Liga Privada Unico Ratzilla (6 1/4 x 46) Cigar

The Liga Privada Único Serie is Drew Estate's "one blend, one size" program — cigars that work as one particular vitola, with the blend unique to that format, begun in 2010 with the Dirty Rat. The Ratzilla was conceived as a larger version of that insanely popular Dirty Rat; several sizes were tested before Drew Estate settled on 6 1/4 x 46, and the cigar was handed out as a pre-release at the 2011 IPCPR show before finally going on sale in June 2012 at an event at Casa de Montecristo. It has seen only a handful of limited and seasonal retail releases since, including a run for Drew Diplomat Retailer Program stores, which keeps it one of the most sought-after blends in the Único Serie.

A Connecticut River Valley stalk-cut and cured sun-grown Habano wrapper — the same leaf used on Liga Privada T52, dark enough that it is routinely mistaken for Broadleaf — over a plantation-grown Brazilian Mata Fina binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran long-fillers. It uses the same tobaccos as the Dirty Rat, with the blend tweaked to suit the longer format. Handmade at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua. Corona Gorda format, 6 1/4 x 46. Box count: 10 cigars.

A full-bodied smoke with deep notes of cocoa, leather, earth and espresso, closing on a sweetly spicy finish. Black pepper runs underneath throughout, with dark chocolate and coffee building through the middle of the cigar. It is not simply a bigger Dirty Rat — the longer format gives it a profile of its own.