General Observations: This cigar looks stronger than it is, but don’t let that gorgeous Maduro wrapper fool you. If you’re used to the more robust Liga Privada No.9 and T52 cigars, by comparison, the Liga Undercrown Gran Toro is surprisingly mellow and much sweeter overall. The balance of flavors was perfect. Not as complex as the full-bodied Liga Privadas, but there’s a lot more going on here than you might suspect. As the burn crossed over into the second half of the cigar the flavors intensified slightly and some sweet-spicy notes crept in. There wasn’t a bitter note to be found in this cigar.
Summary: Even with all the hype I’ve heard about this cigar, it still exceeded my expectations; in my opinion it’s one of the best cigars I’ve smoked all year. Another great job by the Drew Estate team with compliments to their torcedors, who originally created this blend for themselves.
The flavors caramelize beautifully as the cigar burns. Moreover, the flavor, burn, ash, aroma were phenomenally consistent. This cigar was so delicious I smoked it as far down as I could handle it; even at that last 1/2 inch, the smoke was still smooth and flavorful. You can tell that a lot of love went into making this edition. It paired well with the vodka and bitter lemon, though I would also like to pair one up with a good Tawny Port. If I had to sum up this cigar in a word, it would be “flawless.”
Final Rating: ????
Rating scale
? = Fair to Midland
?? = Good
??? = Excellent
???? = Outstanding
????? = Extraordinary
See for yourself – and view the entire lineup of Liga Undercrown cigars by Drew Estate.
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Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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I have seen what appears to be the same cigar but with a footband that reads “Maduro”. Are these the same cigars or are they two differently made sticks?