Liga Privada Unico Papas Fritas
4 1/2 x 44 Petit Corona

Given that I poo-pooed a short filler cigar being sold at the price of a hand-rolled premium stick, I figured that now having one (from a bomb, see the thread http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=60640), I really should smoke it and review it. I must admit a bit of trepidation doing so, for I have had numerous short and/or mixed filler cigars in the past 32+ years of smoking cigars. As such, I was expecting some things to happen in the smoking of this cigar.

0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior

1) Aesthetics: A rather ugly wrapper hugs this petite corona, dark with lots of veins, but a bit oily too, that is promising. I like the pigtail cap and the band on the foot of the cigar – simple statement. I like that.

Score for aesthetics: 3.9

2) Pre-light Construction: I expected soft spots, spaces where the filler was uneven – couldn’t find them. I hefted it my hand expecting it to be a lightweight – disappointed again. I expected it to smell like a LP, robust and full of tobacco – and it did. The pigtail cap was broken off in the cellophane as I went to remove the stick, that was probably my doing. It was a bit drier than I expected, but it had just traveled from Alabama, and it had sat in my car in frigid temps for the last 4 hours.

Score for Pre-light construction: 4.6

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: WOW! No floaters (maybe because I didn’t have a whole in it big enough for floaters to… (OK, it was big enough, but floaters didn’t appear.) What is more, I have premium smokes that didn’t burn as evenly as this one did, I have had uber-premiums that didn’t burn this well. Finally, not wanting to have the ash drop on my lap, I had to coax it off at a good inch to inch and a half. I mention these three items, because these are the three things that I feared most about a short-filler cigar. It smoked cool and even all the way to the nub.

Score for post-light construction: 4.8

4a) Flavor and strength – 1st 1/3: There is a lot of smoke production for this little cigar. A touch of cedar, some pepper, burnt cocoa, and a hint of coffee and very full flavored, might even claim it was strong.

4b) Flavor and strength – 2nd 1/3: As it headed into the 2nd third, the flavors didn’t change much.

4c) Flavor and strength – Last 1/3: Nor did they change much here either.
Through it all, this was a stronger flavored cigar and mild to medium-bodied in the nic department. I did however find it rather one-dimensional. While it was a dimension that I enjoyed, the lack of complexity left me a bit disappointed. I did nub it as it was a “nice” smoke. That lack of complexity and change also left me a bit confused, “how can a short-filler cigar perform that way.” I expected it to be all over the map. Oh yeah, do not snork this bad boy, it will do a number on your nose.

Score for flavor and strength: 3.4

5) Aftertaste/Finish: This stick had a rather long finish, resting on the palate for a bit. It was rich cigar taste that was left, nothing fancy, nothing exciting, though it was a nice aftertaste.

Score for aftertaste: 3.4

6) Aroma: Fairly strong aroma, bit of burnt sweetness and pepper.

Score for aroma:3.6

7) General Comments: I don’t know that I can give an overall score for this cigar, for I only had the one. What I did find was that I must eat a bit of crow, this short-filled smoke performed like a serious premium cigar, kudos to Drew Estates for that. While the flavors were not entirely in my “WOW” section, they were very pleasant. I also haven’t had a LP that impressed me yet, they appear to want to be strong without a whole lot of nuance or complexity. I want a stick to keep me incredibly interested. Thankfully, this only lasted about 30 minutes, so I wasn’t burned out quickly on that lack of excitement. It was an enjoyable smoke.

Overall score for the cigar.

8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? As much as I regret saying it, yeah, I’d recommend this cigar. I cannot say that it is a cigar I’d buy, because I like more complexity, and I also have this prejudice in my head about spending $6.00 for a short filler cigar – even knowing that it performs like a champ.
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Thanks for the review Todd, I need to grab a tin to try :-)
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sounds good.. i tried one the other day but i had a little to much bourbon that night and couldnt really enjoy it.

thanks for the review
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A good review, I just received a tin and I'm looking forward to smoke one of those little buddy's :-)

Frans
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sounds good.
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That's a good review; I had the same thoughts about mine. It's well-constructed, burns great, but the flavor is one-dimensional with very little complexity. The one dimension is tasty, though...but I won't be buying any more of these.
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I've enjoyed every one I've smoked. It looks like you hit the nail on the head with your review. I suspect you'll eventually break down and buy a few as standbys. Especially, for a 30 minute smoke when you have no time for a larger stick, you can't beat it.
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i like em... i don't expect too many transitions in a cigar that small. one dimensional is okay by me if I like the flavor and it's not a monster.
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I'm with you. I have a hard time justifying spending that much on a short filler, but I think I will pick some up to try next time I see them.
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How long did you sit on it? I've got two resting from a tin split I did with a botl and am looking forward to bring one. Thanks for the detailed review.
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About 6 hours. :-)
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About 6 hours. :-)

I did get a couple more in the massive pummeling that I received. So, I might do an update later.
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Picked a 4 pack tin a couple of weeks ago. Getting time to burn one. Looking forward to it after all the positive comments.
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I fired one up this evening. Perfect burn, tons of smoke but the flavor didn't do it for me. Not bad at all but not my thing. For a small, quick smoke I would much rather have a La Riqueza #5, Esencia PC, Short Story or Don Carlos #4.
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Wow Rev, this was really nice reading. I like your scoring system.
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Not my system, that was the system used by SMOKE magazine when I was a reviewer for them back in 1999.

Glad you liked the review. Every once in a while I can put a phrase together and make it read decent.

Thanks for your kind words.
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Ever thought of writing a book? You know I'm in the book publishing biz.
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Do not have much for a book. Sorry!
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Well start smoking more, Rev :-)
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Pretty much sums up the one I had today. It was my first and I was pretty impressed(not by the price though, I paid $31 for a tin)
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