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| La Palina 1896 Robusto |
I was smoking this cigar the other day, and I was not sure
if I had reviewed it. Well, it turns out I had, but it was really not much of a
review, so I have decided to give a “proper review” of the cigar. My mind is
wondering, and when I say “proper review,” I am thinking of the movie Snatch when the character Turkish is
talking to Tommy, and they have placed a bet against the pikeys about the dogs chasing the hare and how if the hare gets
caught it will be “proper fucked.” Sorry, went rambling there, let‘s get back on
course shall we? So I smoked this cigar some time back when I was in Washington D.C. and did a quick review, but it does not do it justice. This is a cigar that must be treasured, and that refers to time smoking, and also the occasion. La Palina 1896 Robusto was a limited edition released by La Palina Cigars that was launched with
their first line in 2010, and was released in a single vitola. It was, and still is a cigar that is a treat, and should be smoked only on those perfect times.
The cigar is a robusto vitola, and measures 4.75” with a 52
ring gauge. The cigar gets its name from when Sam Paley, William Paley’s
grandfather started the Congressional Cigar Company, and opened his first cigar
shop in Chicago, Illinois in 1896. I have talked about the history of the
company before, and you can refer to my reviews of other La Palina Cigars at this link. The cigar features an Ecuadorian
Habano wrapper, a Costa Rican binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras.
Like his first line, the cigar is made at the Graycliff Cigar Factory in the Bahamas, and is made in the Cuban
fashion. The wrapper has a rough texture, with veins present, and really
reminds me of some Cuban wrappers. It is definitely Colorado in coloring, and
has a marbled coloring of brown and red. The cigar has lovely aromas of spices,
coffee, cedar, leather and cocoa, and I am ready to smoke this cigar again.
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| Ecuadorian Habano |
The cigar opens up with pronounced flavors, and I am getting
some definite spices notes of cinnamon and cloves, and also some barnyard, tea,
leather and rich earth notes. There are some coffee and cocoa notes present as
well with the cigar, but nothing major. This is really a great size for a
robusto, and I like that it is somewhat shorter but a larger ring gauge. It has
tons of tobacco inside, but it still offers a great draw, and I am getting a
slightly wavy burn line. I would say the strength of the cigar is around
medium, medium full to me, and very enjoyable. This is really a cigar that
captures Cubanesque flavors, and also those Graycliff
flavor profiles a well. It is producing a great amount of smoke as well, and
this cigar has aged well since the original release.
In the second third of the cigar right now and I have just
gotten a blast of complex flavors. I am getting these jammy notes that you get
with a Shiraz or Zinfandel, and it is paired with dark cherry notes as well.
The coffee flavors are much more pronounced in this third, and so are the cocoa
notes. There is still a bit of leather, tea and barnyard flavors present, and a
finish of spice, but most of all it is very enjoyable. The cigar is very
complex in terms of flavors, and the strength of the cigar has stayed between
that medium and medium full range. The burn line has gotten better in this
third, and I would say it is now fairly even. The ash is still holding on to
the cigar very well, and it is producing a great amount of smoke on the cool
draws.
I am close to finishing this cigar, and I really do not want
it to end. The coffee notes are still so wonderful, maybe more espresso at this
point, and the berry and cherry notes are still rocking. The tea notes have
softened and dissipated, but the leather, wood and rich earth flavors are going
strong. It definitely finishes more rich than it started, and it is a nice
change of pace. The cigar really starts off dry and spicy but ends with a nice
rich and full flavor profile which is great blending. Throughout the cigar the
spice notes have been fairly consistent, but they have been matched with
different flavors changing the cigar. The cigar finishes at a solid medium full
level, and the burn line is razor sharp at the end. I smoke the cigar down to
the nub, and on the last draw it is cool and flavorful.
Aging has done a great thing to this cigar, and though it
was still very enjoyable when they were first released, I think they are
incredible now. I have a box of these that I am holding on to, and singles that
I am smoking. I know, I am one of those weird guys that purchase a box of
cigars and a single or two of them so that I don’t open the box. I know that
there are some stores that still have these cigars in stock, and if you are
able to get them I strongly urge you to pick them up. They are a pricy cigar,
but they are a special occasion cigar, and those cigars are always needed. This
is a cigar that you want to smoke slowly and really savor all that it has to
offer. Definitely a great cigar in my opinion, and I would say this cigar falls
anywhere between a 92 and 94, let’s say 93. This is a great cigar that is made
by a great company, and headed by a great man. I would like to say that this
was a wonderful job on bringing back a classic line, and a family tradition. Glad
you are a part of the industry Mr. Paley.
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| 1896 Robusto |
