Or, to give the cigar's full name: Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Serie Papas Fritas
Size: short corona (4.5 x 44)
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: maduro
Price: $6-$7 in a tin of 4
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These come in one size only, in tins of 4. They're made from scraps of other cigars in the Liga Privada Unico line. This one has been resting since last August. It has a wonderful prelight aroma – heavy chocolate and cedar; cold draw is all chocolate. Nice pigtail cap.
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Tons of smoke right off the bat. Pepper blast on the tongue combined with something savory, almost salty. Lots of chocolate, like an artisan dark chocolate bar with red chili flakes. Minerals and earth on the retrohale. A little bitterness, but only for a minute. Really smooth otherwise. Some spice but not as much as I expected.
Just noticed the streaky, splotchy appearance of the wrapper. Since these are made with imperfect LP offcuts, I’m assuming this is just naturally uneven color rather than dye. Even it is dye, it's damn tasty dye!
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About 1/3 in and the pepper has pretty much faded. Already feeling some nic strength which is rare in such a small smoke. I'm glad it's small, though - any larger I’d still be tempted to finish it and might not be feeling too well afterwards (some of you may recall my little episode with a Padron 1964 Diplomatico a while back).
Tons of billowy, full-bodied smoke, which I really like. Oops – knocked the ash off after about an inch. Perfect draw and even burn. The cigar is staying lit perfectly – not a hint of having to relight so far, which is great because I smoke pretty slowly. I’d never guess this was a mixed filler smoke. Why can't other companies make high quality sticks out of their offcuts like this, instead of junk like Curly Heads? What happens to all those bits of Anejos and Diamond Crowns?
But I digress.... About halfway and it’s getting really woody – the wood is totally dominating now. And I mean no more chocolate, pepper, earth.... nothing but wood. Nice that it transitions, but hope it does again because this woodiness gets boring to me.
And like magic, boom! My wish is this cigar's command. That chocolate is back with a vengeance, though a little more bitter now, like unsweetened pure powdered cacao. In general, it’s returned to the flavors it had at the beginning, but in a fuller more intense way. Not very complex, but rich and hearty. Like one of those melting chocolate volcano deserts.
At the 2/3 mark there’s a dryness and bitterness creeping in. Probably unavoidable in such a small smoke Otherwise it stays pretty much the same to the end.
This is only the third DE cigar I’ve smoked. The first was an Undercrown, the second an LP9, and I actually prefer this one. The flavors are more concentrated, more refined somehow, and I like the vitola.
Though I fully enjoyed this cigar and am totally impressed with just about every aspect of it, it's not a flavor profile or overall experience I normally gravitate to, or most enjoy in a cigar. I’m still learning and narrowing down, but would say I'm usually more wowed by the Fuente, Ashton, and Davidoff types. This is great change of pace when I want something strong, dark, chocolatey and Nicaraguan, and I would definitely smoke it again. Not sure I'd pay $6-$7 for one on a regular basis, and personal taste means I'd likely reach for a Short Story more often when I want a small but satisfying cigar. If you’re a fan of the larger LP line or the UC, you will almost certainly love this.
