- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate
- Wrapper: Stalk cut Habano
- Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
- Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran
- Length: 5”
- Ring Gauge: 54
- Vitola: Robusto
Released in 2009, the Liga Privada T52 was a follow up to the Liga Privada No. 9. It comes with a stalk-cut wrapper, which means the entire stalk is cut and hung in tact in the barn to dry. This way, the stalk continues to provide nutrients to the leaves, making for a richer leaf.
When I see it is a super toothy, dark wrapper that is fun to touch. The band is a cream color with Liga Privada T52 written in a cursive script across some dotted squares. It lends a certain whimsy to the cigar. It smells of cedar and earth before lighting it. It lights easily and burns evenly from the start.
The first third is a lush array of bold flavors. I taste the cedar but there is also leather and coffee supported strongly by that earthy smell it promised from earlier. Black pepper is on the finish that is both manageable and enjoyable. There’s a bit of sweetness to the overall taste as well.
That sweetness opens up in the second third of the cigar and the spice quiets slightly. The smoke becomes almost creamy in its sweetness. It has definitely mellowed and I find it relaxing. The smoke at this point of the cigar is ample and pleasant.
Boldness flourishes again in the final third, turning this into more of a full-bodied smoke. The coffee returns, along with the leather and now the sweetness is more chocolately. The earthiness also makes its presence known again and the pepper is back on the finish. The cigar burns a bit hot towards the very end but I find I am still able to nub the stick.
I find the T52 to be a well constructed and consistent sort of cigar. The only oddness that I seem to sometimes run into is that the ash tends to flower out in strange directions, which is interesting in that annoying kind of way, making it more flaky when it does this. I think this is an enjoyable smoke, with a good amount of complexity in the flavor profile to keep it interesting. I am never bored with this cigar and have been known to buy it by the box and rely on it when uncertain what I want to smoke on a breezy afternoon.