Liga Privada and Undercrown come out of the same Drew Estate factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, and share a lot of the same tobacco. So which one should you pick? Here is how the No. 9, T52, H99 and Undercrown compare.
Liga Privada No. 9: the original
Liga Privada means "private blend" in Spanish, and Drew Estate released the first batch in 2007. The No. 9 is a four-country blend: a dark broadleaf wrapper grown in Connecticut, a Brazilian mata fina binder, and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. If you want the darkest and richest of the family, start here. Liga Privada No. 9 Robusto
Liga Privada T52: a different wrapper on a similar core
The T52 arrived in 2009 and swaps the broadleaf for a Connecticut Habano wrapper. If you love the No. 9, the T52 is the natural next one to try. Liga Privada T52
Liga Privada H99
Announced in 2018, the H99 uses a red-hued Corojo wrapper grown in the Connecticut River Valley over a Mexican San Andrés binder and aged Nicaraguan and Honduran filler. Liga Privada H99 Papas Fritas
Undercrown: the rollers' blend
Undercrown started when the factory rollers were smoking so many Liga Privadas that management asked them to stop. They blended their own cigar instead, from many of the same tobaccos, and Jonathan Drew called it an inverse Liga Privada. It debuted in 2011 with a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper.
- Maduro (2011): the dark original. Undercrown Maduro Gran Toro
- Shade (2015): an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper for a lighter smoke. Undercrown Shade Robusto
- Sun Grown (2017): an Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed sun grown wrapper, sitting between the other two.
Which one should you buy?
New to the family? A Liga Privada sampler or an Undercrown Maduro is the easiest way in. Love dark, rich cigars? Go straight to the No. 9. Want to compare wrappers? Smoke a No. 9 and a T52 side by side.
See every size we carry on our Liga Privada and Undercrown pages, in our Oakland Park, FL shop or online.
