Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Papas Fritas

Drew Estate

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: La Gran Fábrica Drew Estate
• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Corojo-seed)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés Negro Último Corte)
• Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua & U.S.A. (Pennsylvania Green River One Sucker)
• Length: 4 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 44
• Vitola: Petit Corona
• MSRP: $7.50 (Box of 25, $187.50)
• Release Date: June 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Original Score: 93

One of 2023’s highest-scoring cigars, this small vitola uses the same formula as the Liga Privada Único Serie Papas Fritas that came out more than a decade earlier. That means a whole-leaf wrapper and binder, while the filler comes from cuts of tobacco used to create the larger vitolas in the H99 line, a slight difference from those original Papa Fritas that drew on cuts from the Liga Privada No. 9 and T52 lines.

Mixed-filler cigars have historically been marketed on their price and little else, leading consumers to raise an eyebrow about their ability to deliver in the flavor department, let alone the kind of profile to land it on a Top 25 list, but the Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Papas Fritas ended up doing just that. I praised the cigar for offering nuanced aromas and a profile made up of well-layered flavors that drew on familiar pepper and wood sensations for character, while creaminess gives it an underlying smoothness. Others on the panel praised its consistently engaging flavor profile from the moment the cigar was lit until it was time to put it down, finding floral sweetness and mocha as other flavors.

It’s no secret that good things can come in small packages, and that can certainly be said about the Liga Privada H99 Connecticut Corojo Papas Fritas, a cigar that offers plenty of flavor and in a vitola that doesn’t require a lot of time to enjoy. — Patrick Lagreid.