Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Size: 5.625 x 54
Body: Medium
Price: $18.00

This latest blend from La Palina is an homage to the women in the cigar industry. The cigar was rolled entirely by Maria Sierra, a no.9 torcedor. She learned her trade from Eduardo, who rolled cigars for Fidel Castro. Now there is a dream job. LOL!

This cigar has a limited release of only 1000 boxes, with more coming soon.

The wrapper is the lightest of browns with a smooth feel. The cigar is relatively solid with some give to it…but yet there is a delicate feel to it as well. The fan tail cap is an interesting after note to the cigar’s construction. There is a nice oily sheen. There is an issue I need to take up with the La Palina folks…the cigar band. It is shiny and bright and in contrasting colors of gold and white. The two worst colors and finish for me to photography with my Panasonic Cheapo Lumix digital camera.

I hate to clip the cap off, because of the fan, but the best aromas come from a freshly sheared cap. There is a mild spice aroma, some soft milk chocolate, hay, and cinnamon. So far, everything seems delicate about this cigar.

I light up.

The first puffs are mild. And then an immediate sweet tobacco component. A mild spiciness….and some nuts. The draw is spot on and the char line very close to perfect.

BTW- I’ve allowed this cigar to rest for a few weeks. These cigars ask you not to hurry.

The black pepper ratchets up. The char line becomes wavy. I had the same issue with the first cigar sent to me.
The cigar reaches half an inch and I have to touch it up.

Creaminess approaches and makes a nice duo with the spiciness, which is turning from black to red pepper. The sweetness continues.

I’ve reached the first inch and the cigar is very pleasant. The ash falls off into the ashtray. And not my lap.

So far, the cigar is more of the same. Creaminess, spice, mild, sweet, now some coffee, and a bit of cocoa. And as I leave the first third, a dried fruit component of unknown origin shows up. There is something very unique going on here. The flavors aren’t bold, but rather, smooth and teasing.

This cigar is a sophisticated stick. It is made for aficionados. This stick isn’t for the guy who smokes house cigars…and likes them.

There are flavor contrasts going on here that are baffling me because I can’t put a finger on them. A very complex cigar profile.
The strength hits medium. The flavors are extraordinarily nuanced. I thought I had an excellent palate. I’ve been doing this a long time but it’s very rare when I get a cigar like this. I can taste the obvious. But like we said in construction, You have to be observant of what’s there that is obvious, it’s what is not there, or elusive, that you have to pay attention to. And in a paraphrased way, this is how I feel about the cigar. I’m not saying I cannot taste it; I just can’t strip it down to its infinite parts.I need to hone my palate to another level. The subtlety of this flavor profile is bewitching.

At the halfway point, flavors are more expressive. This is the top level of flavors. The creaminess and the sweetness are way out front while the spiciness is laying back. I taste hazelnut. I taste mocha latte. I taste graham cracker. And then there is that sub-layer of flavors that are a tease. The sum of their parts is impressive but dissecting them is stressing me out. Fortunately, my daughter is an EMT and sleeping upstairs so if I stroke out while writing this, she can bring me back to life…”CLEAR!!”

This is an exceptionally enjoyable cigar. The price point is going to scare off a lot of smokers who would rather smoke what they are comfortable with…you know what I mean…the DE stuff that has that small batch mystique; but for me, I find most of that line unimpressive. The mystique of a great PR machine.

The cigar has a deep richness now. Complex. Well-balanced. Long finish. And delicious. And earthiness shows up for the first time. It may have be one of those sub-layer flavors coming to the surface. This cigar reminds me of the Disney Fantasia movie. Ballet and music.

The last third begins with the cigar’s flavors really exploding. But it is still not a conventional flavor bomb at this point. This cigar requires your utmost attention and focus. Otherwise, you will miss the finesse.

The dried fruit identifies itself finally as dates. The natural sweetness of the tobacco brings out this subtle fruit flavor. I was close to saying raisin but the depth and intensity of the flavor was more than just raisin.

The cocoa and the coffee come to the surface as well. It tastes like I am drinking a fine, fine cup of pure Kona coffee with cocoa powder dusted on the foam. And a cinnamon stick inserted into the whole thing. Just delightful.

I’m really getting into this as the flavors become more conventional and identifiable by my palate. It finds my comfort level. I’m not saying that the delicate flavor profile underneath the main profile is gone, but now it’s working much more in tandem. A team. The creaminess has a sub flavor of butter. The coffee has a sub flavor of earth. The fruity, sticky dates has a sub flavor of richness. The nuttiness of hazelnut has a sub flavor of sweetness.

Damn. The flavors. There is a syrupy sweetness and long finish that is impressive. But let’s be honest here. An $18 cigar should have these qualities. I am dismayed at how many cigars in this price range can’t touch this cigar. I recently reviewed an Opus X and this cigar is better. Really. The Opus X was a very good cigar but it didn’t have the finesse and delicate qualities of the Laguito #5.

The cigar band comes off easily. I am sometimes amazed at how many expensive cigars make you fight to get that band off; causing you to rip it off in shreds.

Lord, the flavors are exploding like they’ve been strip mined. The density of the flavor profile is intense. A very long finish, that when I sip some water, just coats my palate in a flavor carousel. Flavors whirl about taking turns taking pot shots at my senses.

I want to thank Courtney Smith and the La Palina folks for sending me a couple samples of this cigar. This has been a real treat.

With a couple inches to go, the cigar is as cool as a cuke. And the burn slows down…allowing me to really savor it. This cigar deserves to be nubbed.

The nicotine arrives as the cigar’s strength ratchets up a bit; making it a heavy medium. Since I’ve never smoked a single cigarette in my life, I find that I am very sensitive to nicotine. My vision blurs and my hands begin to shake. I know…what a wuss.

The spiciness has remained on an even keel; and does not usurp the other flavors.

The burn line has been wavy throughout the length of the smoke but after that couple of initial touch ups; it hasn’t required any more attention. It is what it is. And a cigar doesn’t need a razor sharp burn line to be good.

It only took a few weeks of rest for me to taste the blender’s intent. And with some real humidor aging, I’m sure the cigar will display even more character.

It is important to remember that the master of this line is Wm. C. Paley III. He has show biz in his blood. He has a panoply of responsibilities in a laundry list of things he does. From producing TV shows to his charities, and being a giant of industry….and he still makes the time to make sure that his cigars are superb. This doesn’t happen by accident. Based on his La Palina line, he has the same detail oriented goals as he does in the rest of his life. You can tell that he is a major player in the blending of his cigars. I am very impressed with that type of commitment.

I am finishing out the cigar and, yes, I highly recommend it. Next time you are flush with dough and want good cigars, bypass the old standbys and try this stick. You will not be disappointed. Yeah, it’s not cheap, but it is worth it. This is more than I can say for a lot of other expensive cigars.

We end up with a classic medium bodied cigar. A cigar full of wonderful flavors. And a true cigar experience.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS