Drew Estates' Liga Privada Unico Serie UF-4 Review

Cigar: Liga Privada Unico Serie “UF-4”
Size: 6 x 52
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Wrapper: Connecticut Valley Stalk Cut and Cured Sun Grown Habano
Price: $13 each
Individual Weight: 16.77g
Press Release: “Stronger than the T-52, as it has more Ligero leaf within than the T-52” – Top Quality Cigars

Pre-Light: This is a cigar that I’ve wanted to try since first hearing about it last year. Knowing what little information is out about the Liga Privada UF-4 is what is driving my need to smoke this one. Originally dubbed the JD-4, after Jonathan Drew, the UF-4 features extra leafs of Ligero amping up the flavor, strength, and body of this Drew Estate offering. Coming only in a Toro size, the UF-4 we received for review is absolutely flawless in construction. The wrapper is as oily as I’ve ever seen, with the only being being extremely minimal in size. The triple-cap head is evenly applied, and the foot shows dense folds of tobacco tucked inside a plantation-grown Brazilian Mata Fina binder. A pre-light draw presents sweet flavors, starchy in nature similar to the taste of a raw potato, with a bit of sugar on it. Tobacco flavors then come through the back of the sinuses to remind you that it’s a cigar, not food you’re tasting.

1/3rd: I’m instantly inundated with unforeseen spice in the back of the throat. There hasn’t been a cigar I’ve smoked in recent memory that instantly peppers my tongue with flakes of cayenne pepper quite as much as the first few puffs off this UF-4 has. The spice lingers for about 15 seconds before being washed away by a wave of cedar that seems to be crested in leather. Big flavors on this bad boy, that’s for sure. Heavy leather taste starts overtaking the spice as the cherry gets up to temp an inch into the cigar. Dabs of dry cocoa pop out, but are quickly overtaken by the cedar notes that seem to linger on the palette for minutes after puffing. As I near the final bit of the first third, the cedar notes change and develop a bit into a more hickory flavor, as it starts to pepper the sinus a bit with a very dry woodiness.

½ Way: A bit of dark chocolate greets me at the halfway point, draped in the Liga’s usual wooded cape, begging to be tasted. The oils seem to be rolling from the cherry on the wrapper, drenching the bit of tobacco to be burned next in a wash of terpines and flavinoids. The woodiness continues to dominate the majority of the second third of the UF-4, with minor changes in background and finish flavors. Near the end of the second third, I notice a slight hint of marshmallow flavor, but not its sweetness. Earthy notes also come into the fold here nearing the beginning of the final bit of cigar. Mineral notes and a slight clayishness seem to intensify an already amazing set of flavors.

Final 3rd: Just after removing the band, I start to feel the effects of that extra Ligero leaf. Beads of sweat start to build on my brow and nose, and my eyes start to get a bit droopier than normal. The strength on this cigar is what I would call full, with the body being extra-full. The smoke itself is lighter in nature than other cigars offer, but the sheer volume of smoke that this cigar puts off keeps this UF-4 on par with the strongest cigars in the market. The flavors are extremely sharp and in your face with this stick, with it having all the character of the L40 Lancero, but with extra boldness and spice added to up the ante. The smoke has become thick and almost meaty in texture by this point. I’m finding myself struggling to finish this cigar due to the sheer strength of it keeping me from picking arms up to grab it from the desk.

Final Thoughts: The Liga Privada UF-4 seemed to burn for hours on end. I can’t exactly remember when I sparked this one, but I know it was over two hours ago. The flavors of the UF-4 are extremely lucid and bold, keeping the smoker interested throughout the cigar. The aromas are also just as nuanced and tactile, as people in the room with me mention how good this cigar smells. Having experienced just one of these cigars so far, I can say without a doubt that if you are planning on smoking one of these UF-4s, you definitely want to eat a full lunch or dinner prior to lighting one up. The nicotine in this cigar is no joke, and with the flavors lingering on the palette nearly as long as the nicotine keeps you sedated, you will probably want to keep a glass of cold water nearby as well (along with a sugar packet or two). Just when I thought that the Liga Privada line couldn’t get much bolder, they hit me with this, the most powerful Liga Privada to date, the UF-4.


A+ is the final grade.



Click this link to see the photography

[dave]

Apppreciate the thorough, thoughtful review. Thanks.

But the tag line about witholding your grade from us unless we go to your blog? Not so much. IMHO

Originally Posted by dave

Apppreciate the thorough, thoughtful review. Thanks.

But the tag line about witholding your grade from us unless we go to your blog? Not so much. IMHO

You have my opinion on the stick. If you want the final grade, click. If you don't, then don't. Easy as pie.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Bad Finger

You have my opinion on the stick. If you want the final grade, click. If you don't, then don't. Easy as pie.

Unfortunately, that is not in compliance with our rules.

I am not a fan of those that thumb their nose at our rules.

Originally Posted by pnoon

Unfortunately, that is not in compliance with our rules.

I am not a fan of those that thumb their nose at our rules.

And I'm assuming you'll be telling dan reeve the same? And the others that do the same?

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Bad Finger

And I'm assuming you'll be telling dan reeve the same? And the others that do the same?

Don't act like a 12 year old. We will deal with issues as they crop up.

You have been reminded of the rules. Abide by them please.

[md4958]

Originally Posted by Bad Finger

And I'm assuming you'll be telling dan reeve the same? And the others that do the same?

[md4958]

Originally Posted by Bad Finger

Want the final grade and the high resolution photography? Click here

What is up with this???

Let me edit my post and I'll fix it. Easy as pie.

So, please help me understand how I can go back and edit my review, and I'll get it done.

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Bad Finger

So, please help me understand how I can go back and edit my review, and I'll get it done.

The time allowed to edit your post has expired. Post here or PM me and I will edit the original post for you.

[pnoon]

Posted here for those that haven't seen or can't find the rules.

You are welcome and we invite you to post your original reviews and articles on Cigar Asylum; however, if you do so, you must post the text in its entirety. Any threads or posts consisting of teaser or incomplete text and a link to your site are subject to deletion. You are welcome to have a link in your signature to your site; as a matter of courtesy, if you do so, we'd appreciate (but won't require) a link back to Cigar Asylum as well.

We didn't want to have to add this to the forum rules, but due to the continued and increasing frequency of bloggers and other site owners using Cigar Asylum as nothing more than a vehicle to drive traffic to their sites without contributing anything to the membership here, what has been more or less an unwritten rule on internet forums for a long time must now be codified here.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

[dave]

Interesting. I had no idea it was actually a rule. Well written, TOE.

I just thought OP was of questionable taste. Goes to show that taste (and common sense?) are subjective, I guess.

[LasciviousXXX]

Originally Posted by dave

Interesting. I had no idea it was actually a rule. Well written, TOE.

Well, before it was just considered common decency. However, we had to write it down as a hard & fast rule after an influx of people started using CA in a manner that was less than considerate.

Great writeup.

[OLS]

I think that what people are trying to say is that this place is free to all users, not from ad revenue,
but from founding member's pockets. People have been promoting blogs here (me included) since there
were blogs. But in most cases, we do not try to drive traffic. We do not tease. The most I will usually
say here in a review, 'this is what I thought about it, end of review. I also blogged about it.'

The link is in my signature. I do not tell people to click it, I merely infer that something regarding the
smoke is in my blog. I know the intellectual level of the people here, and feel pretty confident that
if they care, they will connect the dots. Judging from my traffic, they DON'T, but it's all I can do, knowing
that the Asylum was built on common courtesy. It is my obligation as a free user to conduct myself
as a member of a community rather than one who is here to be noticed for something other than plain
old me. If someone gets the idea that someone else is cleverly cross-promoting, it's not out of the question that
they would report it. Or a moderator would just see it and smack it down. It is never an attempt to hurt
anyone's feelings. But the Asylum is unique. Its kept that way by people who enforce a few common sense
rules based on simple courtesy. I know one thing about this place. I never got moderated for
something I didn't realize was classless while I was doing it. Its all good. If people read something you
wrote here and like it and see that you offer other material elsewhere, they will read it without any
"and if you act now" kind of stuff. And if they DON'T, we don't allow you to MAKE'em, lol.

[OLS]

And remember, if you see something you do not think is fair, click the "report Post" button next to the
offending post. Some series of events will ensue and you get to stay out of it. The rules are not JUST
for you.