BrandonP
Cigar King Scottsdale
This is the review I posted over at the Cigar King Blog.
Liga Privada has been one of the most talked about cigars on the market since the boys at Drew Estate released it in 2007. From the regular lines of Liga Privada T52 and No.9 to the Unico series releases, it is one of the most requested cigars here at Cigar King. And soon, a new Unico series will be hitting the shelves here at Cigar King. Named after Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka’s favorite food, french fries, Liga Privada Papas Fritas is a small cigar, 4 ½ by 44, that comes packaged in tins of 4. What makes it truly unique is that it is a “sandwich” style cigar, meaning they use trimmings from the T52 and No.9 blends to create this cigar. When they trim the excess tobacco from the ends of the finished T52 and No.9, they collect this “scrap” tobacco, re-sort it by color and density, and use the tobacco to blend the Liga Privada Papas Fritas.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
Size: 4 ½ x 44
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: No.9 2nd Cuts
Strength: Medium-plus
Flavor: Full
Cost: $24 per tin of 4
Appearance: The first thing I noticed about this cigar was the pigtail cap on this new Liga Privada Papas Fritas. What’s nice about the pig tail is you can just tear it off and smoke, no need for a cutter. The wrapper is as dark as any No.9 I have seen with a nice oily sheen. There were no major veins in either of the cigars I smoked for this review and no major soft or hard spots.
Pre-light Aroma: The cigar had a wonderful pre-light smell, presenting notes of coffee, light cocoa, and a small bit of spice. The spice was more evident in the foot which also had a light grassy/hay scent. The pre-light draw had more spice evident on the palette but the cocoa and coffee was very much there.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
I will note I opted to tear the pigtail on the first cigar and clipped the 2nd one. The reason I clipped the 2nd one was to see if there would be bits of tobacco coming from the head which is common in a short filler cigar. I got no bits of tobacco in either of the sticks and out of the 9 sticks smoked amongst the staff only 1 had any bits of tobacco and it was a very small amount.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
The cigar lit effortlessly with my soft flame lighter and the spice and cocoa were there right off the bat. Like every other Liga Privada we have smoked, the Papas Fritas had thick clouds of smoke both on the draw and while sitting in the ashtray. The draw was very easy for everyone and we all tasted the typical No.9 notes of cocoa and coffee. The spice was more evident through the nose with a nice leathery flavor as well. Everyone was quite impressed with the complexity of flavors coming from this little stick as you can tell that Drew Estate went to great lengths to make sure this stood up to the high standards set by all of the previous Liga Privada products.
One common characteristic of other short filled cigars is a flaky ash that drops easily. We were all able to keep an ash for ¾ to 1 inch without it falling off and none of us had any issues with ash flaking into our laps. We all finished within 5 minutes of each other, with the final smoking time averaging 38 minutes.
Overall, this was a very good showing from Drew Estate and definitely worthy of the Liga Privada Unico Series title. Had we not known the Liga Privada Papas Fritas was a short filler prior to smoking them, none of us would have guessed it. For the price, this is definitely a winner for any Liga Privada fan or someone looking for a quick smoke when time constraints are a problem.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
-Josh “Champagne taste on a beer budget… That sums this little guy up for me.”
-Joe “I’ve smoked plenty of cigars looking for a Dirty Rat fill in. Liga Privada Papas Fritas is the only thing that comes close.”
-Gary “Best new cigar debuted at IPCPR 2012. Having smoked dozens of new sticks at the show, this little powerhouse shined!”
-Kole: “Comparable to the No.9 in flavor and strength. Excellent smooth smoke.”
Liga Privada has been one of the most talked about cigars on the market since the boys at Drew Estate released it in 2007. From the regular lines of Liga Privada T52 and No.9 to the Unico series releases, it is one of the most requested cigars here at Cigar King. And soon, a new Unico series will be hitting the shelves here at Cigar King. Named after Drew Estate CEO Steve Saka’s favorite food, french fries, Liga Privada Papas Fritas is a small cigar, 4 ½ by 44, that comes packaged in tins of 4. What makes it truly unique is that it is a “sandwich” style cigar, meaning they use trimmings from the T52 and No.9 blends to create this cigar. When they trim the excess tobacco from the ends of the finished T52 and No.9, they collect this “scrap” tobacco, re-sort it by color and density, and use the tobacco to blend the Liga Privada Papas Fritas.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
Size: 4 ½ x 44
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: No.9 2nd Cuts
Strength: Medium-plus
Flavor: Full
Cost: $24 per tin of 4
Appearance: The first thing I noticed about this cigar was the pigtail cap on this new Liga Privada Papas Fritas. What’s nice about the pig tail is you can just tear it off and smoke, no need for a cutter. The wrapper is as dark as any No.9 I have seen with a nice oily sheen. There were no major veins in either of the cigars I smoked for this review and no major soft or hard spots.
Pre-light Aroma: The cigar had a wonderful pre-light smell, presenting notes of coffee, light cocoa, and a small bit of spice. The spice was more evident in the foot which also had a light grassy/hay scent. The pre-light draw had more spice evident on the palette but the cocoa and coffee was very much there.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
I will note I opted to tear the pigtail on the first cigar and clipped the 2nd one. The reason I clipped the 2nd one was to see if there would be bits of tobacco coming from the head which is common in a short filler cigar. I got no bits of tobacco in either of the sticks and out of the 9 sticks smoked amongst the staff only 1 had any bits of tobacco and it was a very small amount.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
The cigar lit effortlessly with my soft flame lighter and the spice and cocoa were there right off the bat. Like every other Liga Privada we have smoked, the Papas Fritas had thick clouds of smoke both on the draw and while sitting in the ashtray. The draw was very easy for everyone and we all tasted the typical No.9 notes of cocoa and coffee. The spice was more evident through the nose with a nice leathery flavor as well. Everyone was quite impressed with the complexity of flavors coming from this little stick as you can tell that Drew Estate went to great lengths to make sure this stood up to the high standards set by all of the previous Liga Privada products.
One common characteristic of other short filled cigars is a flaky ash that drops easily. We were all able to keep an ash for ¾ to 1 inch without it falling off and none of us had any issues with ash flaking into our laps. We all finished within 5 minutes of each other, with the final smoking time averaging 38 minutes.
Overall, this was a very good showing from Drew Estate and definitely worthy of the Liga Privada Unico Series title. Had we not known the Liga Privada Papas Fritas was a short filler prior to smoking them, none of us would have guessed it. For the price, this is definitely a winner for any Liga Privada fan or someone looking for a quick smoke when time constraints are a problem.
Liga Privada Papas Fritas Unico
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
-Josh “Champagne taste on a beer budget… That sums this little guy up for me.”
-Joe “I’ve smoked plenty of cigars looking for a Dirty Rat fill in. Liga Privada Papas Fritas is the only thing that comes close.”
-Gary “Best new cigar debuted at IPCPR 2012. Having smoked dozens of new sticks at the show, this little powerhouse shined!”
-Kole: “Comparable to the No.9 in flavor and strength. Excellent smooth smoke.”
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