The story of Drew Estate’s coveted Liga Privada line is that it was originally developed by the brand’s former president Steve Saka not for sale to the public, but as a private in-house series of sticks only for himself and an intimate crew of company insiders (“Liga Privada” translates to “private blend”). Dozens of different mixes were formulated, but ultimately, it was this selection — the ninth variety (“Number 9”) — that was judged to be flawless. As rumors of this secret internal range swirled, the company finally decided to introduce it to the market on a highly limited basis.
Perfect in construction, flavor and character, no expense has been spared and no shortcut has been taken in the production of these cigars. As such, the Liga Privada series is considered the crowning achievement of Saka’s tenure with Drew Estate and the brand’s best series to date. Aficionados recognize that these are ultra-premium sticks and are known to go far out of their way to seek them out.
Enclosed in a seductively dark Connecticut Broadleaf Oscuro wrapper, this vitola of the line — the Liga Privada No. 9 Figurado Belicoso — features a plantation-grown Brazilian Mata Fina binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan Cuban-seed filler leaves from seven individual farms. All of the tobaccos in these smokes are aged for a minimum of one year (the wrappers are hand-fermented for 18 months). Just four pairs of workers at Drew Estate’s Gran Fabrica factory in Estelí, Nicaragua are allowed to roll these limited-production cigars, which are sold only through select retailers.
Full-bodied, with medium-to-full-strength, the Liga Privada No. 9 Figurado Belicoso draws easily, burns evenly and generates copious clouds of dense, rich smoke. Well-balanced and complex, with no unwelcome harshness, the Belicoso offers subtle woody and earthy tastes, in addition to sweet, syrupy hints of cola, espresso, dark chocolate and baker’s spices that nevertheless don’t detract from the essence of finely aged tobacco. The smooth finish contains notes of coffee and molasses, which only add to this stick’s intrigue. Experienced smokers, in particular, are sure to have their interest piqued by these cigars’ wide-ranging flavor nuances.
Cigar Aficionado accorded these cigars a 91 rating — not just once, but twice, earning a 20th-place ranking in the magazine’s Top 25 Cigars list for 2014. Available in boxes of 24, the Liga Privada No. 9 Figurado Belicosos will make compelling and worthy additions to your humidor.