Cigars

Year Of The Rat (2020) Liga Privada Unico Serie

The Unico Serie, we all know it, we all like it, and we all try to get our hands on them. While the original 2016 release of Year of the Rat was challenging (to say the least) to get a hold of, Drew Estate’s launch of the Liga Privada Unico Year of the Rat 2020 will be available at upcoming Drew Diplomat events to coincide with the Chinese New Year.

Now, normally I don’t waste time talking about the labels or packaging, you have eyes, you can see what it looks like, I don’t need to describe it to you. However in this case it bears mentioning. While the bands are your classic style DE Unico bands the gold foil really makes this cigar stand out and makes you feel a bit like Charlie unwrapping his Wonka Bar to find the Golden Ticket underneath. Once the foil is removed the wrapper underneath has the color of dark aged rawhide. While the seams are nice and tight, there is some veining noticed giving it a great rustic look and feel. The cigar feels well rolled and full but complies when pressure is applied with the fingers.

The smell from the body is earthy with notes of fresh cut wood and a chocolate sweetness, the sweetness is more prominent from the foot. The cap cuts with no issues and from the cold draw flavors of rich tobacco and chocolate are present.

The first half starts with the taste of red pepper and earth with a good meatiness to it. There is loads of smoke production that’s nearly heavy enough to chew on. The draw is easy and it burns evenly.

In the second half the flavor becomes even greater. A rich mocha coffee flavor comes to the front with pepper kicking its way in on the finish. It ended with a soft creamy finish, similar to reaching the bottom of a latte with a splash of licorice on the finish. The burn remained even and only had to be re-touched with the flame once due to operator error. The smoke production remained full and heavy for the duration of the cigar.

While each article is summed up by saying I enjoyed the cigar (this is because I choose to only write about cigars I like, who wants to waste their time reading, or writing, about a bad cigar) this was really a lot of fun to smoke. The flavor was very rich and complex combined with impeccable craftsmanship, this is one I smoked down until my fingers burned because I didn’t want it to end. The Year Of The Rat 2020 is only available for purchase at Drew Diplomat Retail events. Each store hosting a Drew Diplomat event will be able to purchase up to four boxes that will be made available for sale to us consumers. So while it might be a little difficult to find its worth searching out a DDRP event and pick up as many as you can get your hands on.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Brazilian

Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran

Price: Around $16.00 – $18.00 a stick, of course you know there always discounts on box purchases at events so grab a box.

Website: Drewestate.com

Rating: 4.9 out of 5 pints

Archetype Axis Mundi

Ventura Cigar’s Archetype series is inspired by the work of psychologist Dr. Carl Jung and mythographer Joseph Campbell who defined ‘archetypes’ as the constantly repeating characters who occur in the dreams of all people and the myths of all cultures. Campbell discovered through his study of world myths that the ‘Hero’s Journey’ is a common storytelling arc that has been retold in infinite variations since time began. The Axis Mundi cigar received a 93 rating from Cigar Aficionado (in 2017) so while deciding what to write about next, I decided it was time to give it a try.

The cigar is covered in dark brown slightly toothy Maduro Habano Ecuadorian wrapper. On the wrapper there are some light but noticeable veins and a nice oily finish to it. Seams are tight, the construction feels firm to the touch and no dead spots could be found. The body gives aromas of dried fruit, citrus, hay and a bit of cedar. The cold draw has the flavor or raisin and tobacco.

The first half provides the taste of roasted nuts, spices and a touch of sweatiness I can not place. The burn is even and the ash holds easily to over an inch in length. It produces a medium amount of good weighted smoke with a pleasant aroma.

The second half relaxes into some new flavors. The creaminess of this cigar comes to the forefront along with earthiness, there is the sweetness of dried fruit accompanied with spices on the finish. Reaching the end large amounts of cedar can be noticed and the flavor, in general, is what I would describe as a full. By the midpoint, smoke production has increased to larger amount, the burn remains even for the duration of the cigar and the ash continues to hold tight until knocked free.

“Heaven meets earth” in this collaboration between Ventura Cigar and Drew Estate. This sublimely balanced Nicaraguan powerhouse “delivers rich, complex layers of spice, [dried fruit], maple syrup and charred oak”.

Wrapper: Maduro Habano Ecuador

Binder: Indonesia Sumatra

Filler: Habano Nicaragua

Price: Around $9.00 – $11.00 a stick depending on where you find them.

Website: Venturacigar.com

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints

Psyko Seven Nicaragua

The Psyko Seven Nicaragua is the most recent collaboration between Ventura Cigar Co. and Nicaraguan cigarmaker Indiana Ortez. It is rolled entirely with Nicaraguan tobaccos and according to Ventura, all the tobacco except the wrapper, used in the Psyko Seven Nicaragua blend was grown by the Ortez family. The Nicaraguan wrapper is said to be from a 2007 crop that was grown using a desflorado process. (Don’t recommend google searching that one so just click the link to the definition.)

The wrapper is light golden brown in color with light veining which gives it a smooth feel to the touch. Construction wise it feels full and firm and does not give much when pressure is applied. It offers the smell of raisins and tea leaves. The cap cuts with no damage caused to the wrapper. The cold draw is easy and the flavor reminds me of coriander with a hint of sweetness and another flavor that is familiar but I can not place it.

During the first half starts off peppery but then quickly mellows into a creamy flavor. The smoke production is full but light adding to the creamy texture of the cigar. The burn is even and the ash holds tightly until choosing to knock it off.

The second half the creaminess retreated to the back and more of a pepper and earth flavor come to the forefront. While there was this change in flavor the latte like flavor and feel of the cigar does not disappear. The burn stays sharp for the duration of the smoke and the ash is tight but does start to fall off quicker than the first half.

This cigar was an enjoy to smoke, from construction to flavor it was done right. Easy enough to smoke for a rookie and intriguing enough for the self described aficionado. Ventura is doing a great job adding to their cigar portfolio and I hope to continue seeing more added. If you want to know more about their cigars give the original PSyKo SEVEN review a read by clicking here.

Wrapper – Nicaraguan Connecticut

Binder – Nicaraguan

Filler – Nicaraguan

Price: Around $8.50 depending on location