UF-4 vs UF-13

[njstone]

I NEED to get some UF4s! I've only had the one, but I thought it was one of the best LPs I've had, and that's coming from a guy with the FFP, T52, and #9 (aged) all on this personal Top 10 list!!

 

[Alwayslit]

T52-4 was the final head to head blend that was competing internally with T52-3 to become the T52 final blend.

T52-4 was exceptional, in fact JD and I both liked it a slight bit better, but we were concerned that it tended to overpower some of the nuances in the liga and that we were sacrificing flavors for strength, so we ultimately decided that the T52-3 would be the final T52 blend.

JD for his own smoking pleasure kept having T52-4s made, but we banded them as JD4 so as to not cause confusion in the factory or with those he shared them with.

After he started handing them out, he decided that he didn't like putting his personal name on the product, so we started ringing them with MF-4 - it stood for what you think it does.

In the factory we kept tinkering with the T52-4/JD4/MF-4 blend to try to improve it (in our opinion) - goal was to keep the octane, but restore the depth of flavors... so we made a variety of minor liga tweaks and vitola changes to try and get it "perfect".

The result was the MF-13 - a robusto format. I think the MF-13 is better, not sure where JD stands on this - truth is the difference is so very minor between the two cigars I doubt most folks could even tell there was any difference unless they smoked them side by side... and maybe not even then, but we can tell... or so we tell ourselves. ;>

We started sharing both MF-4s and MF-13s at events and out of our pockets and they started to get some buzz online.

JD came to me one day with a My Father cigar and pointed out that Pepin's rings have an MF in the center of them. How both of us missed this is kinda crazy since we both smoke a lot of their cigars, but we did. So we decided to change the name to UF out of respect - we take pride in not knowingly copying others, so we rebanded all the MFs as UFs on our own accord.

UF stands for "Unico Fuerte."

So MF-4 = UF-4 and MF-13 = UF-13.

Netiher blend is really in testing per se, both are finalized blends. It just that neither is being produced for retail at this point.

We would like to release the cigar this year, but can't commit to doing so until we are confident we can get T52, Dirty Rats and L40s delivered on a regular basis to our customers as the UF-13 shares the same Stalk Cut Habano capa.

Now you know more than 99% of DE does about the lineage of UF-13... ;>

BR,

Steve Saka
Prez, Drew Estate

Nice!!

 

[fourkicksfan]

While reading this thread, thought it could use a bump since so many uf-13s are entering our hands this week. Saka gives some great info early on about smoking them earlier opposed to holding onto them.

Can't wait to get home from the road, one of these is going down!!!

 

[tylernim]

Ps: In regards to the comment from the one person claiming the JD4 had less punch than the UF4 - this is the result of aging as the blends are identical. If we were to ever release the UF-13s it would be the first LP blend that is intended to be smoked "fresh" - in under 12 months from their factory release, better imo if under 3 months... we wouldn't age these cigars like the other LPs, we would ship them right after they were wicked - 30 days from bench to mouth. I like 'em young!!!

Steve Saka
Prez, Drew Estate

This is the post...

 

[dscl]

Doesn't that really depend on what U * F is? :devilhead

Well... I'm piggybacking off of Drew Estate's work here, as the math in the below image was pilfered from their factory computer system on a recent visit by an un-named BOTL. However, I added in the annotations to make it easier to follow:

/end threadjack

I LOLed

 

[dscl]

T52-4 was the final head to head blend that was competing internally with T52-3 to become the T52 final blend.

T52-4 was exceptional, in fact JD and I both liked it a slight bit better, but we were concerned that it tended to overpower some of the nuances in the liga and that we were sacrificing flavors for strength, so we ultimately decided that the T52-3 would be the final T52 blend.

JD for his own smoking pleasure kept having T52-4s made, but we banded them as JD4 so as to not cause confusion in the factory or with those he shared them with.

After he started handing them out, he decided that he didn't like putting his personal name on the product, so we started ringing them with MF-4 - it stood for what you think it does.

In the factory we kept tinkering with the T52-4/JD4/MF-4 blend to try to improve it (in our opinion) - goal was to keep the octane, but restore the depth of flavors... so we made a variety of minor liga tweaks and vitola changes to try and get it "perfect".

The result was the MF-13 - a robusto format. I think the MF-13 is better, not sure where JD stands on this - truth is the difference is so very minor between the two cigars I doubt most folks could even tell there was any difference unless they smoked them side by side... and maybe not even then, but we can tell... or so we tell ourselves. ;>

We started sharing both MF-4s and MF-13s at events and out of our pockets and they started to get some buzz online.

JD came to me one day with a My Father cigar and pointed out that Pepin's rings have an MF in the center of them. How both of us missed this is kinda crazy since we both smoke a lot of their cigars, but we did. So we decided to change the name to UF out of respect - we take pride in not knowingly copying others, so we rebanded all the MFs as UFs on our own accord.

UF stands for "Unico Fuerte."

So MF-4 = UF-4 and MF-13 = UF-13.

Netiher blend is really in testing per se, both are finalized blends. It just that neither is being produced for retail at this point.

We would like to release the cigar this year, but can't commit to doing so until we are confident we can get T52, Dirty Rats and L40s delivered on a regular basis to our customers as the UF-13 shares the same Stalk Cut Habano capa.

Now you know more than 99% of DE does about the lineage of UF-13... ;>

BR,

Steve Saka
Prez, Drew Estate

Saka rules nuff said

 

[apaniagua]

Send me one or two of each and I will tell you the difference.

+1 This...hahaha

 

[ssaka]

One change to my original post: the final version of UF-13 features a Broadleaf No. 1 Dark capa - we only made a couple hundred or so of the UF-13 with the T52 capa originally. Almost all the samples anyone has smoke the UF-13 has featured the BL capa - in fact, I am unsure that anyone has smoked a T52 wrapper version outside of the factory during a maybe Cigar Safari or from my personal stock. Actually, no one other than my the Nica team, JD and myself may have ever smoked a T52 wrapped version of the UF-13 blend. Too much stuff to keep track up, much less know who may or may not have smoke a particular sample while we were in the blending process....

The change was made because the earthy richness of the BL was a better compliment to the final UF-13 filler liga.

JD-4/MF-4/UF-4 has always been a T52 wrapper.

Regarding the strength level of the JD-4 vs the UF-4 - the JD-4s that were sold during that special event had like 18mo of age on them so they are mellower than the typical UF-4s, but only due to additional aging, not any blend difference.

BR,

STS

ps: DSCL thanks for reposting my original post for me. :>

 

[Og_Ace]

If I could keep a steady stream of UF-13's I would be complete. My favorite stick of all time. Sadly these things are like Bigfoot...

 

[Wolf4birdie]

What an awesome thread!

 

[Cigar_Benz_Daddy]

Great information. As I love my Ligas, I also appreciate the background. The more the merrier.