Drew Estate Adding Six Smaller Sizes to Liga Privada
Drew Estate, arguably the largest cigar manufacturer in Nicaragua, is going smaller with its six new Liga Privada sizes. The company is set to debut three new sizes in both its popular Liga Privada T52 lines, all 46 ring gauge or slimmer, at the IPR trade show.
Additionally, a new vitola called Nasty Fritas is being added to the Liga Privada Único Serie line.
Drew Estate released its first batch of Liga Privada ("private blend" in Spanish) cigars in 2007. While many companies were touting puros at that time, Liga was a four-country blend that included Brazilian Mata Fina binder covered in expensive, tantalizingly dark, broadleaf tobacco grown in Connecticut, with Nicaraguan and Honduran filler tobaccos. The brand quickly became a cult hit, and remains popular today. (Yesterday, Liga Privada was named one of the hottest cigar brands in America by Cigar Insider, the twice-monthly newsletter from Cigar Aficionado.) In 2009, Drew Estate added a companion line called Liga Privada T52.
ing the core five sizes for both Liga Privada No. 9 and Liga Privada T52 will be three new sizes: Corona Viva, which measures 6 inches by 46 ring gauge ($12.10); Petit Corona, 4 1/4 by 46 ($10.01); and a Short Panatela, 4 1/2 inches by 40 ring ($9.18). Each new size will come packed in 24-count boxes, and will be sold through authorized Drew Diplomat Retailers.
Shortly after releasing the Liga Privada T52 line, Drew Estate debuted Liga Privada Único Serie, a series of limited cigars that are all different in size and blend. This year’s release is called Nasty Fritas, a uniquely shaped conical cigar measuring 4 inches by 52 ring gauge.
The Nasty Fritas is enrobed in a Connecticut broadleaf oscuro wrapper, with a Brazilian Mata Fina binder over Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. According to Drew Estate, the filler is composed of short-cut tobaccos leftover from the Liga Privada No. 9 and T52 blends.
Liga Privada Único Serie Nasty Fritas will be sold in 50-count boxes and will carry a suggested retail price of $6.50 per cigar.
[Updated, July 12: Due to incorrect information provided by Drew Estate, the original version of this story contained errors in the cigar details. The story has been updated to reflect the correct vitola dimensions.]
