It's time I started this back up. Can't let the Whale have all the fun.
Liga Privada #9 Dirty Rat (5x44)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf - Maduro
Binder: Brazil
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras
Music: Band of Horses
Drink: Magic Hat #9
Other: Friday night E-HERF with badwhale, Alcibiates and Cinda.
Construction:
Generously packed for a corona, but not heavy. The Conecticut Broadleaf wrapper was a very dark brown and rough. It had some veins, but they did not cause any issues. The ash burned a dark gray and stayed put for almost an inch. I had to touch up the wrapper a little in the beginning(maybe I didn't rotate it enough:smiley2:).
First 3rd:
Immediate taste of roasted chestnuts with a smooth leathery finish. The first puff had some decent spice to it. But that died off right away. About half way into the first 3rd a mild spice came back. Nutty taste faded, just tobacco and leather now.
Second 3rd:
Spice stayed mild. Very smooth smoke. The smoke feels heavy and creamy on the tongue. The taste has turned earthy with a slightly bitter but nice dark coffee finish.
Last 3rd:
Spice mellowed a little bit and the taste turned chocolaty, not sweet, more like bakers chocolate. The coffee flavor became more robust and a grassy finish came out. Half way through this 3rd the spiced picked up more and the taste of leather took over all but the coffee flavor. Yet again the flavors changed in the last 3rd; The spice picked up more and the coffee taste came back but now tasted more like sucking on an espresso bean, the finish was woody and leathery,
Overall, the cigar was smooth the entire length and very well balanced. One of the reasons I like corona and other small ringed cigars is their more apparent complexity in flavors(for the most part, for me anyway). This cigar just adds to this thought. For 12 bucks, I feel this cigar is slightly over-priced. More of an $8-9 range would fit. But a great cigar none-the-less.