Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 50 Toro
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $16.00
Date Released: 2014
Quantity Released: Regular Production
Factory: El Titan de Bronze, Miami

BACKGROUND:
From La Palina:
“The La Palina Mr. Sam is a cigar made specifically to pay homage to the company’s original founder, Mr. Sam Paley. A nickname given to him by his factory workers, Mr. Sam was the beginning of the La Palina cigar company. Hand crafted at the famed El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, Florida, the La Palina Mr. Sam cigar is loaded with rich, well- fermented tobaccos from only the best tobacco farms in Nicaragua. Because of this cigar’s high standards and selection criteria, the Mr. Sam is considered a pinnacle of refinement and is a true favorite amongst many enthusiasts. This cigar offers a medium to full bodied experience, chock-full with flavors of coffee, spice, cedar, and hints of cracked pepper. This blend of hearty Nicaraguan tobaccos, all together, burn seamlessly in perfect unison, making the La Palina Mr. Sam cigar, a cigar boasting with ample complexity and a perfect balance of flavors that is second to none.”

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I reviewed this cigar in 2014 and gave it…well, back then I was stupid and didn’t use a numeric rating when I critiqued a cigar. At the time of the release, every reviewer was in unison for giving the cigar a big thumbs up. So, time to revisit. BTW- Cigar Aficionado gave it 90 with these comments: “Covered in a dark and slightly veiny wrapper, this corona draws and burns evenly. Initial earthy, woody notes lead to a cedary and nutty finish.” I love it when they go nuts praising a cigar.

The cigar feels solid in the hand. And I love the way it looks…oily, brindle, and veiny. Much like me after a crop dusting in Idaho. Aromas from the wrapper send notes of earthiness, cocoa, and cedar. With just a hint of floral and dates. And less devotion from cinnamon, nutmeg, and bitter almonds (Curved Air bandmembers were required to carry cyanide when we were on stage).

I clear the airhole with my PerfecPunch. I hear a puff. A tiny wisp of air goes out the backside of the PP. Dr. Rod tried plugging its asshole permanently but failed on my pre-release punch. If you look at your PerfecPunch, you’ll notice tiny pieces of kitty litter on its bung aperture. I believe I just blew the non-disclosure agreement. You have no idea what your PP does while you’re asleep…wash your face when you wake up.

The cold draw is wonderfully spicy with baking spices, red pepper, espresso, dark chocolate, cedar, and nuts. Not exactly groundbreaking, but Mr. Sam does it with great panache.

I chose not to read my 2014 review because what did I know? At that time, I had only been smoking cigars 46 years…hardly a journeyman.

Opening salvos completely mimic the cold draw…but bigger. I love the gentle spiciness along with the creamy earthiness and chocolate nuttiness. I’d love for someone to get these flavors into a medium strength cigar but it’s unlikely that will happen as the locations of the leaves on the plant, that create this flavor, also create power.

Spoiler alert: I bought a box. 20 cigars at $11.00 each instead of the $16.00 per stick price tag. I’ve had the cigars for a month. By my standards, this usually tells you that I like the cigar if I bother to review it this early in its maturation process. Unlike some big reviewers that don’t care about letting a cigar rest and figure it’s ready to go upon receipt. And sometimes, that’s the case. But giving a cigar a lousy rating after you did the cigar deep disrespect is a no no. And yet the guys that do this have good relations with the manufacturers. Go figure.

My wife just walked in from the day center that allows her to be social with other people with dementia. She attends twice per week. She complains about the transportation system the center uses to pick up and return people. The brain illness causes her to become overly dramatic, acting out the scenes, while screaming at me. She gets angrier when I try to get her to focus. The screaming gets louder as she blames me for everything. This happens all day long, every day. I try to get my reviews done while she is still sleeping in the morning. I can maintain an even strain. I can easily be a smart aleck and clever. 20 minutes of Charlotte in my face, after I’ve begun a review, I’m desolate. It’s always something and everyone has a thing so I shall continue and damn the torpedoes. I’m the torpedo.

The cigar. It’s delicious with overtones of ripe black cherries, sharp cedar, coffee, chocolate, creaminess, and cinnamon rolls. Nicely done, Paley. I wonder if he had anything to do with the blend or if he just chose it from samples left on the conference table. After all, his dad created CBS television.

The burn is excellent. Sharp as the tip of my peccadillo on a spring morn.

Charlotte returns to the scene of the crime and bellows at me for another 15 minutes. This is going to be the worst review I’ve ever written. I’ve been smote.

Where was I? I’m into inch two and the body is full, but the strength remains at medium…but I know what’s coming.

She comes back in to get her cigarettes and gives me a dirty look. This may turn into a running gag.

I love the spicy red pepper on my tongue. It’s not overwhelming or distracting. Transitions are in play. The depth of field increases. And there is a nice amount of complexity. I bought a box on a whim because the price was/is perfect for a nice, sophisticated cigar. I checked all the reviews. I took into consideration who was writing them. And I came away the winner. So far, this is a nice afternoon cigar. Even Cigar Aficionado rated it 90, which you take with a grain of salt if the blend’s daddy is a full-time advertiser. It’s blatant corruption but if you do a reasonable search before you decide to purchase, then it’s all good.

As inch three begins, the strength gets dirty mama. I feel it. My head gets lighter and my nodules tighten.

Charlotte comes back into the room to tell me she doesn’t appreciate me trying to make her focus. She tells me I’m the one with those issues and it’s me with the memory problems. I nod my head and tell her she’s correct. That doesn’t stop her. She complains about all the fans in my cave I use to remove smoke. And then she lights up a cigarette to soothe her mood and her COPD. I know, I know.

The first half can be described as something akin to a Padron 1926 with an alliance of the Mi Querida The Fish. Both lovely cigar blends. A mix of fruitiness with savory mocha java. I like that Mr. Sam is less money. I can’t afford a box of $30 cigars.

Inch number four doubles down on everything. Best is that the complexity reinforces the flavor profile. Transitions subtly change with every half inch. Methinks that this blend will easily cut through a big meal and will be an apropos after dinner smoke with a beer or bourbon.

Drummer Copeland and I hung out during the early days we were in Curved Air. We had formed our own barricade against the arrogance and lack of humility of the other members of the band. We thought alike. We had the same sense of humor. We stole the show when we did radio interviews at every city we played. Most radio DJ’s liked that we bounced silliness off each other with a Marx Brothers/Monty Python sensibility. The other three members had no sense of humor…at all. And so, this annoyed them despite that the two of us boosted ratings, it became less about the more important bandmembers. Our manager made the mistake of telling Kristina, Way, and Jacques that we should be the only ones talking. That was a huge mistake. The other band members put their foot down and Copeland and I were sidelined. If you see current interviews with Stewart, you can see that he and I are still similar in how we look at the world. Life is to be made fun of, not to be taken seriously.

Inch 5 is purty good. I’m having a grand time. The earthy complexity rains down like what the communal urinal sees at halftime of any football game. That didn’t come out right. I don’t taste pee. And I don’t feel disrespected by Mr. Sam. I’ll try to fix it in the next paragraph…or I won’t.

Flavors are canonized. All are in attendance. Nothing has been kicked to the wayside. An intensity has taken over that allows the different notes to line up like Armani clad marmots on parade.

Speaking of which, the winner of the Ferret Man contest hasn’t returned my email. I shall pick another after publishing this review.

There is no harshness. I have only taken one sip of water since I began. And that was over an hour ago. I wear compression socks because I have good looking legs. That statement tells me the strength is moving towards full. But I don’t feel much nicotine. There must be some ligero in the Nic filler.

I like the Mr. Sam a lot. It’s a sippin’ whisky cigar. I also like that it stays lit no matter how long it sits in my ashtray. A sign of high-end rollers.

I’m now on the running board as I am signaled the end is near. There are only a couple review sites that score cigars high into the 90’s like me. It shows enthusiasm for the blend. I have no idea why others top out at 92. Is it pressure from the United Brotherhood of Reviewers of America? Rules are made to be broken. Which is why you probably check in with me.

Curved Air never jammed, even once. I came from a background where creativity blossomed under woodshedding. Copeland and I always jammed solo at the end of sound check. The violinist/keyboard player and the guitarist left the stage when we began. It was the only time that guys who worked in the auditoriums or arenas stopped what they were doing to listen. Curved Air members did not like that we were funky jazzy. Yet it was the reason the drummer and I were hired. I didn’t realize at the time that this was our doom. I was with the band for a year and a half and we played the same set list each night. Nothing was improvised. Rehearsals were band leader Darryl Way telling us what to play. The money was good, I was young, and I was stupid.

Once again, I got nothing to complain about with this blend. A delightful example of excellent blending skills. This cigar will not age out. I can tell. And 6 months from now, this cigar will be more enjoyable than having the chutzpah to cancel your colonoscopy.

You can purchase the La Palina Mr. Sam from sponsor Cigar Page. Instead of selling it at maximum warp, they charge $11.20 in a 20-count box and $12.75 in a fiver for the Toro. Mr. Sam comes in Corona, Robusto, Toro, and Lancero.
Stalwart and gelatinous Alex Gougher stepped up once again for my followers with a 15% promo code: KAT0226. The Toro now prices out for $9.52 in box form. And $10.83 per stick for a fiver. You can’t afford a Padron 1926? This baby comes close. A very complex blend. A 43% savings thanks to Cigar Page. You can snag an excellent blend from El Titan de Bronze.

I remind you that I don’t make a dime. I bought my box with cold hard cash. Although, cold is the wrong adjective as I keep my dough near my vagina for safe keeping. That’s right, I have a vagina. Cost me $14,450. The doc let me use the SBC promo code. Worth it.

RATING: 96

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

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