Liga Privada T52 Construction Issues

[speeddemon11L]

I just got done smoking my first Liga Privada T52 Toro. Before I go into detail here, I'd like to explain that when I smoke any cigar, it doesn't matter what it is, I forget about the hype, or how much it cost or any of the ratings. It's just a plain stick in my hand.

Pre-light, everything was exactly what I had hoped for. A dark, oily, toothy wrapper. The construction was absolutely solid and it had a great aroma. I was starting to get excited at this point! It takes the cut like a champ and I go for a pre-light draw and ......... nothing. It's not completely plugged, but it is VERY stiff and I get very little flavor. Just a bit of spice and tobacco.

I go ahead and toast/light to get things going. Smoke is absolutely rolling off of the foot. This thing is going like a chimney in the winter! I put up with the excessive draw just hoping that it would get to a point and loosen up. Well, it never does and I put it down with two inches to go.

During the entire cigar I tasted next to nothing. I was able to draw a decent amount of smoke and I did get two or three small pangs of spice and a couple of times I was surprised with a raisin-like flavor. All in all though, it was relatively flavorless and absolutely disappointing. Especially after reading all of the reviews of how this is supposed to be a flavor bomb of everything I love in a cigar.

So after all of that, here come the questions as this is the first time I've come across a draw issue like this...

Is the tight draw a common issue with the Liga Privada's?

Does a tight draw in any cigar typically dampen the flavor to the point of being non-existent?

 

[danthebugman]

Is the tight draw a common issue with the Liga Privada's?

Absolutely not, I've had plenty and only had a problem one time. It was on a Robusto and it wouldn't stay lit.

Does a tight draw in any cigar typically dampen the flavor to the point of being non-existent?

Yes, I have had cigars that the draw was tight on (had one today in fact) and couldn't really pick up on much flavor. Don't judge the line by that one cigar alone.

Dan

 

[KPP]

Never once had a draw issue with any Liga product (pig, rat, 9 52 etc.)...

Come to think of it, I believe there is a thread identical to this one floating around out there....only draw was not the concern as I recall. It was staying lit....but going from memory there.

 

[Mr.Erskine]

I've not had that experience. Most Ligas that I have had draw well, and have good flavor.

 

[Cigar Coop]

Got to be honest. I've never had a draw issue on the T52. This was my 2009 Cigar of the Year. Just curious, has this been a recurring problem?

That being said, I do believe a tight draw definitely affects the flavors from the cigar.

 

[TheCigarKid]

Never had an issue w/ a draw from a Liga, mainly just burn issues(Only on T52 Robusto's).

 

[podman28]

I have smoked countless numbers of these in various vitolas and have had no issues. It was my favorite new cigar coming out of the 2009 show and continues to give me great enjoyment. Sorry you had one that slipped through the cracks.

 

[Thegreekone]

I have smoked countless numbers of these in various vitolas and have had no issues. It was my favorite new cigar coming out of the 2009 show and continues to give me great enjoyment. Sorry you had one that slipped through the cracks.

+1

All mine have been wide open, razor sharp, flavor bombs; every last one.

The staying lit may have been a REALLY young and wet cigar. Every one I have smoked, whether bought from a B&M, brother, or traded, was great. Just lucky I guess. :yes:

 

[Thecatch83]

You got a bad cigar, plain and simple. When you're dealing with something hand made, there is a certain degree of margin of error. It happens (not just with cigars, anything hand made), and I would suggest revisiting the T52 after it sits in a well seasoned humidor for a few months. The aging process of the leaf used in all the Liga Privada smokes, makes for a dynamic and very enjoyable flavor profile. Sorry for your loss!

 

[itallushrt]

The very first T52, a robusto, that I smoked was also plugged. Since then I have smoked many many more and they have all performed flawlessly.

Give 'em another shot.

 

[rduke10]

Give them another try. I have gone thru a box of these and had no issues with any of them. Hate that you had a problem but these really are a great smoke.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[speeddemon11L]

I'm definitely going to give it another shot. I'll be dropping by the B&M today to pick up another one. It was mostly just the shock of having no flavor after reading and listening to all of the reviews of just how flavorful of a cigar this is.

This is the first time I've had a draw issue and when I decided to keep smoking it I assumed that the flavors would still be there. Now I know not to waste my time when I come across another plugged cigar!

 

[megladon8]

I experienced some problems, too.

I had one T52 Toro that had such bad plug issues it was unsmokeable. It smoked fine for the first inch or so, but then it became impossible to draw. I had to clip about an inch off, and inside that inch there were two almost "ball bearings" of rolled up tobacco.

It re-lit fine and I continued to smoke well, until about another inch down the same thing happened. I had to cut more than an inch off, and once again found these "balls" of tobacco that were completely blocking off my ability to draw.

I've not had any problems like this since, but rest assured you're not alone.

I think even the greatest companies and lines have a bad stick once in a while. It is after all a) handmade, and b) made from agricultural stock.

There are enough variables for it to be pretty much impossible for their output to be 100% flawless 100% of the time.

 

[Clint]

I have gone through quite a few T52's, and except for one issue of staying lit*, I have had no draw/plug issues ever.

IMVHO, these are top notch smokes in terms of quality, construction, and flavor profile.

*These cigars have very thick, oily wrappers that tend to retain moisture more than thin wrappers...I highly recommend dry boxing these puppies, especially if you keep your RH high (ie 67% plus).

 

[Jfire]

They also benefit from 3-6 months of down time (if it's from a recent production box.) Although Steve and JD make top notch smokes, there sales of the line have made them ship out whatever they've had in stock at the factory on a almost "weekly basis". This generally solves the "Wet" issue. The plugged issues can sometimes be solved by dry boxing for a day or two and sometimes be solved by throwing the stick in the garbage.

 

[njstone]

Does a tight draw in any cigar typically dampen the flavor to the point of being non-existent?

Yes. A very tight draw means the rate of combustion will be off, which means the flavors will be wrong. Pure and simple. A tight draw will yield a less-than-accurate cigar, every time. Some will disagree, but that's my experience.

A tight draw is often due to excess humidity absobed by the leafs, as others have noted. This can be solved easily with a couple weeks at a lower rH (65% or something) ... a day of dry-boxing will NOT fix a cigar that's too humid, as it takes longer than that for the leaves to shed their excess moisture.

The other possibility is that the cigar was simply rolled too tightly or overfilled. It's not a particularly common occurrence with the Liga Privadas, though, at least in my experience (and I smoke them whenever I can). But you're going to find this with any hand-made product.

 

[VillageIdiot]

I bought several cigars at a B&M while traveling. The Liga T-52 was the first one I smoked. It had a very tight draw. It turns out every cigar I smoked from that B&M through a 2 day period had a very tight draw (Omar Ortez, LFD Cam Cabinet, Tat Noella, and others). I put it down as being over humidified. Every Liga I've smoked since has been fine.

 

[speeddemon11L]

I have purchased other cigars from this B&M and have had no humidity issues with them before. I've smoked some as soon as I got back home and had no burn issues. This T52 had no burn issues either and it had been sitting in 65% for the last three weeks. So I don't think it was a humidity issue, just a construction issue.

 

[speeddemon11L]

Yes. A very tight draw means the rate of combustion will be off, which means the flavors will be wrong. Pure and simple. A tight draw will yield a less-than-accurate cigar, every time. Some will disagree, but that's my experience.

Thank you! That's a bit of information that I was looking for.

 

[ciggy]

I have gone through quite a few T52's, and except for one issue of staying lit*, I have had no draw/plug issues ever.

IMVHO, these are top notch smokes in terms of quality, construction, and flavor profile.

*These cigars have very thick, oily wrappers that tend to retain moisture more than thin wrappers...I highly recommend dry boxing these puppies, especially if you keep your RH high (ie 67% plus).

1000% agree with this statement..especially the dry box part!