This one was part of a bomb I received from a C-bid member after I made a comment in a thread that I had never tried a Liga Privada. He sent me a couple of the #9s (excellent), a T52 (meh), and this one.
First few draws...this cigar is "strong". A bit too strong, honestly. But I'm powering through it. I have to take smaller draws because this baby packs a punch. Quite a sting in the nostrils. Good flavors, but not as much depth as the #9. Good burn and draw. The aroma is woodsy.
About 1" in...the "strength" has subsided a bit. The cigar has become more enjoyable overall. Still quite the spice bomb. Flavors are straightforward tobacco with a woodsy flavor on the finish.
About 2" in...this cigar has settled into a nice medium plus range. The woodsy flavors have become more dominant, though the overall flavor of the cigar is still a bit one-dimensional. Not a bad smoke. No burn corrections so far.
About halfway...about the same. An enjoyable smoke, but not special. One minor burn correction.
A little past halfway...this cigar is finally starting to open up a bit. Now a solid medium "strength", much of the overwhelming bite has gone out of the nose exhale. The woodsy flavor is still present, but a nice liquor sort of flavor is noticeable on the finish. The cigar has gotten a lot smoother.
Toward the end...not much of a change except for the liquor flavor on the finish becoming more pronounced. I let 'er die at just over 1".
Final thoughts...although this wasn't a bad cigar, it pales in comparison to the regular Liga Privada #9. And at over $200 for a box of 15, I would never even consider buying a box.
