AND THIS IS WHY I SMOKE CIGARS

The Liga Privada #9

Most of you know that the Liga Privada #9 was specially made for the president of Drew Estates Steven Saka. Liga Privada means private blend.

 The cigar is blended and aged to perfection because why would the president of a major cigar maker want anything less. As anyone who has read my blog knows I am a big fan of the Undercrown. The Undercrown is still my favorite under $10 cigar. I however had the opportunity to grab a couple of these #9's at a Drew Estates event with some throw in freebies to bring the cost into my budget. The Liga Privada #9 is a gorgeous cigar with a dark  wrapper. The complex blend of seven different tobaccos wrapped in a deep dark oily maduro wrapper makes for a complex yet smooth smoking experience. This cigar fits right in my taste profile of the medium to full body smoke. 

The #9 was on my list of cigars that are a must have and I actually was chasing these down for a while, and then when I joined CRA one of the 2 cigars they sent was a corona #9. I am saving this one for now and besides I am a Robusto guy. I had a weird week with some ups and downs and I wanted to treat myself. This was my first Liga Privada and the picture might give you an idea of how special it is. That hat is from MLB the night that the Red Sox won their very first AL Wildcard, Oil Can Boyd pitched a great game and I was with some of the boys in Red Sox management, and Rob told me to stay late after the game, I did and was rewarded with the after party with the players and their families in the Diamond room at Fenway Park. I was given that hat by a representative of MLB along with the T-shirt. Ok ramble over back to the cigar.




The weather was really cool, we finally got some badly needed rain, and it was thunder and lightning for several hours. The storm moved out of the immediate area and I headed for the porch with my Kindle, my torch, my cutter, and the Liga Privada #9. I go through my pre-light ritual, the cigar smells very flavorful, the foot a deep coffee, chocolate flavor, and the cold draw was spicy. The spiciness of the cold draw made me think we are going to be starting off on the pepper trail, but it never was the predominate texture anywhere in the cigar. The #9 was rolled very tight and the denseness made me apprehensive that I was going to have to work hard to get the amount of smoke I like. Nope not at all, single pull puff brought just the right amount of scrumptious, billowing smoke.

As you can see the ash was really nice and tight, the burn was very even, though I had one small curve partially through the cigar, it corrected itself. The flavors I smelled coffee, then chocolate, then leather, wonderful tabacco came through while smoking this one. The best part is they are very smooth and constantly changing throughout the cigar. There is no harshness, no bite to this cigar at all even though  it is a very complex cigar.

The ash on this cigar without me trying lasted to just about the halfway point. this cigar is so good I don't want to put it down. I keep sliding the band closer and closer to the edge. This cigar is proof of why you don't just smoke it to the band, there was at least 10 minutes of enjoyment left. In fact i took the band off and if i had some tools from my misspent youth I might have used them on this cigar.

If this is your first time here, I will explain that I don't do numbers because as The Newbie, I am not qualified to do numbers. I do know what I like and I am not afraid to give my honest opinion though. Are these Box worthy. Absolutely. Will I buy a box? No they are out of my regular price range. I always try to make sure I stay under $10 and that's on the high side. I do have 4 more of these stored away and I will save them for special occasions or a bad week pick me up. I was able to keep these under the $10 mark because of the freebies I got. So Is it worth going to an event even if it is a small one? Yes, because of the freebies you can get a greater value for your dollar, and if I hadn't gone to the Drew Estate event @ TNT Tobacco I would not have found these, and met some great people like Greg and Mike the 2 brothers that own TNT.  


I loved the # 9 in fact I think it is the best cigar I have ever smoked, and am looking forward to the T52 I have hidden away deep in humidor #3. Now I haven't ever had an Opus X or a God of Fire, Or the Davidoff #3 anniversary I have hidden in with the T52, but so far the #9 is my top ever.

The Newbie