The Heartbreak Of A Damaged Liga Privada T52

First off, I’d like to welcome Oja Cigars, my latest site sponsor.  Click on the ad on the right and try their cigars if you get the chance.  Oja has four lines of cigars in several sizes, all made in Esteli.  It’s no secret that these have become a favorite of mine over the last several months.  Each line has a little something special to distinguish itself from the others.  Thank you to Luis Garcia and Oja Cigars for the support!

As I was rummaging around the humidor picking out some cigars to pack for my trip, I noticed a Liga Privada T52 robusto that had a cracked wrapper.  Imagine my horror.  This particular cigar came from the Drew Estate Blogger Party in Vegas at the IPCPR show, so it had been through a lot in it’s life.  Vegas isn’t kind to cigars.  Anyway, once i find a damaged cigar in my humidor, it has to go.  No question about it, it can’t continue to exist with the rest of it’s perfect brethren.  Maybe I’m shallow, or bigoted.  Certainly my CDO (that’s OCD in the correct, alphabetical order by the way!), but that’s just the way it is.  So I smoked it.  I peeled off the cap and used it as a bit of a band-aid of sorts, although the cap didn’t cover the entire crack, but it turned out OK.  I was expecting it to explode when it heated up, but it didn’t.  As usual, the T52 was a terrific cigar, despite the damage.  It burned like a champ, didn’t explode, and, while not as enjoyable as a perfect cigar, it delivered in the flavor department and was very satisfying.   Liga Privada, be it No.9, T52, or Serie Ünico, are exceptional cigars, one of the few cigars I consider worthy of the price-tag.

I’ve been alluding to my upcoming trip, and the day has come.  This time tomorrow I’ll be waking up in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and getting ready for a 3 day tour of the General Cigar factories and fields.  Stay tuned for updates along the way.  I’ll be taking pictures and video along the way and will try to upload something interesting over the next couple days, dependent upon connectivity.  Myself, and my 14 fellow bloggers will have a full schedule of educational activities and tours.  I feel very fortunate to be able to have this experience and share it with my readers.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig