The Drew Estate Liga Privada H99 Robusto is a 5x54 hand rolled cigar made in La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Esteli, Nicaragua. The cigar has a Connecticut River Valley Corojo wrapper, Mexican San Andres Otapan Negro Ultimo Corte binder, and tripa blend of well-aged Nicaraguan, Honduran and Pennsylvania Green River One Sucker tobaccos. This is a standout Liga branch, much like the T52. On to the review…
First impressions: The cigar is beautiful to look at, well-constructed with a gorgeous espresso brown coloring. The first puffs bring in your face flavors of almond, cream, and espresso. My first flavor pull was almond milk in an espresso. It’s that creamy and that almond forward. Absolutely delicious beginning to the cigar.
Halfway through: The cigar is transitioning beautifully. I'm hit with more almond and cream but picked up a beautiful cherry note with hints of chocolate. Some pepper and cinnamon begin to appear, but that cherry note stays strong and prevalent. It’s such a delicious cherry note that intertwines with espresso, then cinnamon, then chocolate, and I occasionally got a strong amaretto flavoring.
The final third: Dark chocolate covered cherries. Absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. You get more cinnamon, some lingering espresso, but that chocolate and cherry flavor just takes over beautifully.
Overall: A Willy Herrera masterpiece. This cigar has it all. Incredible flavor, medium strength, beautiful construction, it’s a long smoke that never leaves you bored, and oh those cherries. If you don’t have the time to savor this stick, don’t hesitate to pick up the H99 Papas Fritas, a 4.25x44 miniature recreation of this amazing stick.
Pass or Smoke? SMOKE and Give me all the boxes!