Cigar Review: Drew Estate Liga Privada T-52

Robusto, 5" x 52 ring gauge, $10.75

Today I will be looking at a cigar named after a band from Athens, GA...the B-52. Hmm? Oh...this is the "T-52"...so I guess it has nothing to do with "Rock Lobster" or "Love Shack?" Well...that ruins most of the jokes I had! The T-52 is part of Drew Estates' Liga Privada line and reportedly is a step up from the well-received No. 9. The blend is slightly different: the No. 9 uses Honduran and Dominican filler, while the T-52 uses Honduran and Nicaraguan. Both use a Brazilian binder and both use a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, but the T-52 uses a "stalk-cut" wrapper. Instead of the leaves being individually plucked from the plant and hung to cure, the entire stalk is cut and hung upside down in the curing barn, causing nutrients to feed down into the leaves as it cures. This slow the process of curing which results in a higher price, but it also results in leaves that are richer and oilier than normal. 

Right from the start, the stalk-cut difference is apparent in that the T-52 was simply one of the oiliest cigars I had ever seen--it looks like you could squeeze it out into a pan and fry some chicken! The veins were mostly small-to-medium and the color was a rich medium-dark brown. The aroma from the leaf was barnyard and leather, while the foot was strongly of leather with hints of cocoa and coffee. The prelight draw was excellent; there were flavors of natural sweet tobacco, leather, and a little coffee, along with a spicy tingle on the lips.

Initial light-up gave off a smoke so oily, thick and full that it just about burned away all my nose hairs when I tried to retrohale! I got a lot of leather, a little coffee, and some sweet, dried fruit flavors. This was a very rich, unique experience right from the start. Through the first third, the T-52 was simply a flavor-bomb. It had strong leathery notes, along with the bitter undertone of strong black coffee and a sweet hit every now and then just to surprise you when you thought you had a handle on all the flavors. The retrohale settled down to a slightly spicy, slightly nutty experience.

The second third had a little less leather and saw the introduction of earth and a little black pepper. Construction was first rate so far with a spectacular draw giving up tons of smoke and a very even burn. The finish on this cigar was also very long, probably due to the extraordinary amount of oil in the wrapper.

By the beginning of the last third, the transition of earthiness was complete, but that was not the only thing going on. There was a richer roasted coffee flavor as well as cocoa powder--the T-52 simply did not stop delivering fantastic flavor and complexity. All in all, this was a fantastic cigar that did not disappoint in any way. It was full-bodied and full-flavored, strong and complex, from beginning to end. The only issue I have with it is the price--I wish it was a little cheaper so I could enjoy it more often--bit it is still worth the money paid. If you are a lover of full-bodied cigars, definitely put this one in your humidor.

Body: 9/10

Strength: 8/10

Complexity: 9/10

AFP Scale

Prelight: 2/2

Construction: 2/2

Flavor: 5/5

Value: 1/1

Total: 10/10