fact, I think simple touch-ups and relights are part of any cigar smoking experience. But it also makes me thing that I need to monitor my humidity levels in my humidors a bit better. They might be a bit high. A local cigar lounge owner actually let me know that Boveda has a subscription based option where they will actually send you Boveda packs routinely so you never really have to pay attention to your humidity levels. Has anyone tried this? I’m really considering this but I would love to hear your thoughts.

Overview: Although a Liga Privada in a lancero format seemed a bit odd to me, Drew Estate really did a heck of a job creating a blend that not only lives up to the Liga Privada standards, but also has the flavor and build, to stand alone as part of their Unico Series. I really can’t compare the L40 to the 9 or the T52. It’s a completely different cigar. It doesn’t have nearly the strength of pepper of either of the two blends, but does share a lot of sweet, woodsy, and spice flavors from both. If anything, the L40 tasted similar to a more premium Undercrown on crack. The price is right where I expected it to be, and although I don’t think the L40 holds a candle to my personal favorites the no. 9 and Dirty Rat, I would openly say this is very box worthy and a great cigar to have around when you are looking for a medium/full flavor bomb in lancero format.

Pairing: The L40 is a treat of a cigar. With that in mind I wanted to make sure I did the cigar justice by pairing it with a treat of a drink. This is where one of my all time favorite beers come into play. Liefmans Goudenband. This 8% Flander’s style Bruin ale is brewed at the famous Brouwerij Liefmans in Belgium. This beer is another one that may require an acquired taste. The beer boasts of very tart cherries, tea, and tart citrus malt and caramel. It’s got a lot of flavor so you really need to make sure that you pair it with a cigar that can compliment the beer, or it will be easily overpowered. Outside of a Bruin or strong brown ale, this cigar would go great with any amber, or abbey. I hate to say it but a great pairing would probably be one of Daniel’s ports. The L40 has would compliment a port incredibly well.

The post Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Series L40 Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I have been dying to get the chance to smoke this cigar, and thanks again to the wonderful group over at smokingstogie.com, this time in particular Steve Valle, I finally have a chance to take on Drew Estate’s Liga Privada MF-13.

If you haven’t checked out smokingstogie’s site before, then I suggest you do so, NOW. Steve, Brooks, and now Patrick work hard over there bringing you some of the best reviews and photography of some of the most expensive, rare, and exclusive cigars the internet has ever seen. Alright, now onto the review!

The Good Stuff: The Liga Privada MF-13 is a new, pre-release cigar that may, or may not ever see full Liga Privada production. Drew Estate is still in discussion as to if they will release the blend to the public or not. As for now, the MF-13 is only seen when it is shared with Drew Estate’s friends, or at Drew Estate events. The MF-13 pre-release I have is in fact the final blend, not just a sample. As with all Liga Privada samples shared, Drew Estate will not alter the blend should they decide to release it. The MF-13 is a reblending using the Liga Privada T52 as a starting point. The blend has been tweaked numerous times, the initial blend being the MF-4, and now all the way up to the MF-13. One thing to note is, Steve Saka actually told me that if they were to release the MF-13 it would not be added to the T52 line, but would be a new feature in the Unicos series. The main difference between the T52 and the MF-13 is the filler recipe of the MF-13 is more Esteli Valley-centric, which makes it a much spicier, bolder smoke. The “MF” in MF-13 stands for what you think it does, but not due to the strength but rather the first thing Steve Saka said when he sampled the blend; “This is Mother F’ing Good”. Gotta love those guys.

Size: 5 x 52 Parejo  –  Wrapper: CT Grown Stalk Cut Habano – Type 52 Seed  –  Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina – Sungrown – Plantation Harvest  –  Filler: 5 fillers, all Nicaraguan.

Prelight: The Liga Privada MF-13 starts out with a very nice, orangish dark brown wrapper with a whole ton of different darker and lighter spots. This cigar is said to contain the same wrapper as the T-52, but it seems so much darker than any of the ones I have on had. I know there is color differences in all leaf and cigars are boxed by closest color, but it’s almost as dark as the No. 9! Anyways, the wrapper is very tough, very firm, and very toothy. This thing feels like a rock giving almost not resistance as I squeeze it. The construction is perfect with only mild veins running through the length of the body up to the round, double cap. The band is identical in design to the Liga Privada No.9, only it has different text. This one actually says “Pre-Release Sample Blend  – Liga Privada”. And of course, the “MF-13” markings. I really like that Drew Estate takes the time to put finishing touches on the band of even their pre-release blends now. Not just ink and paper thrown through a inkjet-printer.

The wrapper gives off a very bold, woodsy aroma. Really deep with slight hints of cherry. The foot is a bit more interesting. There is just a ton of spice coming out of there with nice little notes of chocolate, and wood. This cigar smells like a lumber yard. The cap was very easy to cut, and clipped clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is nice and loose giving off this really robust, strong tobacco and wood flavor with little hints of berry.

First Smoke: Holy Crap! The MF-13 starts off with this just ridiculous amount of pepper. Wow! After a few initial draws the pepper lets up just enough to pull out some really interesting, very strong grassy, earthy, woodsy flavors with even a tiny note of lime, and what I could only imagine weed would taste like. Of course I haven’t even tried the stuff, but the scent of it reminds me of a very small note I picked up in the beginning of this smoke. All I can say is be ready for this one. It starts off with a bang and quickly separates itself from the T-52. As I mention Saka said it was a “tweaked” version of the T-52 blend which only goes to show how much of a delicate process each blend actually is. The draw is perfect, kicking out massive clouds of thick white smoke with every puff.  The stationary smoke on this cigar, as well as any other Liga Privada blend is insane. Tons of lightly scented cedar smoke spills from the cigar while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline started slightly wavy but quickly corrected itself during the first third and is now burning dead even leaving behind a nicely compacted trail of medium grey ash which held on for a little over an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Now into the second third of this Liga Privada MF-13 and it is still the flavor bomb it started out to be. The pepper is still present, but no where near as strong as it once was. The flavor profile now consists of really deep oaky wood flavors with still a tons of earth tones, spice, and just a little bit of the black cherry I picked up in the cold draw. This cigar is strong, and I am feeling it already, but at the same time it’s smooth and really easy to smoke. Very well balanced. The retrohale is still packed with spice and I don’t find myself doing it too often at all. It’s a bit much for me with this cigar.

Finish: Into the final third of the Liga Privada MF-13 and the body is still steadily increasing in strength without losing any flavor. The final flavors in this cigar are still a very robust woodsy flavor, a bit of leather sneaked in, still holding on to the pepper and some spice, and a tiny bit of the cherry. Being that this is such a strong cigar, it is relatively easy to smoke developing no harshness at all, even into the final inch. This cigar was very hard to put down, it smoked really slow but even then only took me slightly over an hour to finish.

Overview: Before getting a chance to try the Liga Privada MF-13 for myself, Steve Valle and I had a quick conversation on how he actually liked this cigar better then the No.9. As you can imagine, this shocked the hell out of me, and going into this cigar I was a bit biased and compared it greatly to the No.9. Was it better in my opinion? No. But was I disappointed? Not in the least. Despite being based from the T52 blend the MF-13 is (if released) part of the Unicos blend for a reason. It isn’t anything like the T52 or the number 9, it stands alone. It’s kind of funny, Steve was talking to Jonathan Drew and I on twitter and actually made mention of the MF-13 being like the No.9, the T52, and the Dirty Rat all rolled into one. He nailed it. Imagine that concoction of a cigar and you have a MF-13. The cigar is VERY strong, and that alone puts it in another category. The craziest part about it was just how smooth, and relaxing the experience was for such a strong cigar. It takes a lot to get that sort of balance, and for me, that says a lot about the cigar. The MF-13 was strong yet smooth, very complex, and just an all around damn good cigar.. For SURE it’s not a cigar I would recommend for the casual or novice smoker. But if you are a seasoned cigar smoker, or a Liga Privada lover, then you may want to pick up quite a few of these, they are well worth it. I’m not certain on the price tag, but I would guess for the robusto it would be in similar Liga Privada range, $10 – $12, albeit a bit expensive for most, I think it’s a completely legit price point and would gladly pay it towards a box purchase.

Pairing: Knowing that this was a strong cigar going in, I decided to pair it with a very strong beer. The Asylum Quadruple Ale from Left Coast Brewing Company in California. Asylum is a spicy, fruity, tart strong Quadruple ale. Boasting an 11% abv, this isn’t a beer for the faint of heart. The beer paired nicely with the cedar notes from the cigar, but I found it overpowering at times, and even a bit sour. Needless to say I took my time with it as to not hinder the taste of the cigar. I think I actually only drank about a third of the bottle before finishing the cigar, then gulping down the rest. Ideally, with the deep flavors from the MF-13 one would want to pair it with a nice light stout, a porter, or a brown ale. But I’m stupid and like I often do chose power over flavor. It wasn’t the worst pairing, just wasn’t too great. If I had to pair the MF-13 with anything else I think it would go perfect with a nice glass of port, some Dr. Pepper, or some black coffee.

The post Drew Estate Liga Privada MF-13 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: The newest, un-released blend is called the Liga Privada JD#4. The Liga Privada line was originally created for the sole purpose of Steve Saka’s (Drew Estate’s President) personal enjoyment. After massive amounts of pressure from Drew Estate’s sale staff, Saka was forced to release his personal blend, the Liga Privada No.9 to the public. The Connecticut Broadleaf used on the Liga Privada No.9 is so limited, and the No.9 was in such high demand that Drew Estate was forced to come out with yet another Liga Privada blend that they could produce year round. Hence where the Stalk Cut Habano wrapped Liga Privada T52 comes into play.

I can only assume that the success of each of these blends had caused Drew Estate’s Production Director and Saka’s partner in crime Jonathan Drew to create a Liga Privada blend of his very own. Alas, the Liga Privada JD#4 was born. I’m not entirely sure where the “#4” comes from, but I can only assume it was similar to the “No.9” and is the actually blend number assigned during tasting.

The specifics of this blend are still extremely fuzzy. The only details I have is that the blend has been around for about 2 years, and Jonathan Drew has been smoking them religiously and the release date, if it ever does get released won’t but until at least sometime next year. The blend carries the same Havana Seed Connecticut grown stalk-cut wrapper as the T52 but has a completely different core with an even more ramped up body. The samples sent to me are toros, and look to be 6 x 52/54 The ring gauge seems bigger than 52 but not quite 54.

Prelight: The Liga Privada JD#4 is hefty, toro sized cigar. The wrapper is very toothy, with a consistent dark chocolaty brown mixed with a few lighter orange shades. The JD#4 is pretty much identical in it’s physical appearance as the Liga Privada T52, with what I can assume is the same stalk-cut Habano wrapper that the T52 carries.  Topped off with a nicely round double cap, the JD#4 has only one noticeable vein that I don’t foresee pestering the experience.  The wrapper feels much like a softer sand-paper with no soft spots at all or any signs of mis-construction.  The wrapper of the JD#4 gives off a massive cedar scent with hints of cinnamon, cocoa, and a very, very interesting almost cologne scent that I have never picked up from a Liga Privada cigar before. Whatever it is, it smells damn good. The foot gives off a totally different scent, one more composed of natural tobacco, and earth tones. In this case, the wrapper is the more dominant player. The cap clipped off with ease using my double bladed Liga Privada cutter. The cold draw producing a surprising organic, earthy, and musky flavor. Totally different than the cedar-heavy Liga Privada blends I am used to.

First Smoke: The Liga Privada JD#4 started out with the same power punch of pepper as I have grown to expect from the Liga Privada lines. Caught off guard yet again is the fact that the most prominent flavor is actually the cedar that I didn’t think came through much in the cold draw. Other strong notes are organic tobacco and cocoa mixed in with hints of spice, cinnamon,  and even a tiny bit of citrus off the aftertaste. The JD#4 is really starting off with a bang, if the body stays as strong as it is right now this cigar just might knock me on my ass. The draw is effortless and pumps out a massive amount of extremely thick, dark brown, cedar scented smoke as well as a crap load of stationary smoke. You can actually see the oils burning off the wrapper. I really don’t think the scent of the smoke will bother anyone that doesn’t smoke cigars, but the amount of smoke just might. The burnline is perfect, sharp, and even and the ash left behind is a medium grey, and tightly packed with only slight flakes. The ash held on for a little over an inch before tumbling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: Wow, the strength of this cigar is already starting to hit me. The best part about it though, is its very balance with the flavor, smoothness, and creamy experience of this cigar. I think there are a lot of blends out right now that are just boasting power but lack in the flavor department, luckily up till now the JD#4 isn’t a casualty of this trend. The dominant flavor is still cedar but I am starting to get a sharp raisin, cocoa and coffee mixture in there as well as strong tobacco. The retrohale primed my nasal passage with a very enjoyable bold cedar. The burnline is still rockin’ sharp and perfectly even.

Finish: Well into the final third of this Liga Privada JD#4 and the flavors had an interesting switch up. The cedar began to fade just slightly enough to product a very creamy mocha flavor backed up by raisin, leather, tobacco, and even a slight return of spice. Then, within the last inch the cedar ramped the hell up and came on full force. Usually I’m not one for the final inch of a cigar. But the JD#4 kicked ass with a completely smooth experience with no harsh build up. Well into the last inch and my fingers didn’t even get warm which I didn’t expect with a cigar with such a huge draw. The strength? Dead on. I would compare it to something like the Oliva Serie V just without all the harsh Ligero. I’m sure there is some in here, but it takes the backburner to the flavor.  After all was said and done, the JD#4 took about 2 hours to smoke.

Overview: The Liga Privada JD#4 is something quite different than the T52 and the No. 9 but still holds true to the rest of the Liga Privada line. As if the other twp blends didn’t already have enough strength the JD#4 comes in with a perfectly balanced powerhoused flavor bomb. This isn’t a beginner’s cigar. The body is too ramped up for a novice, or even an experienced medium bodied smoker. But I think it goes without saying that Drew Estate has another winner on it’s hands. I still think the No.9 trumps both the JD#4 and the T52, but the JD#4 is right up there with the T52. From what I have seen the reviews are torn between which one is favorited, and I am sure that the JD#4 will be adding another strong contender to the competition.

Pairing: I decided to pair this cigar with a cup of sweet tea. See the picture? That’s cause I didn’t post one. We all know what tea looks like. Not to mention I really don’t want to do the dishes so I drank out of a plastic cup that wasn’t very photogenic. Sweet tea is probably one of my absolute favorite pairings for a cigar. The brisk tea notes really help pick apart the tobacco while the sugar helps calm the nicotine kick produced by stronger cigars. The Liga Privada JD#4 would pair perfect with any strong whiskey or scotch, port, stout, porter, or coffee.

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These cigars were a special gift to me, and came in plenty. So Expect quite a few reviews popping up pretty fast.

Drew Estate - Liga Privada No. 9 Belicoso Oscuro

The Good Stuff: Drew Estate’s Liga Privada No. 9 or “Private League” is one of Drew Estate’s rarest cigars, if not the rarest. La Liga Privada was created for the sole purpose of Drew Estate’s President’s personal smoking pleasure. Basically the creation of these cigars stemmed from 10 starting blends. From those 10 blends 4 unique blends were expanded for a total of 40 blends. Each blend was sampled but none were approved until the 9th starting blend (32 cigars later) resulting in the “No. 9” in “Liga Privada No. 9”.  Liga Privada No. 9 consists of 7 different cuban-seed aged tobaccos from 7 different farms from 7 different regions including The Jamastran Valley in Honduras, and Esteli Nicaragua. The wrapper is a dark, Connecticut Broadleaf with a Brazilian Mata Fina binder. As all of Drew Estate’s cigars, these are handmade. It is said that only the best “cigar roller” in the factory rolls these special cigars.

Size: 6 x 52 Belicoso  –  Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf  –  Filler: Hoduran and Dominican

Prelight: Liga Privada No. 9 sports a very, very dark, oily wrapper. Another flawless constructed cigar (would you expect any less?). There are absolutely no visible soft spots and only small veins. The cap is very “torpedoesque” but a lot stubbier. The cigar itself is very tightly packed which made me question it’s draw potential. The cigar is very earthly/cedar scented. The banding has to be my favorite I have seen come out of Drew Estate. A silver lion embossed on a simple white matte band with light silver Drew Estate branding hidden behind the words “Liga Privada No. 9” – handwritten.

First Smoke: As always, I will be using my Cuban Crafters “Perfecto” dual blade cutter, and a standard single flame colibri butane torch. The first few smokes were very light, and flavorful. The taste was that of cedar, strong/complex tobacco, and sweet spices (nutmeg?),  with an almost maple aftertaste. The flavors are very consistent, and just right. After a few puffs the cigar became increasingly strong. One of the first things I noticed was there were no bad tobacco aftertaste present after each draw. The draw itself wasn’t too big, but quite thick. Due to the strength of this cigar a bigger draw would have been a bit over-powering. I got a good inch and a half of ash before the first break.

Halfway there: One amazing thing about this cigar was the consistency. Halfway through the cigar and the taste and draws are as if I had just began smoking it. The main difference is the strength. The further down you smoke, the stronger this cigar becomes. The burn is perfect as well as the wrapper at this point. The draw is still really tight, maybe a bit tighter than I’d like. By this point I am already feeling a big light headed. Its been a long while since a single cigar hit me this hard. Maybe this is why the cigar was wrapped so tight?!

Finish: Again, I took this cigar all the way down to the nub. I would have gone further but it had to hit this cigar exceptionally hard due to the tight wrapping and it began taking its toll through heat on my lips. The finish was as expected; incredibly strong. This is one of the stronger cigars I have smoked. I actually threw in the towel earlier than I wanted to due to the heat and strength. By the time the cigar finished the wrapper was still in mint condition, as well as the almost perfect burn.

Overview: I feel incredibly lucky to get my hands on one of these bad boys. Again, I am an aromatic smoker, but this is one hell of a cigar. It’s key points have to be the incredibly smooth smoke, great aftertaste, and perfect sweetness. Will I have it again? I really hope so! Would I recommend it? You’d be stupid not to pay top dollar if you can find one of these on the shelf.

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