Alright, I have a really special cigar today. This is the Liga Pravada, Year of the Rat. Now, I had to get this cigar because I was born the year of the rat in 1984.
This is a limited edition cigar from 2022, so you’re not gonna find this anywhere. I found a place that had three of them and I bought the last three. The thing though is that I did a little bit of research and realized that 2022 was not the year of the rat
So why is this called the year of the rat? Well, it actually has to do with hockey.
In 1996, the Florida Panthers made it to their first Stanley cup. They were an expansion team, and made it to their first Stanley cup. During that season, one of the players killed a rat in the locker room before a game with a stick, and then scored two goals in that game with the same stick, so one of the players joked that he had a rat trick, (instead of a hat trick which is 3 goals). That kind of stuck around. You’ll see fans throwing plastic rats during and after games when they win and things like that.
So in 2016, it was a 20 year anniversary of them making it to the Stanley cup.
They released this cigar, the year of the rat, the first time in 2016. Then rereleased it in 2020, which was actually the year of the rat, and again in 2022, which is what I have right here.
So the roots are not from the Chinese zodiac, but in 2021 Liga Privada did release the year of the ox cigar, which does match up with the zodiac. So I guess that would be the first official Chinese zodiac inspired cigar.
| Wrapper Origin: Connecticut | Shape: Toro |
| Length: 6 | Ring: 50 |
| Wrapper: Broadleaf | List Price: $239 (Box of 24) |
| Origin: Nicaragua | Strength: Medium |
Pre-Light
I’m really excited to cut this. Smoke it, and let you know how it is. All right, so the Liga Privada Year of the Rat is Nicaraguan cigar, but the filler is from Nicaragua and Honduras. The binder is from Brazil, and the wrapper is Connecticut broadleaf, obviously from the US. It’s a full-strength cigar. It’s about $16 a stick, but it’s impossible to get right now.
But they might rerelease it again. All right, so you see the wrapper is really nice, toothy, it’s really nice and dark, has a beautiful sheen to it.
So I’m going to give this a cut and light it up. All right, so right from the beginning.
Smoking Experience
Initial Reaction
The dark chocolate and leather is very apparent, and there’s some lingering pepper afterwards. So far, it’s definitely not disappointing.
Half-Way Through
All right, I’m more than halfway done with it now. It was a lot of the same, but enjoyable. So a lot of leather, a lot of dark chocolate. It was some coffee, still had the peppery throughout and just a lot of smoke.
Overall Review
Definitely recommend this. Obviously kind of sucks to recommend it since you’re not going to be able to get it right now unless they do release a new release in one in the coming years, but anytime Liga Privada has a special release, you should definitely try and pick it up and give it a shot because they almost never disappoint.
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Liga Undercrown Maduro Gran Toro Review
This cigar is more than worth it for its price point. Complex and full-bodied flavors are present in this Liga Undercrown Maduro Gran Toro. For veteran cigars, there are a lot of flavors to explore in this cigar. Moreso, this is a cigar worth gifting or recommending to fellow enthusiasts. There are plenty of flavors that drum up nicely in your palate without leaving bitterness with a full-body and strength. The retrohale and finish are both smooth. Overall for my Liga Privada Maduro cigar review, I give it an 88.
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La Herencia Cubana Toro Cigar Review
Overall, smoking the La Herencia Cubana Toro cigar is not a good decision for me regarding its flavor profile. From the first third up until the final third, the only flavors I picked up are black pepper and Nicaraguan tobacco. The creaminess starts to appear on the final third, but it is not even that rich; it’s more placed at the back of the flavor profile. These flavors made my throat really dry and I find them too much. Read my full La Herencia Cubana cigar review here.
