#18 2024 Cigar of the Year

#18 2024 Cigar of the Year: #18: Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Robusto by Drew Estate

SPECIFICATIONS

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
Price: $19.50

Sponsor: Yes
Samples Provided for Initial Review: No
Review: Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Robusto by Drew Estate
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Company): 11 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

The Details

Coming in at #18 on the 2024 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year Countdown is the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario by Drew Estate.

In 2018, Drew Estate celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Liga Privada brand by introducing two cigars: The 10 Aniversario and the H99 Connecticut Corojo. These two releases were groundbreaking because they incorporated uncommon wrappers from the State of Connecticut. The Liga Privada 10 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 Aniversario and H99 Connecticut would begin to reach the market. Initially released in a Toro, Drew Estate has now expanded production of the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario to include a Robusto, which lands on this year’s countdown.

In addition to the Connecticut-grown Criollo wrapper, the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario uses a San Andres Negro binder and a combination of Honduran and Nicaragua fillers. The Robusto is a thicker Robusto measuring 5 x 54. Production comes from Drew Estate’s La Gran Fabrica in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The Robusto format really clicked for this blend. The Liga Privada 10 Aniversario Robusto delivered notes of coffee bean, wood, earth, fruit, chocolate, and pepper. This cigar’s strength and body start out medium before progressing to medium to full in the second half.

Drew Estate has one of the most impressive track records in the history of the Cigar Coop Countdown. This is the 11th time DE has landed at least one cigar on the Countdown, including the last seven years in a row. For Nicaragua, this is the eighth cigar they have landed on the 2024 Countdown.


 

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