Liga Privada Dirty Rat

Origin : NicaraguaDrew Estate
Format : Corona
Size : 5 x 44
Wrapper : Connecticut Sun-grown Habano
Filler : Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan
Binder : Brazilian Mata Fina
Hand-Made
Price : $12 each

This review can be seen @ http://www.cigarinspector.com

Please welcome Aaron, our newest reviewer! He begins with a review of the delicious Liga Privada "Dirty Rat". Enjoy!

Down here in Texas, we have been getting very unusual, very cold weather. Hanging around Dallas for pre-Super Bowl activities, I needed a cigar to warm my soul and get me through the wintery blues. No better cigar to do the trick than the Liga Privada Unico Serie Dirty Rat. Its unique blend of tobaccos was combined to produce a spicier, fuller bodied cigar that packs more of a punch than their regular T-52 line. Though technically not a limited release, the Dirty Rat will be distributed as a small batch cigar to fit demand. This particular stick was one of several I smoked prior to the Super Bowl and had purchased at a local B&M in Arlington.

The Dirty Rat has been a very controversial cigar for a lot of cigar devotees; opinions appear to be very polarized. Some think the cigar tastes much like its name, but I am one of those that completely differs. This cigar may just be too bold for many, because it definitely packs a wallop! Not a cigar I could smoke regularly, I would leave this to special occasions and for a change of pace from other sticks. I am confident in saying that this could be one of the best cigars I’ve smoked in the last two years.

Appearance : ★★★☆☆
The Dirty Rat is definitely not the prettiest cigar in the humidor. It has a very thick, dark mahogany wrapper with medium sized veins throughout (some had no veins), which is very rough to the touch. I kind of think of the cigar feeling like dinosaur skin! The cigar is heavy which is probably due to packing so many different tobaccos into a 5x44 package. It has a clean cap with a pigtail that isn’t twisted up entirely. This one won’t be winning any beauty contests.

Construction : ★★★★½
Besides its looks, the construction is top notch. The cigar is packed pretty tight with tobacco. No loose leaves and the sides of the cigar are smooth and straight. No bumps or lumps on this one. The cap is flawless with its unique tail. Just took a half star away due to the cigar not being the prettiest thing out there.

Liga Privada Dirty Rat

Flavor : ★★★★★
Wow!!! That’s all I can say about the flavor of this cigar. I’m more about the flavors than anything else, and this is a winner in my book. This was a bold and in-your-face type cigar. Not for the faint of heart, this stick packs some power. The nicotine will hit you hard if you are not used to smoking regularly; would not recommend this one for novices. Upon initial light, the “gar” tasted oaky and after a few more puffs had hints of citrus and dried raisins. The dried raisins reminded me of fine cognac or brandy, which I might add would be a good pairing with this cigar. An abundance of coffee bean notes ended the first third and the second third was dominated by dark chocolate notes. The last third continued the previous flavors, and an underlying spiciness seems to be felt throughout the entire stick. Many flavors seem to characterize the Dirty Rat which easily gets my highest score.

Value : ★★☆☆☆
$12 for a small corona sized cigar is not something I would call a value. But it’s not like I would be smoking these everyday neither. So it can be understood why they could charge this amount for this cigar. I could say the flavors matched the price tag, but I don’t see myself buying a box of these due to the retail value.

Overall Rating : ★★★★½
The only thing taking away from this cigar is its limited availability and price tag. But if this cigar sold for anything less than $12, I think it would be even harder to get a hold of due to it selling out so quickly as it has already done at its current price. There is nothing lacking in the flavor department though, because the Dirty Rat is as complex as they come. So if you got the dough to spend and you can find these online or at your local B&M, it would be a sin to pass this one up. Hopefully Jonathan Drew will put out more of these soon. Time will tell…
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Nice review
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FYI - there is no Dominican tobacco in the Dirty Rat.
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Love the smoke. Won't buy one though, way too expensive for what you get.
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Your right, I got some misinformation from a third party.
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It's an error that's been out there for years. Somehow, years ago, the LP9 filler blend was once erroneously listed as having DR tobacco in it, and that info got picked up and republished everywhere and just seems to keep perpetuating itself with every LP cigar.
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Is it just me, or do some of the Drew Estate sticks warrant a price not deserving of the quality of smoke.....hit or miss so to speak?
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Smoke what you like, like what you smoke, because to everyone else, it's just dirty air.
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word!
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I think this is the best NC hands down.
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Great review. :-)

I LOVE these smokes, but they are definitely a bit steep. I'll keep a few on hand, but they are not something I could afford smoking all the time.
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Great review, thanks brother
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I smoked 1 of 2 that I was gifted and absolutely loved it. Nice review brother
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I have to agree. I found it very complex and it kept my interest to the end.
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Smoked one Sunday. Very good. Little loose on the draw though, almost like it had a small straw right down the middle of it. Also overly strong, which didn't bother me until afterwords (not used to NC strength). I'd put it up there with the OR El Triunfador with my favorite NCs, although I'm no expert.
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Great review, had my first last night at the weekly "Tidewater Chapter of the VCM Bailey's/Shed Herf" :-)

Your flavor profile is spot on, Aaron. I really enjoyed this, but didn't feel it was that strong--perhaps because I had just finished a big ol' burger + fries. :-)
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