The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico (Papas Fritas) - Corona (4.5 x 44) is based on the journal entry dated 2025-04-25

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Average (2)

This is a more rustic-looking cigar with a pigtail on the head and what might be a second-grade wrapper, as it’s a little more prone to spots and marks. But the leaf on this one is very oily, with a great sheen, heavy mottling, and some nice tooth. It’s firm and very lumpy with a couple of well-defined veins running through it, but the seams are relatively tight, if not always perfectly clean. The bands on the Unico series are small and simple, but I like them. Sometimes less is more.​

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Good (3) / Poor (1)

The draw is great and the burn starts well enough, but it begins to canoe quickly and goes out, needing an early relight just a half-inch in. Unfortunately, with the Papas Fritas, the mixed filler really shows itself in its inability to create a good burn line or hold the ash together. This one was all over the place with a flaky, crumbling ash. The Nasty Fritas held together much better. Even though the burn line evened out in the second half, the ash was still a total mess, and it required a second relight. A frustrating burn, to say the least. But did I mention the smoke? If you’ve had anything from the Liga Privada series, you know they tend to be absolute smokestacks. This little guy is no different—it’s like a pocket-sized smoke bomb. 💨💣

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Great (4)

Since this is a small one, I’m not going to break it down into thirds, and because of the mixed filler, it really doesn’t transition much. Short cigar, short review, just how it goes sometimes. 😉 Immediate flavors are a zesty fruit sweetness, the shining aromatic floral quality of the Mata Fina, some musty earth, and a nice kick of pepper. There’s a little bit of a black licorice flavor that I didn’t get from the Nasty Fritas, but otherwise, the profiles are highly similar: strong fruit sweetness, medium pepper, coffee, musty earth, charred wood, cocoa, mild baking spice, and aromatic barnyard notes. Even being scraps, the ingredients make for a tasty blend. When the sausage is good, you don’t always care how it’s made. Though I’m not entirely sure why I’m talking about sausage when this vitola is literally called “French Fries.” 😅 But when it comes to the Liga Privada lineup, my heart belongs to the H99, not the No. 9 or T52, and this cigar carries some of the harsher coffee, leather, and bitter trappings of those blends that I just don’t really love.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Good (3)

Unfortunately, a good blend doesn’t make up for a poor burn in my book. If you’re willing to overlook that and want a more affordable way to get into the Liga lineup, this is still a stellar option, and it’s a super tasty, quick smoke that’s a bit more budget-friendly. But for me, it’s going to be one of my last choices in the Liga Privada line. I’m just not a Cuban sandwich or tiny vitola guy. Nothing personal, but just give me the full-size H99, T52, or No. 9 first.

Review Base Rating (0-5):

3.25

Is it Burnable?

Reply hazy, try again (just ok, the juice isn't worth the squeeze)

Review Final Score (0-10):

6.33

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.