How do you make one of the hardest to find and most sought after cigars in the USA even harder to find? You make the cigar only available outside of the USA. Regional cigars are not a new thing to the cigar world and many brands release regional exclusives in the USA and even for other countries outside of the USA, but the Selección De Mercado was specifically blended and designed for the international market outside of the USA because Drew Estate already knew it was very hard for cigar smokers outside of the states to get their hands on Liga Privada and wanted to offer something exclusive to them that would be accessible.

“It’s a ton of fun to focus on the international cigar culture as we continue to build our master-brand, Drew Estate, with a global vision. Look, we’ve driven the brand from local-schmocal Brooklyn to a domestic heavyweight, and now we goin’ worldwide live – and every step of the way, never loosing Drew’s noble purpose, the Rebirth of Cigars.” says president of Drew Estate, Jonathan Drew.

Two things to note here. First, the blend is slightly tweaked for this special offering from the original Anniversario blend. Second, there is no official MSRP disclosed because each country will be selling them at drastically different prices.

Under the Lid

The Selección de Mercado box is a rustic looking box with a washed brown look with seals on the right and left of the box with the Drew Estate slogans. There is the Drew Estate lion in silver with the name of the cigar underneath. Inside, each cigar is cradled to protect each cigar’s unique cap and closed foot of the cigar. The main band is black with the silver dots with Liga Privada in silver as well, the secondary band is silver with Selección de Mercado written in black. The wrapper is a mottled dark brown and quite rustic looking, the cap is a very unique fishtail head and the foot is closed.

• Wrapper: U.S.A Connecticut Criollo
• Binder: Mexico
• Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua
• Vitola: 6 x 52 Toro
• Factory: La Gran Fábrica Drew Estate
• Release Date: September 2023
• Number of boxes released: Undicslosed
• MSRP: Undisclosed (boxes of 10 undisclosed)

I tore off the fishtail of one of the cigars and took a draw but decided to still take a straight cut to the cap after that to keep things consistent. The cold draw offers flavors of raisin, mild pepper, and wood, while the wrapper and the foot (since the foot is closed with the wrapper) both give off aromas of musty barnyard and fig.

Performance Notes

First Third: On light up I usually toast the cigar, but since this has a closed foot I decided to try and experience the light without toasting and puff on the cigar right away to get the experience of wrapper and then transition into the filler. At first there is a wave of spicy black pepper, oak, earth, and a hint of fig like sweetness and leather in the background.

As I get into the first few inches there is leather, earth, oak, and black pepper upfront on the palate, with a mild vanilla like sweetness and mild cocoa note lingering in the background. As like many Drew Estate cigars there is plenty of smoke output offering a rich mouthfeel. Each puff offers a slightly different note as the main flavor profile switching between earth, pepper, oak, and leather. The rest of the first third continues consistently with all those up front flavors and a bit of that lingering vanilla like sweetness in the background.

The finish is medium in length with oak and leather. The retrohale offers aromas of citrus, oak, and black pepper. The palate stimulation envelopes the entire tongue with a mild tingle on the roof of the mouth.

Second Third: The first few puffs of this second third offer a very consistent and expected profile that was present during the first third with not much change at all offering the leather, oak, black pepper, and earth up front on the palate. As we get to the middle and end of this third the profile becomes slightly muddled and the oak note takes on a bit of a toasted profile almost reaching into charred. The vanilla sweetness fully drops off, and the cocoa note that would occasionally show its head during some puffs hasn’t made an appearance in quite a few puffs. The profile continues to offer the consistent up front flavors of toasted oak, leather, earth, and black pepper. The finish is quite long with lingering oak and leather. The retrohale offers aromas of citrus and toasted oak. In addition, the palate stimulation is still full on the entire tongue.

Final Third: The final third develops an even more earthy rich profile with the oak taking on a charred note, and there is a damp earth note taking over the profile as well alongside the leather and black pepper. There is a mild sourdough note that I find occasionally during some puffs. The intensity continuously ramps up during this final third with lots of charred oak and damp earth. There is a bit of muddling in the profile as well. The finish is long charred oak and leather. The retrohale offers aromas of citrus and black pepper. The palate stimulation is full tongue stimulation.

Core Flavors: Black Pepper, Earth, Leather, Oak

Strength: Medium + to Full

Body: Medium + to Full

Complexity: Medium

Smokin Experience: The Liga Privada 10 Selección de Mercado opened up with a nice rich profile of earth, leather, black pepper, and oak that was balanced with a bit of sweetness and cocoa. But as the smoking experience continued the complexity slowly dropped off and that overly earthy, charred oak, and leather profile eventually took over the palate which offered to much of a linear smoking experience and a flavor profile possibly a bit too dark and earthy for me personally. The cigar really saved its score by having a great burn and draw through the entire experience, and the first half being quite an exceptional smoking experience kept its score up where it landed. I would not recommend this cigar to a new smoker, but I would recommend it to an experienced smoker who really leans towards earthy, leathery, and pepper forward profiles.

Smokin Facts:

• The pricing for the cigar could range anywhere between $20 up to $100 per cigar depending on the country it is being sold in
• Each of the other Liga Privada 10 also offer a unique cap and closed foot except for the A Savage Feast vitola which offers more of a unique vitola instead
• It would be interesting to smoke the American and international blends side by side to see how much of a difference the international blend offers

Purchase Recommendation: Try a sample

Cigars Smoked: 2

Average Smoking Time: 2 hours and 17 minutes

SCORE: 88

Mitchell Santaga – Product Reviews

Mitchell Santaga started his journey into tobacco in 2011 by trying different flavored and machine-made cigars while enjoying a handle of Jack Daniels whisky. Shortly after that he yearned for a more premium experience and dove headfirst into pipe tobacco that his local tobacconist blended, and soon after started indulging in premium cigars.