Release Date: March 2021
Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
There are a couple of things about the Liga Privada Único Serie Year of the Ox that catch my attention: the gold foil is the first and most obvious, though easily the least worthy of discussion beyond its crinkly texture. The purple and gold foot band is the next on my list; the purple feels new for a Liga Privada release, and the gold used differs just enough from the foil to be noticeable. Finally, the script on the primary band also feels just a bit different from other Liga Privada releases that it makes me wonder about the font selection. After spending a bit processing those things, I assess how to remove the trio. They would seemingly slide off neatly as one unit on the first cigar, though I need the primary band left on for photos. The second sample is much harder to remove, so I start by removing the foot band, then sliding off the foil with the upper band. Once that’s done, I see that the Year of the Ox ha
Share Share
If you’re one to smoke an infused cigar by Drew Estate, a coffee-flavored NUB or any other flavored cigar or cigarillo, your days of enjoying cigars like this might be numbered. Today, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced a plan to ban all flavored cigars. That ban is part of a larger effort to ban menthol flavoring in cigarettes, the last permissible flavor since all other flavors of cigarettes were banned in 2009.
According to the FDA, the ban on flavored cigarettes inadvertently lead to increased use of flavored cigars. “After the 2009 statutory ban on flavors in cigarettes other than menthol, use of flavored cigars increased dramatically, suggesting that the public health goals of the flavored cigarette ban may have been undermined by continued availability of these flavored cigars,” said the FDA, via a press release issued today.
Release Date: September 2020
Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
From a physical standpoint, the Pancetta is noticeably diminutive when held in my hand while also being a bit lighter than I expected. It is covered in a dark espresso brown wrapper that is covered in prominent veins and looks like it was dipped in a vat of oil just before being packaged up. The aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of rich espresso beans, cocoa nibs, earth, leather, prunes, cedar and rich raisins while the cold draw brings flavors of strong, dry hay, barnyard, leather, earth, salted peanut shells, cedar and raisin sweetness.
Release Date: November 2017
Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1
Thinking I may have stepped into
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, I stare at this rather small cigar for a few more moments than normal. Everything has been shrunk down band included yet it still reminds me of the bigger Liga Privada vitolas. The wrapper leaf is a mottled, earthy brown, with coloration that makes the seams visible. Even smaller veins seem to stand out on this size given the lack of visual of real estate for them to hide. The cap seems a bit oversized, looking like a hastily placed toupee, and leading me to wonder if a hole punch might have produced a slightly cleaner cut. The cigar has some give to it, probably more than I’ve felt from any cigar recently, though given the small ring gauge I’m not overly concerned. There isn’t a lot of aroma offered by the foot; a bit of earthiness, some dry tobacco, and maybe a suggestion at barnyard. The cold draw is pretty spot on with air flow while being lighter
Liga Privada 10 Year Aniversario A Savage Feast Coming to Select Events
During the February 24 edition of Drew Estate’s “Sticks & Sips” show on Facebook, the company announced the upcoming release of the Liga Privada 10 Year Aniversario A Savage Feast, a new event-only cigar that is scheduled to debut in May.
The cigar uses the company’s Feral Flying Pig vitola, a 5 3/8 x 60 perfecto, and will only be available as a sales incentive at Drew Estate events that Jonathan Drew attends. The cigar comes packaged in a two-count coffin alongside a Liga Privada 10 Year Aniversario flying pig cigar rest.
The blend remains the same as the Liga Privada 10 Year Aniversario, which uses a hybrid Connecticut-grown criollo wrapper, a Mexican San Andrés Otapan Negro Último Corte binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania, the latter a Green River One Sucker ligero.