REVIEW: Pre-production Liga Privada Unico Serie Ratzilla

Tonight's review is a pre-production sample of a new cigar in the Liga Privada Unico Serie line from Drew Estate -- the Ratzilla. Last year, Drew Estate released the Dirty Rat which became an instant favorite on many blogs (including mine.) The Ratzilla is the same blend of tobaccos as the Dirty Rat, just in a much larger size. Can you say yummy? Rumor has it that this stick is officially going to be released at this year's IPCPR show, but after spending some time with Steve Saka (president of Drew Estate), I know how personally he takes Liga Privada and these cigars will not be released until they are "ready" by his standards.

A little about this sample: This past January, I was invited to go the Drew Estate Cigar Safari with my partners at Cigar Explorer. We spent 3 days touring factories, trying many new cigars, and even blending two batches of our own sticks. This was an absolutely amazing trip and I am very thankful to the entire Drew Estate crew for making this a reality for me and my partners. This particular sample of the Ratzilla up for review was taken right off of the rolling table by Pedro Gomez (Drew Estate International Sales and Cigar Safari Guide) and handed to me while on the tour. I watched the woman roll this stick with my own eyes, so to say that it might be a little young might be a huge understatement.

The stick has spent three weeks resting in my cooler and I can't wait any longer to fire it up.

Specifics  
Vitola: Long Corona
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Stalk-Cut Sun-grown Habano
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan
Price: $??
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://www.drewestate.com/

Pre-Light 

After a few weeks' rest, my first inspection of the pre-production sample of the Ratzilla, had me thinking it still was a bit "wet". The tobacco was a little spongy and soft, but firm enough that I thought it would smoke. Like I said above, I had only waited three weeks, as my temptation had the better of me. The stick did have some weight in my hand and felt evenly packed from head to foot. The wrapper was very toothy, with a few larger veins, but when rolling the stick the palm of my hand, it felt very smooth. The cigar did not give off much of an aroma and the cold draw had a faint natural tobacco taste mixed with some spice.    

First Third

I lit my Ratzilla with a triple flame torch and was immediately hit with what I was expecting. Delicious black peppery spice was blasted my taste buds. I am a big fan of this flavor (it's what I like so much about the Dirty Rat), so I was hoping for it. The first inch or so of the stick continued to produce a strong black pepper flavor, but after getting past that start the flavor started to mellow. The cigar was now producing a milder black pepper on the front, mixed with some earthy sweetness on the finish. The construction of the stick is well worth mentioning because the draw was perfect, the burn was perfect, and the volume of smoke was enjoyable. Unlike the Dirty Rat, the body at this point was more in the medium range and not full-on nicotine buzzing.

Second Third

In the second third of my Ratzilla, the pepper flavor really mellowed off, almost to non-existent. Actually, I would say the flavor was completely gone, but the feeling of the tingle on my tongue I got from the black pepper spice was still there. On the front of the flavor profile, I then picked up a mild, yet very distinct cedar taste. What I found most interesting about that taste is that this particular stick has never seen the inside of a cedar box. This cigar was literally taken off the rolling table, put into my travel humi, and moved straight into my cooler, yet the cedar was definitely the flavor I tasted. Along with the cedar on the front, I started to get some bitter chocolate notes on the finish. This too was a pretty mild taste, but very obvious and easy to pick out of the smoke. Again, the construction was top notch with zero issue keeping the cigar drawing well and burning evenly.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my Ratzilla is where I think the cigar being young/fresh might have shown up. The flavors were still there from the second third: cedar on the front and bitter chocolate on the finish. However, the power of the flavors had diminished even more from the mild range into the almost-not-there range. I want to say certainly that it was not flavorless, just extremely mild at this point. In complete contrast to that, the body of the stick was now well into the full range and I could feel my heartbeat kicking up a few notches. Another change that seemed to happen in the final third is the smoke volume picked up even more than the first two portions of the cigar. I was getting plenty of smoke from the get go, but now I was getting really thick, full clouds. As you can see from the pictures, I had no problem nubbing the cigar, and the stick never got hot or sour.

My final thoughts on the pre-production Liga Privada Ratzilla? It's not fair at all to judge a cigar overall on a sample that is so fresh, or maybe even on just smoking one of them (that's always debated.) Like I always tell people who ask me about this blog and reviewing: I am reviewing the one stick I am smoking, not the entire brand/line. With that said, I feel like my Ratzilla sample is/was a sleeping monster. The flavors are all there and that pepper at the beginning is ready to jump up and bite you. In my opinion, the blend is ready and dead on. The cigars just need some time to fully mature. I think that would help prevent the flavor strength from dwindling like it did for me in the final third. This monster will wake up and it will be another instant favorite to many cigar smokers.  

Would I buy it again? I have no idea how much this cigar is going to cost, but I am sure I will be buying more of them when they are on the shelf and in full production.

Would I buy a box?  If it's anything like the Dirty Rat price, this is more than likely going to be out of my budget range for box purchases. But, if I fell into a lot of extra cash, this is a cigar that would be high on my box-buying list.

Dan

REVIEW: Illusione 88 Candela

We don't see a lot of green between December and February here in Columbus, so for today's review, I thought I get my fill by trying the new candela leaf-wrapped Illusione 88 from Dion Giolito (@vudu9 on twitter), owner of Illusione Cigars. Earlier in the year, Illusione put out another vitola with this wrapper (the HL) which received decent reviews. I smoked a few of them and thought they were very interesting; perhaps not an everyday kind of cigar, but something fun to mix it up. I asked Dion why he did the candelas via twitter and his response is below:

I've just always liked candelas. It's olde tyme flavor. Back in the day, all of the old cats that hung out in the casinos smoked them. --Dion Giolito


The "regular" Illusione 88 has been a staple in my humidor ever since I received a box as a wedding gift. It's not a vitola in the core Illusione line that gets a ton of praise around the web, but I have always been a big fan and try to keep some on hand (note to self: I am out - order some more). With all that said, this is my first time trying the blend with the candela wrapper, so let's see how it goes.

On to the review.

Specifics  
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Candela
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $??
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://www.illusionecigars.com/


Pre-Light 

The waxy green wrapper color is a pretty crazy sight to behold on the Illusione 88 Candela. I smoke a lot of Illusione products, so seeing a very familiar band with a very unfamiliar color definitely made me take a extra minute or two staring at the cigar before cutting it. With that said, the color does stand out, but what also stands out just as much is the STRONG pre-lit aroma. I could be nice and say it smelled like hay, or barnyard, but really it smelled just like walking into the elephant house at the zoo. A little off-putting, yes, but we've all smoked cigars that smell awful before lighting them, and then the flavors are great after. The cigar cut easily and the cold draw tasted of natural tobacco mixed with some grassy notes.

First Third

The Illusione 88 Candela lit easily with my soft flame lighter and immediately produced thick clouds of smoke that had an interesting aroma. It was not a grassy aroma like I would expect from the cold draw, but more of a earthy aroma that you sometimes smell at your local garden nursery. The initial flavors were black peppery spice with hints of leather and earth on the front, but on the finish was where things got interesting. After blowing the smoke out of my mouth and nose, I was left with a sweet taste that reminded me of raw sugar; not so sweet that it was sickening or gross, but a nice, natural sweetness that is an unusual taste in cigars. Lots of cigars have sweet flavors, but not this flavor. When you smoke one, I think you will know what I'm talking about. The draw and filler burn of the stick was perfect in the first third, but the wrapper leaf had some issues burning straight. I'm not an expert on candelas but I would venture to say that this is common with that style of wrapper. The body was in the mild to medium range.

Second Third

In the second third of my Illusione 88 Candela, the flavor profile changed up a bit. On the front, the black peppery flavors diminished and the strong flavor coming through now was leather. I still got the tingly sensation on my taste buds that the pepper normally gives, but the taste of it was gone. The finish again was where this cigar was most interesting. Along with that natural sweetness from the first third I was now tasting some green tea flavors. I'm not sure if the color of the cigar played tricks on my flavor palate or what? But if you have ever had an Arizona Green Tea from your local corner shop, this is the flavor I was tasting. My smoking partner commented that the mixture of the sugar with the green tea reminded him of green tea ice cream. Again, just like the first third, the draw and filler burn were spot on, just the wrapper leaf needed a touch up here and there with my lighter.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my Illusione 88 Candela was pretty much the same as the second third, except for the strength seemed to pick up quite a bit. I would put this part of the stick solidly on the medium range, if not reaching into the medium to full area. The flavors were like before, strong leathery tastes on the front, sweet sugar and green tea on the finish. Something I have not mentioned is just how clean tasting this cigar was. The smoke does not leave any heavy or thick feeling in my mouth, which for me is unusual for a cigar with a predominantly leather taste. Just something I thought worth mentioning. I nubbed the stick and never felt any heat or harshness at the end.

My final thoughts on the Illusione 88 Candela? This was a fun and easy cigar to smoke. Aside from the few touch ups to keep the wrapper burning straight, I never had any problems with the construction or getting full draws of smoke from the cigar. The flavor profile was pretty classic Illusione 88 style with that crazy finish (although I didn't get the black cherry flavor that I normally get when I think of this blend, maybe that's all in the wrapper?) . It was a nice change up from what I normally smoke and a great stick for sitting around with a friend and having a conversation.
 
Would I buy it again? Sure I'd buy a few of these to keep on hand. As I wrote in the top potion of this post, I am a big fan of the 88. I don't think this cigar replaces the regular 88 for my favorite in the blend, but it's still nice to have something different now and then.

Would I buy a box?  I don't think I'd buy a full box of these cigars. I did enjoy smoking it very much, but if I had to choose, I'd still go with the regular 88 in a box purchase. I hope other people review this cigar because I'd really like to read other peoples' experiences and see if they are similar.

Dan