This morning Bob Moreno and Edgar of La Palina Cigars rolled through the offices of The Cigar Authority this morning en route to a meeting and as usually some goodies were brought for us to smoke one of which is the Lancero which will be featured as today’s review.
According to the La Palina website, “The La Palina Classic is a noteworthy blend that will become a staple in your humidor. This medium-bodied cigar has a hint of sweetness and spice with earthy undertones that excite the palate. A Brazilian-grown habano seed wrapper surrounds an Ecuadorian binder. Dominican and Nicaraguan filler complete the blend, building a superior balance of flavor. In the way a jazz ensemble unites, the flavors of the La Palina Classic harmonize to create a masterpiece.”
Cigar Review: La Palina Classic
Size: 7 x 38 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Brazil Habano
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Source: La Palina
The Look (9/10): If you add a pigtail cap the La Palina Classic Lancero it could pass as a Goldie. The Habano wrapper from Brazil has the appearance of being shade grown with some thin veins and a nice amount of oils. The cigar which is light in weight is flawlessly rolled with no soft spots and a well packed foot. The band which is classic looking suits the cigar.
The Notes (32/35): The cold draw of the La Palina Classic serves up notes of earth and raisin which creates a nice contrast. The wrapper has an undefined sweetness to it while the foot mimics the notes of the cold draw.
After the toasting of the cigar the initial light of the cigar has wisps of vanilla that fade away rather quickly as wood and red pepper. As we smoke deeper into the first third the pepper transition to notes of the spice I cannot say, cinnamon. In fact the cigar begins to remind me of a red hot from my youth.
In the second third of the La Palina Classic the wood notes remain dominant with the elements of cinnamon begins to fade. Some earth works its way into the picks and pepper returns. As the second third comes to a close notes of red pepper and earth are dominant.
The last third of the cigar continues to hold to its spicy note of red pepper with the dominant wood notes being replaced by earth and a touch of leather. The wood however was not forgotten as it lingered on the finish.
The Burn (34/35): The Lancero vitola to me is one of the hardest sizes for manufacturers to produce; though I am sure many would not agree. I’ve had more issues with the size when it comes to the burn, the draw or even the ability to stay lit. I am happy to report this was not the case with the La Palina Classic. The draw of the cigar was exception and while the burn line was a little jagged in the first third it became razor-sharp as the stick progressed. The light color ash was a bit weak dropping in half-inch increments but I’ve come to expect that from the size. The cigar remained lit from start to finish with an average combustion line.
The Finish (17/20): While I alluded to the fact that the cigar looks like the La Palina Goldie minus the fantail cap, it is safe to say that is where the comparison ends. However, on its own, the stick performs well with a nice complexity of notes that makes it worthy of at least a 5 pack, and more if you are a fan of the size.
Score: 92
Price: $8.00
Bullet Points
- Despite the cigars being given to me by one of my favorite reps in the Northeast it did not affect the outcome of the review.
- If you gave me this cigar and it had a fantail cap I would have thought it was a Goldie based on appearance.
- The band on the cigar sits a little high on the cigar, and it doesn’t appear to have slid as other samples were in the same spot.
- I’ve been on a major league lancero kick this month with at least 60% of what I smoked being the size.
- Smoking time was 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- I paired the cigar with no beverage.
