4x60 figurado
One of those (unfortunately) limited release cigars that has gotten a lot of buzz in the last year or two (including the No.9 Flying Pig), the T-52 Flying Pig is certainly a perfect example of what has allowed Drew Estate to really move in and take a position of influence in the traditional cigar world (where before they were known for their infused cigars, the Liga Privada lines, which the Flying Pig is a limited edition portion of, have really put Drew Estate on the map among smokers of... normal cigars)
The T-52 blend features a stalk cut Habano wrapper, a Brazilian binder, and a mix of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. As I have noticed with the other LP cigars, the Flying Pig is dark, oily, and toothy, and has a distinct sweet aroma, mixing floral and chocolate notes. The construction on this chubby perfecto is flawless, with a cool tightly wound pig tail cap, and a pig nose foot. The cold draw is free, and gives flavors of sweet chocolate, and a considerable earthy pepper spice. Even the cold draw leaves your palate oily, which really says something about the wrapper leaf used for the T-52.
Lit at 3:55pm.
Right away the flavor profile is spicy and meaty. It literally has a seared meat flavor, as well as an underlying sweetness that balances nicely with the considerable spice kick. The loose draw would be a problem, but smoke production is so impressive that it actually doesn't matter that the draw is almost too loose. Sitting idle in the ashtray, huge puffs of smoke come off the foot. This cigar was built to burn well. Even the tapered foot is burning really easily, and surprisingly evenly for the shape.
Burning just past the rounded foot, the flavor profile starts to change a little bit. The spice has come back a bit, just a gentle tickle that sits in the back of the throat, while the draw offers sweet cocoa, and bitter dark coffee notes. The seared meat flavor is more leathery now. The mouth feel is extremely oily and dense, and the almost overwhelming smoke production only serves to accentuate that.
The ash is firm, and a light grey color, with a ton of tooth visible in little blobs and pockets. The burn line, while not RAZOR sharp, is just shy of it. Draw remains free, and produces massive amounts of rich oily smoke. The flavor profile, just hitting the second third has become even darker, black coffee and earthy cocoa. The spice continues much the same, lingering at the back of the throat.
Just passing the halfway mark, and the ash is still there. It hasn't fallen once, which is likely a combination of the large ring gauge, and the great construction. It's very cool, regardless of the reason, especially so because of the shape. The flavor profile remains the same, black coffee, a bit of bitter dark chocolate, and an earthy leather and pepper finish. Through the nose a floral note, like the one present before lighting is there, sort of in and out, but it is delicate, and doesn't really stand up to the bold powerful flavors that dominate otherwise.
Ash still is holding on at the band point, something that never happens, regardless of what cigar we are talking about, at least in my experience. Flavor profile just gets richer and darker as it burns. Flavors are basically the same as the regular T-52, but accentuated, elevated, richer, bolder... Not something that you would typically think to be the case when the ring gauge is LARGER on a cigar from other sizes in the line, as typically larger rings mean less potency. Another thing that impresses me is just how big and full the body and flavor are on this cigar, without the strength being above medium, maybe medium-full, unlike the regular T-52, which I think of as being a good bit stronger.
Ended at 5:35 for a total smoke time of one hour and forty minutes, which is a long time for any 4 inch cigar, and is great when it is this good. Highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed any of the Liga Privada cigars in the past. For me, this might be a better release even than the much praised Dirty Rat, released around the same time.
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