Today, we review the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario by Drew Estate in the Robusto size. The story of the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario is well known. In 2018, Drew Estate celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Liga Privada brand by introducing two cigars: The 10 Year Aniversario and the Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo. These two releases were groundbreaking because they incorporated uncommon wrappers from the State of Connecticut. The Liga Privada 10 Year Aniversario uses a Connecticut-grown Criollo wrapper, while the H99 uses a hybrid Connecticut-grown Corojo wrapper. While the cigars were unveiled in 2018, these remained extremely limited releases for nearly four years due to low yields of the wrapper. In 2023, that would change, and the 10 Year Aniversario and H99 Connecticut would begin to reach the market. Initially released in a Toro, Drew Estate has now expanded production to include a Robusto.
Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Robusto by Drew Estate – Agile Cigar Review
SPECIFICATIONS
In addition to the U.S. Connecticut Criollo wrapper, the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario features a San Andres wrapper and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua. Production is handled from Drew Estate’s La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
- Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Criollo
- Binder: San Andres Otapan Negro Último Corte
- Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate
- Robusto: 5 x 54
PERFORMANCE
The Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Robusto opened up with notes of coffee beans, wood, and earth. The coffee bean notes moved into the forefront early. The wood and earth notes settled in the background, where fruit and white pepper notes joined them. A chocolate note surfaced in the background as the cigar burned through the first third. The retro-hale delivered a mix of white and black pepper notes.
The coffee bean notes remain primary throughout the whole smoking experience. During the second third, the earth notes occasionally popped into the forefront. The pepper, wood, fruit, and chocolate notes rounded things out nicely. By the final third, the pepper note became the most prominent of the secondary notes.
The Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Robusto started out as a medium strength, medium to full-bodied smoke before progressing to medium to full in the second third and remaining in that range for the duration of the smoking experience. The strength and body balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other. As for the burn, multiple touch-ups were required to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. While the touch-ups remedied this, more touch-ups were needed than preferred. The draw was ideal – delivering a touch of resistance, which this author prefers.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
The Robusto is a fine addition to the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario line. The first two-thirds of the Robusto performed exceptionally well. While the final third of the Robusto wasn’t quite at the same level as the first two-thirds, it wasn’t a nosedive in terms of flavor. Overall, the Robusto had more to offer in terms of complexity, but flavor-wise, I still gave a slight edge to the Toro size. Still, the Robusto delivered an excellent cigar experience. With 90 points, it earned a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation. In the end, this is a cigar I would probably recommend to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast, but would not discourage a novice from trying. It’s a cigar I would buy and smoke again.
Summary
Key Flavors: Coffee Bean, Wood, Earth, Fruit, Chocolate, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st third), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium (1st third), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy One
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
REFERENCES
Previous Assessment: Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Toro by Drew Estate
News: n/a
Price: $19.50
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Liga Privada
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
Note: Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments using a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time or a blend we are looking at in a different size.
Macy Hanson
The toro is a very good smoke. I buy them whenever I can find them. Same with the Liga lancero. Best wishes, Coop.