Drew Estate's Liga Privada H99 Toro arrives as a box-pressed 6x52 stick wrapped in Connecticut-grown Corojo. Priced at $421.80 per box of 24, this Nicaraguan-made torpedo delivers full-bodied smoke that'll make your eyebrows sweat. The oily Honduran wrapper looks like it's been dipped in motor oil - exactly what cigar nerds crave. Construction feels tighter than a drum solo, promising that signature Liga Privada draw resistance.
First Third: Immediate black pepper slap fades into burnt caramel sweetness. Smoke pours out thicker than a metal concert fog machine. Watch that burn line - mine developed a slight canoe needing correction.
Mid-Smoke: Earthiness explodes like Nicaraguan dirt avalanche. Coffee grounds and cocoa nibs dominate, with occasional baking spice cameos. Retrohale brings white pepper tickle that'll clear your sinuses.
Final Stretch: Leather and cedar take over like a hostile takeover. Last inch gets ashy quicker than a Tinder date gone wrong. Nicotine kick stronger than 3 espresso shots - not for empty stomachs.
The Havana 99 wrapper comes from a single Connecticut farm's Corojo hybrid crop. Drew Estate's master blenders use Mexican San Andres Negro binder as flavor glue - same leaf that gives T52 its bite. Filler tobaccos aged 3 years in Estelí's humidity-controlled barns before rolling. Limited production means these disappear faster than free donuts at the office.
