The first Drew Estate Liga Privada line, the No. 9, was originally blended only for the company’s former president, Steve Saka, and the firm’s top brass. After years of rumors, leaks and stories, Drew Estate finally decided to release this blend to the public on a limited basis. It has since become the brand’s most lauded range of smokes, and Drew Estate decided the only way to top it was to release a new Liga Privada series — the T52 — that would be stronger and more robust than the original No. 9 line. Instead of a Broadleaf Oscuro wrapper, the T52 smokes would make use of a stalk-cut, Connecticut-grown, Cuban-seed one, giving them a richer, bolder, earthier quality than their Liga Privada No. 9 counterparts.
Stalk-cut tobacco has a different taste than tobacco that’s primed (a process whereby the leaves are removed from the plant immediately). With stalk-cut tobacco, the plant is cut below the leaves, which are left intact on each stalk. The stalks are then left to wilt in the sun a bit before being hung up in a warehouse for aging. During this process, the leaves remain affixed to the stalks, continuing to absorb nutrients from them. This aspect gives the aged leaves the aforementioned traits that make them so valued by producers in the cigar industry.
In the meantime, the binders and fillers are the same Brazilian Mata Fina leaves and Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos from seven individual farms, respectively, that are used in Drew Estate’s Liga Privada No. 9 series. Only the most experienced rollers at the company’s sprawling Gran Fabrica cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua are allowed to produce T52 sticks in low quantities per day. These ultra-premium cigars are then sold exclusively through select retailers.
Offering superior construction, a somewhat firm draw and an even burn, the Churchill-sized Corona Doble (Double Corona) vitola of the T52 series is the longest in the line, at an attention-grabbing seven inches. With a full body and medium-to-full strength, the T52 Corona Doble boasts oaky, cedary flavors of black Sumatra coffee, pepper, raisins, red wine, licorice and fresh fennel; the finish smacks of tangy molasses.
Cigar Aficionado accorded this dark, solidly built smoke two ratings of 90. Packaged in boxes of 24 sticks, the T52 Corona Dobles — like the rest of the T52 range — can be hard to come by. If they’re available, order them while you can because it’s anyone’s guess when (or if) they’ll be back in stock.