Cigar Social Network

Liga Privada Undercrown 5 x 54 Robusto

Ah, Drew Estate. The first thing that pops into most people’s minds is flavored cigars. Of course, they’re actually infused as opposed to flavored, but are extremely popular and although not my cup of tea, there’s certainly a niche for such cigars.

More traditional smokers will recall the hubbub that a non-infused Drew Estate cigar caused. It was the Liga Privada #9, originally rolled for the smoking pleasure of Steve Saka. Word got out and the LP9 became a HUGE hit and was followed up with the Liga Privada T52.

Unfortunately, both the LP9s and T52s are as hard to find as hen’s teeth and are backordered through most retailers.

Fortunately for us, there’s yet another blend wearing the Liga Privada name, the Undercrown. Today’s smoke is a heavy, firmly packed 5 x 54 robusto. The wrapper is a dark and oily San Andreas maduro with a few small veins and is seamlessly rolled.

The pre-light smells remind me of fresh-baked bread with a hint of spice.
As soon as I lit it up, the flavors spewed forth and engulfed my palate with coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and a hint of toffee-coated peanuts.

The burn is straightforward and each draw is lush and full producing a huge volume of smoke.
The strength is billed as medium, but at about the halfway point, it kicks open the door marked full and stays there until the nub.
The burn got a tad wonky at one point but eventually straightened itself without any touchups.

Retailing for around $7 a stick, the frugal smoker can find it for less (I paid $24 for a fiver).

Is it a suitable replacement for the LP9? Not really, but if you smoke it and judge it by its own merits you’ll find it a tasty, complex, and welcome addition to your humidor.

Promote

0 members promoted this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ciro "The Jersey F%$K"™ on December 10, 2011 at 11:28am

Thanks for write up Steve. My local B&M just stocked their shelves with them I need to stop by and grab one.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Arturo on December 10, 2011 at 12:41pm

My friend, dogs2bird1, gave me a churchill of these the other day, and warned me that they are dogrockets [I guess he had smoked thru a couple of fivers of them]. Since I was traveling yesterday, I decided to light it up. It was VERY smoky and burned unevenly through the first half, but it was also a slow-burning cigar, and it lasted nearly 100 miles at 55-60 mph on country roads. I'd call it more of a full medium but do not think I'll be running out to buy any, as it just did not taste all that special to me [not a $7-$8 cigar, for sure]. I could not detect the scents and flavors that Steve found, but then, I just smoke my cigars and try to enjoy them.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Deadwood Diva aka Vaughn Boyd on December 10, 2011 at 3:44pm

i have all of them at deadwoodtobacco.com. Liga9, T52, Undercrown, UZI, plus all the regular Drew stuff including my very own cigar from them....Sweet Jane