JC Newman

April 29, 2012

Liga Privada no. 9 Robusto (5x52)






Video review HERE.



Liga Privada No. 9 cigars were originally created for the sole smoking pleasure of Drew Estate president Steve Saka. Exquisitely blended from 7 different tobaccos from 7 different farms, it is handcrafted only by the factory's absolute best torcedors. Each cigar is flawless in construction, flavor and character. Liga Privada means "private blend".




Brands: Liga Privada No. 9
Cigar Shape: Robusto
Cigar Length: 5"
Origin: Nicaragua
Cigar Ring Gauge: 52
Strength: Full
Wrapper Color: Maduro
Single Packaging: None
Rolling Type: Handmade
Cigar Manufacturer: Drew Estate
Cigar Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Cigar Binder: Brazil
Cigar Filler: Honduras, Dominican Republic



I have seen these cigars described as having an oscuro wrapper and maduro wrapper but I'm not sure which is correct but I'm going with maduro. The cigar is beautiful. Wonderfully made and very dense.




 The wrapper is oily and shiny. I cut just a small portion of the cap and gave it a test draw. The test draw was almost effortless. Without taking a draw I could feel the pepper on my tongue. The first flavors were deep coffee notes and roasted almond, which I don't expect to last.





About 1/4 inch in the ash dropped off. That was a little unexpected. The flavors settled down into a peppery, dark chocolate, grapefruit citrus, and cedar. The dark chocolate is giving the cigar sweetness. The cigar appears to be full bodied. The finish is a nice creamy semi-sweet vanilla with some lingering pepper. The cigar is burning perfectly.



About 1/4 inch further the grapefruit citrus and cedar are becoming rich. This cigar produces a lot of smoke also. The finish is also richer. That is a nice change.



Another 1/4 inch and another change. The grapefruit citrus has toned down some and vanilla has been added.





About 2 inches in the cigar flavors have changed again. They are now dark espresso coffee, grapefruit citrus and cedar which are very rich and sweet, and a ton of pepper. The finish is a custard like vanilla with rich sweet notes with lingering pepper. The cigar continues to burn perfectly.





As I approach the band the flavors continue on course. The pepper is lingering even more so on the finish.





With about 1 1/2 inches left the richness has decreased. The coffee notes are much more pronounced as well as the cedar notes. The grapefruit citrus has decreased to a secondary role. The pepper remains very good. The finish has gone back to a creamy vanilla and not as custard like. The pepper remains lingering nicely, however.





At the end of the cigar it wound up quite nicely. I label this a complex cigar. For those of you who like heavy, full bodied cigars you must try this one. They are hard to find. Many online stores  have them on back order so you may have better luck finding them at a local shop. The flavors of the cigar are consistent with the last report. Very good cigar.



Score: 93

1 comment:

Eric Scism said...

Great review of a great cigar! I agree, it's completely full bodied smoke. Incredibly difficult to find, if you ever come across them be ready to drop some cash, but they are totally worth it!