Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9 Toro

📌 Brand: Drew Estate
📌 Line: Liga Privada No. 9
📌 Size: Toro (6" × 52)
📌 Weight: 18.4 g
📌 Age: 4 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua

Tasting Notes

• Dark Chocolate – Deep, lush sweetness

• Espresso – Roasted, oily richness

• Black Pepper – Controlled, warming spice

• Earth & Leather – Dense, refined backbone

First Impressions

The No. 9 Toro shows a dark, oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with tight seams and solid weight. Pre-light aroma is unmistakable: cocoa, espresso, and sweet earth. Cold draw is ideal, offering chocolate and leather with perfect resistance.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Immediate richness: dark chocolate and espresso lead, pepper stays elegant. Burn is sharp and steady.

• Second Third – Earth and leather deepen the profile. Balance and complexity peak; smoke is thick and cool.

• Final Third – Pepper intensifies slightly and sweetness recedes. Requires one relight near the end, but flavor integrity remains intact.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Rittenhouse Straight Rye Bottled-in-Bond - Spicy rye grain, cocoa dust, and vanilla oak reinforce the cigar’s espresso-chocolate core while standing up to its body.

• Tea – Darjeeling Second Flush - Muscatel lift and gentle astringency refresh the palate and keep the final third lively after the relight.

Music Pairing

“Respiration” – Black Star
Smooth, thoughtful flow matching the cigar’s balance and confidence.

Final Thoughts

Liga Privada No. 9 Toro delivers exactly what it’s famous for: depth, balance, and luxurious texture. A single relight in the last third is a minor flaw in an otherwise outstanding performance.

Final Score: 9/10
Why not a 10?
One relight near the finish interrupted an otherwise flawless burn.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.