I thought I'd throw up a couple cigar reviews as a way of letting folks here get to know a bit about me. I was a reviewer for SMOKE magazine for a number of issues in 1999 and really liked the style of review they made us do. I have used it ever since. Here's a recent review.
A little aside - this review is also posted on another bulletin board. I did a review there after I had bemoaned it being a short filler stick selling for $7 a pop (still think that is outrageous). Someone sent me a couple, so I tried it. Here is that review.
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, 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 a simple statement. I like that.
Score for aesthetics: 3.9
2) Pre-light Construction: I expected soft spots, spaces where the filler was uneven couldnt 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 didnt have a hole in it big enough for floaters to (OK, it was big enough, but floaters didnt appear.) What is more, I have premium smokes that didnt burn as evenly as this one did, I have had uber-premiums that didnt 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 didnt 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 dont 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 havent 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 wasnt burned out quickly on that lack of excitement. It was an enjoyable smoke.
Overall score for the cigar: 4.1
8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? As much as I regret saying it, yeah, Id recommend this cigar. I cannot say that it is a cigar Id 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.
A little aside - this review is also posted on another bulletin board. I did a review there after I had bemoaned it being a short filler stick selling for $7 a pop (still think that is outrageous). Someone sent me a couple, so I tried it. Here is that review.
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, 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 a simple statement. I like that.
Score for aesthetics: 3.9
2) Pre-light Construction: I expected soft spots, spaces where the filler was uneven couldnt 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 didnt have a hole in it big enough for floaters to (OK, it was big enough, but floaters didnt appear.) What is more, I have premium smokes that didnt burn as evenly as this one did, I have had uber-premiums that didnt 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 didnt 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 dont 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 havent 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 wasnt burned out quickly on that lack of excitement. It was an enjoyable smoke.
Overall score for the cigar: 4.1
8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? As much as I regret saying it, yeah, Id recommend this cigar. I cannot say that it is a cigar Id 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.
