Reviews by Greeby
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Liga Privada H99 Churrasco - It's Meaty!
Liga Privada H99 Churrasco. Delivered in a 6” x 50 box-pressed toro, Churrasco lands in the hand with the confidence of a steakhouse waiter who already knows what you’re ordering, and who can blame it whilst adorning the name Liga Privada. Heavy. Dense. Absolutely stuffed to the gills. I’ll admit, I braced myself for the dreaded tight draw - the cigar equivalent of trying to drink a milkshake through a coffee stirrer. But fear not. A few draws in and it opens up for a perfect puff.
The opening notes lean rustic: hay, barnyard, and a sweet spice that hangs around on the tongue. It’s earthy but polite - boots on, hat tipped. About a half inch in, things take a turn. The hay packs up and leaves town, the spice politely excuses itself, and suddenly we’re in dessert territory. Sweetness takes center stage, with creamy, vanilla bean-esque notes that feel more pastry shop than pasture.
From there on out, the H99 Churrasco cruises. It stays smooth, composed, and remarkably well-behaved. The spice never really makes a comeback, and the cigar never flexes harder than it needs to. For a Liga Privada, this is downright approachable - no chest-thumping, no palate punishment, just a medium-bodied, refined smoke that knows not every conversation needs to be shouted. The box-press shines, in both mouthfeel and performance. A few touchups were required, but nothing to fuss about.
In short: H99 Churrasco is Liga Privada wearing a silk shirt instead of a leather jacket...and it pulls it off beautifully.
93
Uncut. Uncompromising.
Unlike some of the guys around here, I don’t have a cigar lit at all times of the day. A few of the clowns around here burn ‘em like they’re going out of style. But when I light up a cigar, I want to make sure I’ve got the time to savor and enjoy it. Plus, my personal preference is for full-bodied, powerhouse sticks. And they taste so much better when the sun’s down, and there’s a beer in my hand.
So, without further delay, let me review for you all one of my go-to, end-of-the-day blends: Diesel Uncut. If you've experienced Diesel before, you know this brand is 100% beef. The regular Diesel is a dynamite stick overflowing with flavors, and one that I’ve burnt countless times. With Diesel Uncut, famed blender A.J. Fernandez promised even more undiluted flavor, and the dress mazo packaging style keeps these sticks priced low. A winning combination so far.
But how do you turn the dial up even further on a high-octane blend like Diesel? Well with Uncut, AJ employs a rich Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper over a robust mix of Nicaraguan binder and long-filler. The wrapper has a slight shimmer of oil, and is a gorgeous warm brown color throughout. In less artsy terms: this thing looks like a friggin’ chocolate bar, and I want to tear into it.
Lighting it up, I’m never disappointed. The “uncut” foot at the end gives you a blast of the wrapper flavor as you put it to torch. It’s loaded with chocolate, dark espresso, and cedar, like any good maduro should be. As you get into the cigar, you get more black pepper and the cigar builds in strength. This is one you can easily burn your fingers on as you puff away down to the nub.
Now, as much as I love Diesel Uncut, no cigar is perfect. My complaints here are relatively minor: I wish there was a longer vitola, like a Churchill. The Toro is delicious, and I’d love to see what an extra inch or so could bring to the table. The only other thing I want to make clear is that this cigar’s got a real kick in flavor and strength. It’s great if that’s what you’re looking for (which I am), but this is definitely not a cigar to enter on an empty stomach.
Alright, I’ve droned on long enough. If this sounds good to you, I’d highly recommend a mazo of the Toros. If it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, leave ‘em all to me. Not gonna hurt my feelings.
91
Caution: WIDE load
You recognize that mug to the left of this review? You should. No, I’m not that cocky of a fellow. But I am the poor schmuck who got dubbed John Freebie in the catalog. An event that has forever changed my life… alas, It hasn’t been all bad. I quickly became a bit of a CI celebrity. For starters, the Bethlehem locals love me. When I go to the bar, people shout, “hay…you…you that guy from the catawog…from international cigars place.” Close enough, yeah…that’s me. And besides riveting conversations at the bar, I’ve also made quite a bit of headway with the ladies. Man…I really started cleaning up. Both my Mom and my Grandmother put me up on their fridge. I never got that kind of attention before. But now, a new chapter of my time at CI is being written right now. That’s right, this is my first staff review. No more coffee runs and cleaning the bathrooms for me, I’m in the big leagues. I better not botch this too bad, or the days of rockin’ Scrubbing Bubbles cologne is just around the corner.
For the longest time, the boss man has been giving me the hairy eyeball to do a staff review. So, after he damn near had a conniption-fit, I knew I better get my rear in gear. I made my selection, and began writing at a feverish clip. But then Jeff threw the new La Perla Habana WIDE on my desk, and like all new product, I had to give it a whirl. After just a few puffs, I deleted what I had jogged down and started over. This, I decided, was the perfect cigar for my first review.
To be blunt, big ring cigars aren’t my bag. My max is usually around a 55-56 (luckily the Robusto in the line is a 55-ring, for the guys out there that feel the same way). So you can understand my hesitation when I went to snip this 5.5”x62 chunky Torpedo. A quick snip on my part revealed a draw that was just right – not too tight and not too loose – a perfect medium. The cigar itself felt solid too, packed with tobaccos and containing only one soft spot. The pre-light draw was chocolaty, slightly sweet, and had a bit of a hay-like note. I quickly toasted the foot, and lit it with ease. I took a puff or two, and after the third…I was hooked. Rich, smooth, and dense smoke immediately swarmed my palate. A nice dose of molasses intertwined perfectly with cocoa and hints of toasty tobacco. What really took me by surprise was the smoothness...it was like slicing through butter. At this point I had to get my hands on the stats. And to say I was impressed is putting it lightly. At play is at three country long-filler mix from Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, all snugly presented within a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper and a Honduran binder. No wonder this thing was so damn tasty…it’s a friggin’ cornucopia of delicious tobaccos. I kept at this thing for a solid hour and a half, with the profile remaining at an even keel, never backing down, and yet never overpowering. Medium-bodied and delightful.
In the end, I was disappointed I had to put it down, because I only had two complaints. Although flavorful, it wasn’t overly complex. There was ample flavor there, yes, but it never truly shifted or transitioned into anything else. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and I think it works for this cigar. But sometimes you need that roller coaster ride to keep you on your toes. This qualm, coupled with the enormous ring-gauge, took it down a few pegs for me. But if you’re into girthy cigars, I’d say this one deserves a few extra points. All around, La Perla Habana WIDE was a nice surprise. One thing is for certain, I’m jonesin’ to give the Robusto size a go.
You can’t smoke the box, it’s a true statement. But when you’re investing in a box of cigars, it’s worth noting. And in this instance, it’s hard not to mention. WIDE fuses the traditional La Perla Habana model, with a more modern approach. Sounds like it could yield some funky results, but LPH pulled it off. What can I say…I guess I just like the pretty ladies. The biggest shock was when I checked out our everyday price. In a box for around $3-$4 apiece. Considering the smoke time on this bad boy, that’s a helluva value. All in all, it’s unlike anything I’ve seen from the La Perla camp. Give it a whirl, I think a lot of you guys are gonna dig it.
91