Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado Toro by Drew Estate

Today, we review the Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado in the Toro size. The Selección de Mercado was first introduced for the InterTabac Trade Show in Dortmund, Germany. From looking at the name and packaging and even glancing at the tobacco components, you might think this is an extension of the Liga Privada 10 Anivesario brand. This is not the case, as Selección de Mercado is an entirely different blend. According to Drew Estate, the Selección de Mercado was blended with the international market in mind and not being distributed in the United States. Since the Selección de Mercado debuted in Dortmund, it has grown to a line of four different sizes.

The name Selección de Mercado is Spanish for “Market Selection.” Drew Estate refers to “Market Selection” as the practice of selecting wrapper leaves for select makers based on color designation. The Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado features Drew Estate’s Connecticut-grown Criollo wrapper. In this case, wrapper leaves are selected to derive a reddish brown/rosado hue.

Box of the Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado Toro

Let’s break down the Selección de Mercado Toro without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado Toro by Drew Estate | Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Connecticut Criollo wrapper is special because it features a Criollo seed grown in Connecticut, a varietal rare in that region. In addition to the Connecticut Criollo wrapper, the Liga Privada 10-Year Aniversario features a San Andres wrapper and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua. Production is handled out of Drew Estate’s La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Connecticut River Valley Criollo
Binder: Mexican San Andres Negra
Filler: Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate

Vitolas Offered

Following the introduction of the Toro in Dortmund, 2024 saw three additional sizes made available with the Selección de Mercado. Each is presented in ten-count boxes.

Corona Viva: 6 x 46
Robusto: 5 x 54
Corona Doble: 7 x 54
Toro: 6 x 52

Appearance

The Connecticut Criollo wrapper of the Selección de Mercado Toro is precisely as advertised. It has the color of a medium roast coffee bean with a rosado tint. The wrapper had some oils on it. There was a heavy amount of mottling on this wrapper. Upon closer examination, some toothiness could be seen on the wrapper’s surface. In addition, the wrapper had some visible veins and visible wrapper seams. The Selección de Mercado Toro has an unfinished, loosely covered foot. The cap had what Drew Estate calls Cola de Pescado (this translates to fishtail, which is commonly called fantail) affixed to the cap.

Close up of the Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado Toro

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

As opposed to pulling the fishtail off the Selección de Mercado Toro cap, a straight cut was used to remove both the cap and the tail. From that point, it was on to the pre-light draw stage. The cold draw delivered a mix of coffee beans, wood, and a slight creaminess. This wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw. Since the pre-light draw is not factored into the numeric merit score or value rating, there was no loss of points here. It was time to light up the Selección de Mercado Toro and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Selección de Mercado Toro opened with notes of black coffee, cream, and earth. Early on, the black coffee notes moved into the forefront. The earth, cedar, and cream notes settled into the background. These background notes were joined by some natural tobacco sweetness. Meanwhile, on the retro-hale, an additional layer of cedar was present.

The second third of the Selección de Mercado Toro saw the black coffee notes remain primary. By this point, the cedar notes joined the black coffee in the forefront. Meanwhile, notes of natural tobacco, cream, and earth remained in the background. In addition, some black pepper notes emerged in the background and were also present on the retro-hale.

The final third saw the cedar and black pepper notes remain primary, and the pepper notes became the most prominent background note. Rounding out the flavor profile were notes of natural tobacco, earth, and cream. I was quite surprised that the creaminess was still present. This was never an overly creamy cigar, but usually, creaminess subsides in the final third. The cigar experience of the Selección de Mercado Toro finished with a soft and cool nub.

Burn

Overall, the burn of the Selección de Mercado Toro required a little more maintenance than I preferred. Multiple touch-ups were needed to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. While the touch-ups did the trick, there were more touch-ups needed than I preferred. This wasn’t a firm ash, but it wasn’t a loose one, either. The ash had a silver-gray color to it. The burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado Toro

Draw

The draw of the Selección de Mercado Toro was a little snug. Normally, I prefer a little resistance on a draw, but this resistance was a little too much. In the end, the cigar was not plugged, and it did not require any re-lights. It just needed to be worked harder.

Strength and Body

Regarding strength and body, I assessed the Selección de Mercado Toro as a dead-center medium for both attributes. Throughout the smoking experience, I did not see a lot of variance in the intensity levels of the strength and body. At the same time, the strength and body balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

There is a lot to like about the Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado packaging. The black and silver color scheme is quite striking. It also connects the Selección de Mercado to its Liga Privada 10 Aniversario roots (they both use the Connecticut Criollo wrapper). The box is quite nice. Adding the production people to the vista was a nice touch. I also like the slots on the boxes to prevent the fishtail cap from falling off. I also love the wooden finish on the outer part of the box.

Packaging of the Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado Toro

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

First up, a note on pricing. A note on pricing. An MSRP was not made available for the Selección de Mercado. We saw several prices between $19.00 and $46.00. As a result, we cannot determine a value rating because we saw so many price variances. I have seen some U.S. retailers acquire these cigars through international channels and put them up for sale. You will pay more per cigar but may save on shipping costs. The cigars used for this review of the Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado Toro were provided by Drew Estate.

Remember, this is an entirely different cigar than the Liga 10 Aniversario. The Selección de Mercado Toro differs flavor-wise and doesn’t quite have the boldness. When digging into the flavor profile, the Selección de Mercado fell slightly short compared to the Liga 10 Aniversario. It’s a good cigar, but better Liga Privadas are out there. In the end, there is enough to make me return to this line in some other sizes.

Summary

Key Flavors: Black Coffee, Cedar, Earth, Cream, Natural Tobacco, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good