Liga Privada Unico Serie Ratzilla

The Liga Privada Único Serie Ratzilla is produced at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua and is considered one of the most sought after sizes in the Unico Series. The cigar is available only through members of the Drew Diplomat Retailer Program of which Two Guys Smoke Shop is. This weekend The Cigar Authority will welcome Drew Estate to the podcast.

Cigar: Liga Privada Unico Serie
Wrapper:Connecticut River Valley Stalk Cut & Cured Sun Grown Habano
Binder:Plantation Grown Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Nicaragua & Honduras
Length: 6.25″
Ring Gauge: 46
Size: Ratzilla

The Look: Liga Privada Ratzillas are available in 10-count boxes, emblazoned with the Único Serie branding. The cigar feature a pigtail a cap and a variation of the Liga Privada band, in this case denoted Ratzilla. In the hand the wrapper feels coarse under the fingers like sand paper, although there is fair amount of oils present on the wrapper. It’s firm to the touch with no voids of tobacco and a well packed foot.

The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar has some sweetness to it along with some floral components giving it a ginger like quality. There is also a saltiness present on the lips, while the aroma off the foot serves up more floral components. Once we toast the foot the first note offer up is a light floral note.

Moving into the first third of the cigar the floral note begins to pull back as notes of cedar and leather begin to develop and by the half inch mark the floral notes have disappeared. Moving further in the first third of the Ratzilla the leather notes pull back slightly allowing the wood to dominant with hints of nutmeg and brown sugar. The retrohale of the cigar is surprisingly smooth as I expected an abundance of pepper and the finish is long.

The second third sees notes of cedar become dominant with leather lingering in the background. Around the halfway point some coffee notes join the mix and as the second third comes to a close it becomes the core taste of the cigar. The retrohale of the cigar remains smooth with notes of pepper and the long finish has a leathery feel to it.

The last third sees a mineral note develop which for me has become synonymous with Liga Privada. It works in this cigar as it doesn’t adjust to balance. The cigar also continues to serve up coffee, leather, black pepper and a slight nuttiness with an exceptionally long finish.

The Finish: Back in the day Liga Privada was the cigar of choice for cigar enthusiasts, but I personally feel it has lost its luster over the years not getting the attention is deserves. Some might argue that the cigar isn’t the same as it once was, but the Ratzilla reminded me of Liga Privada in it’s glory days. It was smooth, complex and everything I remembered to be. So much in so it has created a renewed interest for me.

Score: 92
Price: $152.99/Box