Liga Privada No. 9 Review

Information:

Country: Nicaragua

Wrapper origin: Connecticut

Wrapper type: Connecticut Broadleaf Oscuro

Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan

Length: 5”

Ring: 52

Cost: $13.00

Appearance (0-20): Liga Privada cigars have become the unicorn in the cigar world for some people.  They are rarely seen at some Brick and Mortar stores, and you need to grab them while you can.  The most notable thing for me is how beautiful the wrapper is on this thing.  The very deep, rich brown color of the wrapper makes your mouth water.  Examining closely, you will notice a very grainy wrapper, which is loaded with oils.  The band around it is somewhat simple, yet still very well done.  The signature Liga Privada symbol is adorned on the side, along with the LP No. 9 written in script.  How would you not want to pick this up and buy it?

Score: 20

Construction (0-20): The No. 9 seemed to be very well constructed.  I clipped off the cap, yet it seemed to unravel a bit.  The good news was that it seemed to have a double cap, which peeled off without having any issues.  The cigar lit up quickly and evenly, probably because of the large amount of oils in the cigar itself.  While the burn wasn’t razor sharp, it was pretty even throughout the smoke.  Even when it burned uneven, it did correct itself without worry.  The draw was excellent, and produced HUGE amounts of smoke.  Additionally, the ash was a beautiful white color that really held on for close to 2 inches.

Score: 19

Strength (0-20): Listed as full, I don’t think it ever really got all the way up that scale.  It was a solid medium-full cigar, but never 100% full.  That could also just be me, but I’ve only come across a few cigars that hit that totally full factor.

Score: 18

Flavor (0-20): After lighting up the cigar, the first inch was somewhat harsh.  Not that it was terrible, but the smoke was very dense and the flavor was quite bitter.  Luckily, things seemed to open up and the flavors were more robust throughout the smoke.  There was an overall theme of a bitter dark chocolate flavor, coupled with some coffee and sweeter milk chocolate mixed in.  The flavors were nicely done, yet it seemed to have no real complexity once you get into the cigar.  The chocolate picked up a bit in the last third, and burned right to the nub.  While I never really got the great complexity and transitions that I truly enjoy in a cigar, the flavor were still nicely done.

Score: 17

Value (0-20): In the LP line, I’ve only smoked the FFP, No. 9, and Undercrown thus far.  They are all different smokes, but I still enjoy the Undercrown for its value/flavor combo.  While the No. 9 was a strong cigar in its own right, pushing up to $13 retail gives you an enormous variety of other cigars that you can buy. I’ve heard from many people, that you may enjoy the T52 much more if you didn’t enjoy the No. 9 (and vice versa). 

Score: 16

Additional Notes: Smoked at Cigars International paired with coffee.

Overall (0-100): Well looking back at the review, I truly did not do that on purpose.  The scores go from 20, 19, 18, 17, and 16.  I feel as though there is a lot of hype around these smokes, and that can add to anticipation and willingness to grab one to try.  The cigar itself is beautiful and constructed very well overall.  My main two issues were that the flavors were somewhat stagnant during most of the whole smoke, and the higher MSRP.  Once you hit $13, I could pick probably 5 cigars that I might smoked before I grabbed a No. 9.  That is not to say that the cigar isn’t good, it’s just that I am very high on price/value/flavor combo.  I always go back to the Ramon Bueso Genesis, that in my opinion, the absolute best cigar on the market for the price.

Score:  90