Tag Archives: drew estate

by Craig Vanderslice | July 14, 2022 · 5:57 pm

News: Drew Estate Introduces Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Robusto

Here’s some news from Drew Estate on the eve of their PA Barnsmoker. Unfortunately, it’s a Barnsmoker I was supposed to attend, but due to coming back from the PCA show with Covid, I have to pass. Maybe I’ll get to the Connecticut version, but it’s more fun driving an hour than six! Anyway, check out the new size of H99!

Drew Estate is adding a new vitola to its Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo portfolio. Announced during its latest Freestyle Live broadcast, Drew Estate introduced the Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Robusto (140mm x 54). The cigar will debut at the Pennsylvania Barn Smoker DE25 Exclusive Pre-Party on July 15 and will be available as a regular allocation to qualifying Drew Diplomat Program members beginning in September.

The Liga Privada H99 (“H” stands for “Hybrid”) showcases a special dark, air-cured hybrid capa that’s derived from the marriage between Stalk-Cut Habano and Corojo seeds. Grown exclusively for Drew Estate by one farmer in the Connecticut River Valley, the H99 capa combines the best elements of the Habano and Corojo seed varieties to produce a tobacco that is elegant and distinct.

The H99 Connecticut Corojo’s intense sweet qualities contrast beautifully with the robust spiciness of the Mexican San Andrés Otapan Negro Último Corte capote. The tripa blend of well-aged Nicaraguan, Honduran and Pennsylvania Green River One Sucker tobaccos contribute to a cigar that’s luxurious, complex and deceptively full-bodied with notes of earth, espresso and leather.

“The infamous wrapper leaves of the Connecticut River Valley are clearly the star in every Liga Privada blend,” notes Drew Estate Founder and President, Jonathan Drew. “This is especially true of Liga H99. This sexy beast expresses the intricacies of the terroir from the farm where H99 Connecticut Corojo is grown. The soil speaks to us and we’ve learned how to listen to it, sincerely. Those H99 savory notes dance across the palate and culminate into a master-crescendo of a finish. Believe me when I say that I’m especially proud of Liga H99 Robusto. It’s dope as hell.”

Debuting at the Pennsylvania Barn Smoker DE25 Exclusive Pre-Party, Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Robusto will become regularly allocated to qualifying Drew Diplomat Program participants beginning in September. Available in 24-count boxes, Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Robusto cigars will have an MSRP of $358.80/box or $14.95/cigar.

For more information or to find your nearest Drew Diplomat Program retailer, visit drewestate.com.

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by Craig Vanderslice | June 22, 2022 · 5:47 pm

News: Drew Estate Expands Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Connecticut Criollo Distribution

I haven’t had a 10th Anniversary Liga since they came out with them initially, I think they had a 100th Anniversary too, because it was around 2016 when the FDA deeming regs were announced and everyone was releasing everything to get it in market. I can’t really remember what it was like, nor do I have any idea if the cigars now are even the same. Anyway, here’s some news from Drew Estate!

For the first time in its history, Drew Estate’s Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Connecticut Criollo cigar will be regularly available as monthly allocation for qualifying Drew Diplomat Program participants beginning in mid-June.

Due to the limited supply of the tobaccos used in each Liga Privada expression, production for all Liga Privada cigars is limited because the magnificent Connecticut River Valley capa leaves, which are the hallmark for every Liga Privada cigar, remain the most difficult component to secure. This is especially true for the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Connecticut Criollo.

Just one Connecticut River Valley farmer cultivates the capa leaf for Liga Privada 10 Aniversario cigars. This very rare hybrid leaf combines the best elements of Broadleaf and Criollo and it is used only for Liga Privada 10 Aniversario. Since Liga Privada 10 Aniversario’s introduction, Drew Estate has only periodically released small batches of the cigars due to the rarity of the Connecticut Criollo leaf. Working with the farmer, Drew Estate has planted more of the Connecticut Criollo each year and has steadily aged and stockpiled enough of the precious leaf to ramp up Liga Privada 10 Aniversario’s production to now make it regularly available.

Liga Privada 10 Aniversario is a brawny gem that celebrates the unrivaled artistry of Liga Privada. Featuring a signature Cola de Pescado (fishtail) head and a closed foot, only Drew Estate’s most celebrated torcedores may roll the cigars. Liga Privada 10 Aniversario’s Connecticut Criollo capa covers a San Andres Otapan Negro Último Corte capote from Mexico and a tripa blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, as well as Pennsylvania Green River One Sucker. Dense and earthy with an intense peppery spice, Liga Privada 10 Aniversario is a full throttle beast of a smoke that commands your respect from its first light through the last puff.

“Liga Privada 10 Aniversario is a tribute to the remaining old-school tobacco growers in the Connecticut River Valley who produce the capas for Liga Privada,” says Drew Estate Founder and President, Jonathan Drew. “The magnificent cigar also honors our loyal consumers who’ve stood by our side through the ups and downs all these years. Today’s news is certainly welcome, as more people will now get to experience Liga Privada 10 Aniversario’s bold, luxurious and commanding presence … so let’s get luxuriating, party peoples.”

Available exclusively at qualifying Drew Diplomat Program participants, Liga Privada 10 Aniversario cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes with an MSRP of $183/box and $18.30/cigar. A list of qualifying Drew Diplomat retailers can be found at https://drewestate.com/liga-privada-h99-10-year-aniversario-select-retailers/.

About Drew Estate

Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that attract new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Isla del Sol, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Larutan by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Florida Sun Grown, and Java by Drew Estate.

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Tagged as 10 Aniversario, cigar, cigars, drew estate, liga privada

by Craig Vanderslice | June 18, 2022 · 8:43 am

News: Drew Estate’s Flying Pigs Set for Spring Release

The site has been down for a couple days for maintenance, but I’m back and catching up! Here’s some news from Drew Estate. They aren’t going to mention it, but the FLying Pig vitola was Steve Saka’s idea when he was president of Drew Estate. It’s a cool size, I have a few floating around one of my humidors someplace, maybe I’ll pull one out this weekend!

Drew Estate’s Flying Pigs have been cleared for take-off for their annual Spring release!!! One of Drew Estate’s most popular vitolas, the Flying Pigs (100mm x 60) are now available.

Based on a photograph in an 1895 cigar salesman’s size selection catalog, the Flying Pig vitola’s unique size and signature pigtail requires specialized training for buncheros and rolleras at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua. Only a few of La Gran Fabrica’s employees are certified to make the cigars, limiting Flying Pigs to two annual seasonal releases in the Spring and the Fall. Kentucky Fire Cured, Undercrown Maduro, Undercrown Shade and Undercrown Sun Grown Flying Pigs will be available to all premium cigar retailers. Liga Privada No. 9 and Liga Privada T52 Flying Pigs will only be available at participating Drew Diplomat Program partners.

Featuring a double wrapper of a fire-cured Tapa Negra leaf at the head and a Mexican San Andres Maduro leaf at the foot, the Kentucky Fire Cured Flying Pig is a smoky and savory treat with a filler tobacco blend of Kentucky seed tobacco, grown and fire-cured in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and rich Nicaraguan and Brazilian tobaccos. Kentucky Fire Cured Flying Pigs are presented in 12-count boxes and have an MSRP of $131.40 per box.

“Born on the Factory Floor” at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, Undercrown has been the peoples’ champion for more than a decade, and the Undercrown Flying Pig vitola is available in three expressions: Maduro, Shade and Sun Grown. The original Undercrown cigar, Undercrown Maduro boldly showcases the deep, rich complexity of the famed San Andres Maduro leaf. With an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Undercrown Shade is more mellow but offers an equally expressive flavor profile that’s lush, smooth and creamy. Undercrown Sun Grown adds a touch of spice that grabs the palate’s attention without masking the underlying Nicaraguan tobacco’s zesty and earthy characteristics. All Undercrown Flying Pigs are packaged in 12-count boxes and have an MSRP of $171.60 per box.

The famed wrapper leaves cultivated in the Connecticut River Valley breathe life into the Liga Privada No. 9 and Liga Privada T52 Flying Pigs, which will be available exclusively to Drew Diplomat Program participants. A broadleaf bully with a dark, rugged and flavorful wrapper, Liga Privada No. 9 is dense, hearty and intense, yet surprisingly smooth. Utilizing a Connecticut Habano stalk-cut and stalk-cured seed variety that’s grown exclusively for Drew Estate for its capa, Liga Privada T52 is full-bodied, spicy and bold with notes of leather, caramel, earth and gritty black pepper. Both Liga Privada Flying Pig expressions are packaged in 12-count boxes with an MSRP of $198 per box.

“Flying Pigs are distinctly Drew Estate,” says Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate. “There are very few things in life more satisfying than cracking a fresh box of Drew Estate’s piggies and being hit with that aroma and the visuals. You can’t help but immediately, desperately, spark one up. Ya’ll know it’s the truth!!!”

About Drew Estate

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, drew estate, Flying Pig, Kentucky Fire Cured, Liga Privada No. 9, Liga Privada. Serie Unico, undercrown

by Craig Vanderslice | June 5, 2022 · 9:12 am

Liga Privada H99, Villiger San D’Oro and Nica Rustica Adobe Cigars

Monday was Memorial Day and that called for some special smokes. I pulled out the Liga Privada H99 that Joe Gro of Drew Estate gave me back in January at the TPE show. I’m not sure why I had been waiting to smoke this, but I figured a nice afternoon off was a great time to light it up. According to the Drew Estate Website: “Maintaining the core tenants of the Liga firebrand, the H99 features a Corojo capa from the heart of the Connecticut River Valley, where we grow the mighty leaf that graces Liga Privada with a San Andres Otapan Negro Último Corte capote over a core blend of well-aged Nicaraguan and Honduran tripa leaf.” I like how this is written, it’s an obvious nod to the original creator of the Liga Privada line, who else uses terms like “capa”, “capote”, and “tripa” instead of wrapper, binder and filler? 😀. This cigar burned very nicely, and was less like a Liga Privada cigar than I expected. I suppose it was more on the T52 end, obviously, it wasn’t as heavy as it’s broadleaf counterparts. I found it has a bit of spice, some salty, savoriness, and a hint of sweetness. It was very good, certainly worthy of the occasion. As I often do, I finished the holiday weekend off with an old favorite, this time it was a Fuente Hemingway Classic, as aptly named as a cigar could be.

I slacked off this week and didn’t write a midweek post. Pure laziness on my part, I have no excuse. I did smoke some cigars I really like though, a Stolen Throne Three Kingdoms, an Undercrown 10, and a new Perla Del Mar Maduro (more on that another time). Another one I revisited was the Villiger San’Doro toro. I found a three pack in the humidor and decided to smoke one and had forgotten how much I liked this cigar. This one is the Colorado, with a ruddy brown Ecuador wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. I’m not sure how old this three pack is, but I think it’s newer, which means these were made at Joya de Nicaragua. I probably have an old one around that was made at Placencia if I dive into the humidor a little deeper. I really enjoyed the flavor of this cigar, it had a cane sugar sweetness that I like a lot, but it was intermittent, so it didn’t get boring. I know Villiger premium cigars don’t get a ton of traction, but they tend to be pretty good, as far as I’m concerned.

Yesterday I stopped in to the Wooden Indian where they were having a Drew Estate event featuring the new Nica Rustica Adobe, which they had in limited supply. I picked up five toros and smoked one there in the Liga Privada Lounge, while catching up with Dave, Dan and their excellent staff, as well as Ray from Drew Estate and Matty Rock, famous for being Matty Rock. I had my choice of the three vitolas the Adobe is available in, and stuck with the Toro, even though I haven’t had the robusto yet, but I didn’t really like the gordo I tried inthe Freestyle pack. I’ve smoked a ton of Nica Rusticas, I really like them. We even went to the Belly launch event in Kentucky back in 2015. This was the third Adobe I’ve smoked and it’s growing on me, I’m liking the smoothness and balance. It has a bit of a creaminess, the Habano wrapper instead of Broadleaf makes a big difference. When this was the Freestyle live mystery cigar I had no idea this was what it was going to be, although I know one person in particular nailed it. you can’t beat the price, both versions are going to have a place in my humidor I think.

That’s all for today! It’s been a beautiful weekend, and I need to get out and get some things done, maybe smoke some more cigars! Don’t forget to check out www.battleshipbeef.com and come out to the Battleship, Beef and Bourbon for the Ship Red Meat Lovers Club event. It should prove to be an orgiastic feast of the senses! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Adobe, cigar, cigars, colorado, drew estate, H99, Liga Privada No. 9, Nica Rustica, San'Doro, Villiger, wooden indian

by Craig Vanderslice | May 18, 2022 · 7:25 am

News: Drew Estate Introduces Liga Privada H99 Phineas Gage Lancero

You know, I haven’t even smoked an H99 yet. I have one, just haven’t gotten around to smoking it yet. This cigar looks interesting, although I have no way of knowing how it might work in the lancero format. I can’t imagine Willie Herrera would make a bad cigar, let alone a bad lancero, so this must me OK.

During last Thursday’s “Freestyle Live: Special Edition” broadcast, which aired from 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern on the company’s Facebook Live page (facebook.com/drewestatecigar) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/drewestatecigar), Drew Estate announced that it is adding a new vitola, a 7 x 40 Lancero, dubbed Phineas Gage, to its Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo lineup. The taste and aroma of the Phineas Gage’s Connecticut Corojo Hybrid tobacco might just make you a changed person.

The Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Phineas Gage Lancero will be an event-only cigar available exclusively to all qualifying Drew Diplomat Retail Program partners. The Lancero’s name is inspired by the improbable story of Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman, who in 1848, survived a grievous accident when an iron rod was driven completely through his head, forever changing his personality. Also known as “The American Crowbar Case,” Gage’s story became a medical curiosity and spearheaded psychological and neurological studies into how the brain affects personality development.

All Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo cigars feature a hybrid wrapper that’s derived from Stalk- Cut Habano and Connecticut Corojo seed, grown exclusively for Drew Estate in the Connecticut River Valley. The wrapper’s natural sweetness is accentuated in the Lancero format and contrasts with the robust spiciness from the Mexican San Andres Otapan Negro Último Corte binder and Honduran, Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania Green River One Sucker filler tobaccos to produce a luxurious smoking experience that’s deceptively full-bodied with notes of earth, leather and espresso.

“The Liga Privada H99 Phineas Gage Lancero hits you like a spike right through your brainbox and you’ll never be the same,” says Drew Estate Founder and President, Jonathan Drew.

Available exclusively as an event-only cigar to Drew Diplomat Retail Program partners, Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Phineas Gage Lancero’s are packaged in 10-count boxes with an individual petaca for every cigar. Limited to three boxes per event, the Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Phineas Gage Lancero will be available beginning in June with an MSRP of $19 per cigar.