Liga Privada Ratzilla pre production

Today's review is another cigar I brought back from my recent Cigar Safari. The Ratzilla is another upcoming release from Drew Estate in the Liga Privada line. This is a larger version of the very popular Dirty Rat (part of the Unico series) and is supposedly the same blend, just more of it! The Ratzilla measures in at 6x46 and will have a pigtail like the Dirty Rat when it goes into full production. This sample is a pre production cigar, but I saw (and smoked) the actual production Ratzillas being rolled and it looks fantastic with the little fantail tip on it. Pretty much as soon as the regular Dirty Rat was released people were asking for a larger size in that blend. At the factory they tried several different sizes, including a 7x44 Dirty Rat (which I smoked and loved!) but with the lancero coming out they thought that size was too similar. Apparently this blend doesn't work very well over a 44 ring gauge, which is why this new size is still on the thinner side. Steve Saka said that this will probably be a semi-limited production cigar. 

The Ratzilla has a slightly veiny dark wrapper and is very well made. The quality control on the Liga products is top knotch. This has one of the test blend labels on it and I didn't get a chance to see what the actual Ratzilla label will look like, but my guess it will be just like the other Liga labels. The prelight draw shows light cedar and plenty of earthy flavors and some barnyard. The draw is perfect. Once lit the Ratzilla starts out with a huge rush of black pepper spice (exactly what I expect when I light up a Rat) and deep earthy flavors. This is such a rich and spicy blend that is probably too strong of a flavor for many cigar smokers, but I am a huge fan of it. After the first inch the spice has backed off just a little and more of the earthyness is coming out of it. Joining the spice and earth is plenty of leather and a mix of bitter chocolate and espresso. The retrohale on this cigar is very intense, a bit too much for me to do it frequently. The smell of this cigar burning (and all ligas for that matter) will forever remind me of my time in Esteli at the Drew Estate factory. I love how aromas trigger memories and this smell reminds me of sitting around the factory with people that share my passion for cigars. 

At the halway point the Ratzilla has mellowed out a little bit. Some cedar has crept into the flavor profile, but its light. Even though it has mellowed out, it is still a flavor bomb. Going into the final third the spice is back! This is a very full bodied cigar loaded with flavor and I would say a medium/full strength. Even with the over the top flavor of this cigar it never feels unbalanced. There is a nice comlexity to the flavor profile, not something you usually see with a cigar this spicy. 

At this point I have a hard time believing that I won't love every cigar coming out of Drew Estate that has a Liga Privada band on it. The Ratzilla was a fantastic cigar. I loved the Dirty Rat, and the Ratzilla is just more ratmeat to love! If you like bold, spicy cigars then this is one that will knock your socks off with a huge amount of flavor. I haven't heard the pricepoint for these but considering that the Dirty Rat (which is considerably smaller than this) is about 12 bucks I would expect that they won't be cheap. That being said, the Dirty Rat is pricey because it's hard to roll this complex blend in such a small size, so I wonder if the Ratzilla might not be much more expensive than the original Rat? All I know is that between this and the L40 I am going to go broke once they are both released...

Liga Privada JD #4

 

The Liga Privada JD (Jonathan Drew) #4 is a new cigar being slowly introduced by Drew Estate, and I was able to get one from Jonathan Drew at an event we held at Burning Leaf. These haven't officially been released, and if I remember correctly, won't be until early next year. Much like the Dirty Rat, this comes with a plain white band with the name printed on it. This cigar measures in at 6X52 (guessing on the ring gauge) and has the same Stalk Cut wrapper as the Liga Privada T52. The blend is supposed to a heavier version of the T52. When they were testing blends for the Liga Privada line, they obviously gave them numbers and I think that the blend that was released as the T52 was the #3 blend. The #4 blend wasn't what they wanted for that cigar at the time, but it looks like they decided that it has a place in the Liga Privada line after all!

 

This cigar looks fantastic, much like other Liga Privadas currently available. The wrapper is flawless, dark and oily, with a perfectly applied cap. The predraw shows some spice and a meaty/smoky flavor. Once lit, the JD#4 doesn't waste any time delivering loads of flavor. It starts with plenty of leather, light coffee flavors and a little bit of spice. When you look at this cigar, you would expect a pretty aggressive smoke, but it is starting out really smooth and quite pleasant. There is some sweetness in this blend as well, but the leather and coffee seem to be the core flavors that the #4 is all about. This is starting out as a medium bodied cigar with rich, full flavors. The ash holds on nicely and is a light gray color. The Liga Privadas are very well made cigars, and this one isn't any different. As I reach the halfway point, there is a little more spice present, as well as some chocolate mixed in with the already present coffee flavors. On the retrohale, I almost want to say I am getting some vanilla bean as well. The burn has been razor sharp so far. This is moving into a solid full bodied cigar once you pass the halfway point. I can see now why Jonathan said this is an amped up version of the T52. 

Another fantastic cigar from Jonathan Drew! This ends up being a solid full bodied cigar that really picks up as you smoke it. This is a complex cigar, and if you are a fan of the T52, I think you will enjoy the #4 as well. I am really impressed with the stuff Jonathan is coming out with these days. He has really re- invented Drew Estate with the Liga Privada line. Anyone who enjoys a full bodied full flavored cigar definitely need to get out there and smoke the Ligas! Once these are released, I will definitely be stocking up on them.