I recently took 3rd in the BOTL basball league and as part of my winnings @joe45 was gracious enough to send me a solid sixer that included a T52 Pig in it. These might still place in my top 5 cigars ever. They were excellent sticks at their peak and I loved the smoking experience they provided every time. I haven't had one in about 2 years as I smoked through or sold all of mine so I'm both interested and hesitant to know how this smokes.
As I hold the T52 in my hand and examine it its basically everything I remember, milk chocolate in color, with a wrapper that is extremely toothy and has a decent amount of veins as well. The size is still very unique and the pig tail is as awesome as ever. This is cigar art. The label, which was once white has now yellowed considerably due to age. It smells amazing and hints at the chocolately goodness that I hope is still waiting within.
I cut and light it and get right into it. The initial puffs are very woody with some earth flavors, not what I remember at all, as the spice and chocolate are gone to start with. Age has changed this considerably but the flavors are still strong and while different they are good and I am interested to see how the rest of the stick develops. Another interesting thing to note is that while I remember these being hard to get going through the first half inch or so this a very open draw and the smoke is already flowing freely and has tons of smoke production. It also has that classic Liga smokestack feel when you let it rest. The resting smoke is better than how some sticks I've had this month draw. I haven't lit a Liga outside an L40 in over a year and I forgot how impressive this aspect of top game Liga can be.
As I proceed through the remainder of the first third, some spice will appear here and there but its much more muted then it used to be and the main flavors are still wood and earth based with some creaminess coming in and out as well. Not too shabby but certainly not worth the $40 market value I've seen them command lately either.
As I move into the second third, the flavors remain basically the same with occasional bitter puff coming through and the occasional puff where the flavors are so muted it doesn't have much flavor at all. And just in case you're wondering, the bitterness has nothing to do with my smoking speed as I am taking the time to ensure I keep this going at a nice leisurely pace. To kill off those bitter moments I decide to head inside and pour myself a beer. But not just any beer, I pour a delicious Alaskan Amber. I also take a leak and when I come back out the cigar is no longer fuming like a 5 alarm blaze, but a quick tap of the ash and deep puff and its roaring back to life with the strength of a thousand suns. Close to the end of the second third it just goes out unexpectedly. A quick re-light and its good to go again.
As the final third begins the flavors are much the same but I haven't taken a puff that is flavorless in a while, thankfully. There is still the occasional bitter puff but that is occurring much less often now. Still lots of woody flavors with a bit of a toast type flavor as well with a bit of cream here and there. Some spice, but nothing peppery more like a nutmeg kind of thing. None of that chocolate which I remember and loved unfortunately though. It has burned a little hotter since the re-light but it hasn't affected the flavors. I have neglected to mention this in the review but the burn line has been pretty fantastic throughtout. Not much waviness and no canoeing or anything like that. Not sooner do I write that and its out again and starting to canoe. After burning wonderfully for most of the cigar its starting to get finicky here toward the end. Another relight, the third, has really affected the profile and the bitterness is through the roof, which is not completely unexpected. If this were a lesser cigar I would simply let it die but I'm determined to get through to end and try to have it calm down and regain the profile before the relights, but that is just not going to happen and I can't let it sit long enough or it will go out and I can't keep smoking it as it will taste like shit. With a little less than an inch to go I pitch it.
Grading
Appearance and Prelight Aroma: 20/20
Construction: 20/20
Burning properties: 15/20
Flavor: 25/40
Overall: 80
Final Thoughts: When I lit up I thought to myself how many Liga collectors must think its sacrilege to turn something this rare into ash. But fuck that, cigars are meant to be smoked, not collected. I do believe that these are more of a showpiece for your collection at this point than it is a great stick. This was harder for me to grade out in the flavor deparment then the usual sticks I smoke. I had to remind myself that I couldn't hold it to the lofty status of the cigar it once was when I loved it so much, I had to simply grade on what was there now. I will say that I don't think these have much left in them and if you ever want to light one up do it soon or it may not be worth it anymore.
As I hold the T52 in my hand and examine it its basically everything I remember, milk chocolate in color, with a wrapper that is extremely toothy and has a decent amount of veins as well. The size is still very unique and the pig tail is as awesome as ever. This is cigar art. The label, which was once white has now yellowed considerably due to age. It smells amazing and hints at the chocolately goodness that I hope is still waiting within.
I cut and light it and get right into it. The initial puffs are very woody with some earth flavors, not what I remember at all, as the spice and chocolate are gone to start with. Age has changed this considerably but the flavors are still strong and while different they are good and I am interested to see how the rest of the stick develops. Another interesting thing to note is that while I remember these being hard to get going through the first half inch or so this a very open draw and the smoke is already flowing freely and has tons of smoke production. It also has that classic Liga smokestack feel when you let it rest. The resting smoke is better than how some sticks I've had this month draw. I haven't lit a Liga outside an L40 in over a year and I forgot how impressive this aspect of top game Liga can be.
As I proceed through the remainder of the first third, some spice will appear here and there but its much more muted then it used to be and the main flavors are still wood and earth based with some creaminess coming in and out as well. Not too shabby but certainly not worth the $40 market value I've seen them command lately either.
As I move into the second third, the flavors remain basically the same with occasional bitter puff coming through and the occasional puff where the flavors are so muted it doesn't have much flavor at all. And just in case you're wondering, the bitterness has nothing to do with my smoking speed as I am taking the time to ensure I keep this going at a nice leisurely pace. To kill off those bitter moments I decide to head inside and pour myself a beer. But not just any beer, I pour a delicious Alaskan Amber. I also take a leak and when I come back out the cigar is no longer fuming like a 5 alarm blaze, but a quick tap of the ash and deep puff and its roaring back to life with the strength of a thousand suns. Close to the end of the second third it just goes out unexpectedly. A quick re-light and its good to go again.
As the final third begins the flavors are much the same but I haven't taken a puff that is flavorless in a while, thankfully. There is still the occasional bitter puff but that is occurring much less often now. Still lots of woody flavors with a bit of a toast type flavor as well with a bit of cream here and there. Some spice, but nothing peppery more like a nutmeg kind of thing. None of that chocolate which I remember and loved unfortunately though. It has burned a little hotter since the re-light but it hasn't affected the flavors. I have neglected to mention this in the review but the burn line has been pretty fantastic throughtout. Not much waviness and no canoeing or anything like that. Not sooner do I write that and its out again and starting to canoe. After burning wonderfully for most of the cigar its starting to get finicky here toward the end. Another relight, the third, has really affected the profile and the bitterness is through the roof, which is not completely unexpected. If this were a lesser cigar I would simply let it die but I'm determined to get through to end and try to have it calm down and regain the profile before the relights, but that is just not going to happen and I can't let it sit long enough or it will go out and I can't keep smoking it as it will taste like shit. With a little less than an inch to go I pitch it.
Grading
Appearance and Prelight Aroma: 20/20
Construction: 20/20
Burning properties: 15/20
Flavor: 25/40
Overall: 80
Final Thoughts: When I lit up I thought to myself how many Liga collectors must think its sacrilege to turn something this rare into ash. But fuck that, cigars are meant to be smoked, not collected. I do believe that these are more of a showpiece for your collection at this point than it is a great stick. This was harder for me to grade out in the flavor deparment then the usual sticks I smoke. I had to remind myself that I couldn't hold it to the lofty status of the cigar it once was when I loved it so much, I had to simply grade on what was there now. I will say that I don't think these have much left in them and if you ever want to light one up do it soon or it may not be worth it anymore.
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