News: Liga Privada Único Serie UF-13 Release Scheduled for 2013


Drew Estate will be releasing the Liga Privada UF-13 in the Spring of 2013 according to CEO Steve Saka. The prototype is one of many that the company has been handing out over the course of the last two years and now joins the Dirty Rat, L40, UF-4, Ratzilla and Papas Fritas in the Único Serie, which is almost entirely made up of cigars that Drew Estate had shared as public prototypes.

Last year, Saka described the cigar as:

A blend that was the 13th progressive iteration of the original T52 blending process. It shares many traits of the current T52 and MF4/JD4 blends. To date it has only been shared with the public in a long robusto format.

This has changed as the cigar will now feature a Connecticut Broadleaf Ligero wrapper and a new head for the 5 1/4 x 52 vitola that will debut next spring.

Saka told halfwheel it’s been over two years since the UF-13 was rolled with the Connecticut Habano wrapper made famous by the T52. The new wrapper has been appearing on prototypes since, including those labeled “UF-13 Dark.”

33 comments
tylernim
tylernim like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

So What's the difference between the UF-4 and UF-13?  Were they both potential T52 blends?

tylernim
tylernim

I've noticed the likes this is getting, and I found the answer myself.  It follows:

T52-4 was the final head to head blend that was competing internally with T52-3 to become the T52 final blend. T52-4 was exceptional, in fact JD and I both liked it a slight bit better, but we were concerned that it tended to overpower some of the nuances in the liga and that we were sacrificing flavors for strength, so we ultimately decided that the T52-3 would be the final T52 blend.

JD for his own smoking pleasure kept having T52-4s made, but we banded them as JD4 so as to not cause confusion in the factory or with those he shared them with. After he started handing them out, he decided that he didn't like putting his personal name on the product, so we started ringing them with MF-4 - it stood for what you think it does. In the factory we kept tinkering with the T52-4/JD4/MF-4 blend to try to improve it (in our opinion) - goal was to keep the octane, but restore the depth of flavors... so we made a variety of minor liga tweaks and vitola changes to try and get it "perfect".

The result was the MF-13 - a robusto format. I think the MF-13 is better, not sure where JD stands on this - truth is the difference is so very minor between the two cigars I doubt most folks could even tell there was any difference unless they smoked them side by side... and maybe not even then, but we can tell... or so we tell ourselves. ;>

We started sharing both MF-4s and MF-13s at events and out of our pockets and they started to get some buzz online.

JD came to me one day with a My Father cigar and pointed out that Pepin's rings have an MF in the center of them. How both of us missed this is kinda crazy since we both smoke a lot of their cigars, but we did. So we decided to change the name to UF out of respect - we take pride in not knowingly copying others, so we rebanded all the MFs as UFs on our own accord.

UF stands for "Unico Fuerte."

So MF-4 = UF-4 and MF-13 = UF-13. Netiher blend is really in testing per se, both are finalized blends. It just that neither is being produced for retail at this point. We would like to release the cigar this year, but can't commit to doing so until we are confident we can get T52, Dirty Rats and L40s delivered on a regular basis to our customers as the UF-13 shares the same Stalk Cut Habano capa.

Now you know more than 99% of DE does about the lineage of UF-13... ;>


This was posted by Steve Saka on another forum.

RobertShkreli
RobertShkreli like.author.displayName 1 Like

i want  to know where i can get them lol 

RobertShkreli
RobertShkreli like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

dude i wish i was your friend THER TWO THINGS I DONT SHARE MY WIFE AND MY LIGAS MAN JUST ME  LOL 

BrandonLuna
BrandonLuna like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

I had two of these at some point but I gifted them away because I am either too nice, or freaking crazy. Either way I am looking forward to trying this finally, in whatever version it is coming out in. Don't care how they differ because I wont know the difference, just want to finally smoke one.


vroomp
vroomp like.author.displayName 1 Like

Are there no more Blue Ribbon Segundos that are infused? Is this stick out of production?

StormBoen
StormBoen like.author.displayName 1 Like

@vroomp hey brother, far as I know those have been out of production for a very long time.  only had opportunity to get one, lol have not tried it yet.  I do like the traditional version of the blue ribbon.

vroomp
vroomp like.author.displayName 1 Like

@StormBoen @vroomp I have smoked every infused Segundo I could find within 20 miles and currently have a box of the traditional's which, I also love. Someone still has a box of these somewhere!!!!!

vroomp
vroomp like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

@StormBoen @vroomp Found out the Blue Ribbon was just a variety of left over sticks that they banded all the same and sold off for a while. You never knew what you were getting. While they still produce, or at least sell, the Segundo they are only made in natural form these days.

Bummer!

StormBoen
StormBoen like.author.displayName 1 Like

@vroomp @StormBoen  If you every find one let a brother know! lol  Would be extremely grateful, that is after you bought yours ofcourse 

StormBoen
StormBoen like.author.displayName 1 Like

This is outstanding news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cant wait to try them out

RobertShkreli
RobertShkreli like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

can not wait who cares about the price just get me a box 

SteveSaka
SteveSaka like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 5 Like

There seems to be a little confusion on this product... 

We started sharing these cigars about two years ago and we had 2 versions of it - one with T52 capa and one with specially selected No. 9 No. 1 CTBL Darks - of which we made about 200 or so... after we went through these 200 of each all subsequent blends have be solely with the CTBL capa of which we have made maybe 5K or so.

These were all prerelease sticks so all the first 200/200 had handwritten rings - everything since then had printed temp rings and even a few are now sporting actual printed bands as we intended to release this stick next year and it came time to reorder LP bands, so it just made sense to order them at the same time.

Also these cigars were originally labelled MF-13 / MF13 / and a few as LP13. And there have been other batches labelled as UF-13 Dark... ( I like that name btw )

We swapped the name to UF-13 about a year or so ago.

My point is almost everyone that has tried an MF-13/UF-13 has been smoking the CTBL No. 1 version - very, very few folks ever tried the other one, mostly people who either visited the factory or I may have handed a cigar to about two years ago. And I believe all of these T52 ones had handwritten Mf-13 rings - who knows too much shit to keep track of...

I will grant this confusion is our own doing, but this is the byproduct of all this customer interaction over a 2 year period while we are in the midst of still developing blends and products.

Our intent is to do a batch release in the Spring of 2013 and make it an ongoing product like the FFP. We will not know the exact quantity until final QC is completed at the color sort tables, but we are striving towards 3,000 initial boxes.

Prices not set, box not designed, yaddy, yaddy, ya...

BR,

Steve Saka

CEO, Drew Estate

ABNCigarFan918
ABNCigarFan918 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

@SteveSaka this is great info! I hope some land in my part of the world! Really interested to see how the blend has changed, the one that I've had was the best cigar I've ever had the pleasure of smoking..

SteveSaka
SteveSaka like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

@ABNCigarFan918 @SteveSaka We really really strive to make sure the blend doesn't change - nothing worse than loving a cigar and then the maker goes and mucks it up by being inconsistent... I think it is one of the reasons LP on the whole have done so well over the past 5 years - they are IMO extremely consistent in profile.

RobertShkreli
RobertShkreli like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

@SteveSaka @ABNCigarFan918 Steve i don't now how you guys do but man i tell you i can not stop smoking them the pigs if i told how many boxes i smoked this year you say am lying just what to say thank for staying true to your work no matter how big you guys get and it all shows on the product the way you take of your fans not many i think none do what you guys do so ty and rock on and the ligas coming 

ABNCigarFan918
ABNCigarFan918 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

@SteveSaka @ABNCigarFan918 this is EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS! Thanks for clearing that up, bout hadda stroke! I don't kno how much age the ONE I had on it, but I know for sure it was the "dark".. Thanks @jonathandrew!

GruntmaN
GruntmaN like.author.displayName 1 Like

@SteveSaka I just posted this pic on CATS on Facebook.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/757_10151333416804544_257650775_n.jpg

I have 2x UF13 and 1 MF13. One of the UF's is about 1/2 longer than the other two. Did you ever change the size on the stick? Any chance you could tell me what's what?

SteveSaka
SteveSaka like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

@GruntmaN @SteveSaka This is a pretty simple explanation - until mid-last year the "13" blend was always just sample lots and small batches - never made steady day in day out - and one time the made them the wrong length... I didn't really care at the time and I can't even recall if it was too long or too short... been awhile, over a year or so...

Anyhow the official size of the UF-13 is 5 1/4 x 52.

Also the production release has a very unique cabeza colita that we have been keeping under wraps until the release... or I guess until Cigar Safari starts at the end of the month.

GruntmaN
GruntmaN like.author.displayName 1 Like

@SteveSaka @GruntmaN  El Hefe, Thank you so much for the explanation! That makes this cigar pretty special then! I knew I was saving it for a reason:) I'm quite proud of my LP Unico collection and ALWAYS looking to add more to it. I try to get two of everything so i can smoke one and have one for the collection. Something tells me I won't find another long one! lol. I really appreciate you taking the time to get back to me on this. keep up the awesome work! looking forward to finally getting to see La Gran Fabrica in April!

SteveSaka
SteveSaka like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

@vroomp @SteveSaka @GruntmaN No current time table for the release of the Velvet Rats - right now focussing on getting the UF-13s launched and getting back to even keel on the T52, Dirty Rats and L40s.

StormBoen
StormBoen

@SteveSaka This is great info brother, really enjoy reading the history of it!!!  Not been a liga yet that I have had the pleasure of smoking that I didnt love!!!  Cant wait to try this when they get release, Salute!!

SteveSaka
SteveSaka like.author.displayName 1 Like

Sarges24 Are you sure which version you even smoked? We made maybe 200 cigars with the T52 capa some 2 years ago, and about 5,000 since with the broadleaf... very, very few people smoked the T52 wrapped version. And fwiw and imo, the CTBL iteration is better - hence why we made the switch long long ago.

Sarges24
Sarges24 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Awe, I'm disappointed... I was fortunate to receive and smoke a UF-13. Hands down my favorite Liga to date. While I enjoy several Broadleaf smokes I'm not a huge fan. Sad, very sad to hear these won't come w/ the Habano wrapper.

njstone
njstone like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

how about more UF4s!!!!!!

ascrivner
ascrivner like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

@njstone I completely agree I think the UF-4 if the best smoke I've had all year. 

Edwin Daleccio
Edwin Daleccio like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

This is phenomenal news. Cant wait to get some

ABNCigarFan918
ABNCigarFan918 like.author.displayName 1 Like

I have been waiting for this! I've had the "dark" version, best cigar I've ever smoked! I imagine that the ligero wrapper will make it stronger, oh yeah!

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  1. [...] *The production version of UF-13 will feature a different cap than prerelease samples. More info here. [...]