Liga Privada Unico Serie Dirty Rat Cigar Review

Back in 2009, I recall sitting in a New York City Cigar Shop is a shoe shine chair with David Lafferty of Drew Estate. It was right around the time of a Cigar Aficionado function that might have been The Big Smoke or something entirely different. It was here that I was gifted with my first Dirty Rat. Over the years it feels like the Dirty Rat went from cult status to a cigar that is fairly obtainable if you know where to look.

The cigar utilizes tobacco from the Connecticut River Valley in which The Cigar Authority traveled to last summer to broadcast live on location from a tobacco farm where the havana seed wrapper for this cigar may have come from. The cigar actually utilizes the same wrapper as the Liga Privada T52.

Cigar Review: Liga Privada Unico Serie Dirty Rat
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate
Wrapper: Stalk Cut American Habano (Connecticut)
Binder: Mata Fina (Brazil)
Filler: Honduras & Nicagua
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 44
Vitola: Corona
Strength: Medium-Full

The Look: In the last 6+ years the packaging of the cigar hasn’t changed. Each box contains slotted grooves in which the Dirty Rat sits perfectly with a notch included for the fan tail style cap. Looking at the cigar, the wrapper has a brindle like effect that and some faint oils. The cigar has a lot of veins present, but it is exceptionally and flawlessly rolled. The Dirty Rat utilizes seven different tobaccos and that is evident in the weight of the cigar which is hefty for its size.

The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar reminds me of breakfast cereal, specifically Rice Krispies from right out of the box with hints of apple and earth. The aroma off the foot is faint but serves up some cedar and cinnamon.

I decided to cut the cigar with my Jaws Cutter and spark it up with a Vertigo Glock and once the cigar is lit I am hit with a burst of damp earth and a touch of leather and an exorbitant amount of black pepper. A little less than a half-inch into the cigar the initial notes begin to dial it back a notch. As the cigar develops further some notes of chocolate and a wisp of cinnamon come into play with some red pepper through the nose.

The second third of the cigar sees the red pepper continue on the retrohale and the lingering finish of the cigar. On the palate some notes of toast and coffee enter the mix transitioning to notes of heavy cream and cedar. The little cigar is incredibly complex especially when retrohaling.

The last third of the cigar sees the cedar component become dominant with a soft creamy finish. The red pepper notes that were strong on the retrohale have faded tremendously and the cigar finish more on the medium side then the medium-full of the first two-thirds.

The Burn: At 5 x 44 you would expect this to be a quick smoke, but it lasted for a little over 90 minutes. Like many cigars from Drew Estate it produced a metric ton of smoke giving the appearance that the cigar is smoking itself when it is resting on the lip of my ashtray.  The burn was crisp with a thin combustion line and a firm white ash that held well.

The Finish: While finding the Dirt Rat has gotten easier, it is still one of those rare cigars that people go crazy over. While the L40, UF-13 and Pigs are harder to find I rather smoke the Rat. The size is perfect for me, and the complexity of tobacco of 7 different tobaccos just works. Smooth, balanced and complex the cigar is worthy of a box purchase.

Score: 91
Price: $15.19 / $161.99