La Palina Goldie Robusto Extra

The La Palina Goldie is more than a cigar, it is a true work of art. But what makes it truly special is all the cigars are rolled by one person who is a category 9 roller from Cuba. Her name is Maria Sierra and she works at El Titan de Bronze in Miami, Florida where today’s cigar is made.

The historic 32 year career of Maria Sierra began July 22, 1967 at Villa El Laguito. Maria is a 95 rated, category 9 roller trained by Fidel Castro’s personal roller Eduardo Rivera Irizarri, as well as Avelino Lara, the creator of the legendary Cohiba blend.

According to the La Palina website, “Each cigar is finished in the traditional Laguito style with a fan cap, exclusively taught to rollers at Villa El Laguito. The Goldie is blended with the prized Medio Tiempo leaf, found on only 10% of tobacco plants. The La Palina Collection Goldie embodies the tradition, expertise and passion of women in the cigar industry.”

Cigar Review: La Palina Goldie
Size: 6 1/10 x 50 (Robusto Extra)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Source: Two Guys Smoke Shop

The Look: The La Palina Goldie Robusto Extra features a wrapper that is golden brown in color that is flawlessly rolled. The classic band which features the matriarch of the Palina family in the center is reminiscent of a cameo. The cigar which features a fantail cap feels light in hand with no soft spots although the foot of the cigar doesn’t seem densely packed.

The Draw: The draw of the Goldie tastes golden much like a perfectly buttered grilled piece of bread on a grilled cheese sandwich. The draw is toasty, buttery, and slightly earthy. The foot of the cigar serves up a nose that is mineral and cedar.

Once the cigar is properly toasted and lit, the first notes were definitively almond with hints of toast. The creamy cigar had a cedar finish with hints of strong espresso. As the cigar progresses though the first third the espresso note fades away and hints of ginger emerge .

As the second third begins, there is a note that makes me think this would pair incredibly well with “Not Your Father’s Root Beer” which is an adult root beer that has 5.9% ABV. As that note fades around the half-way point of the Goldie Robust Extra the cedar notes become dominant with a nutty finish.

In the last third of the cigar some pepper notes develop through the nose that reminds me of paprika. While aware of the spice the cigar continues to be extremely smooth and flavorful with a woody and nutty finish that has a hint of spice.

The Burn: While I wouldn’t say the cigar had a loose draw, it did smoke free and easy. Being someone who smokes his cigar slow, this still clocked in at close to two hours for me. However, if you are a guzzler, I expect the free draw will come more into play. The combustion line was razor-thin with a solid white ash that held on for more than a third at a time. The cigar burned extremely well and never needed to be relit or touched up.

The Finish: Having lived in Miami for a few years, it amazed me every time I went to visit Sandy at El Titan de Bronze to see Maria working on these. The skill level is a sight to behold and is definitely not a fabricated marketing scheme. As for the cigars, I said it before and I’ll say it again that they are a true work of art. The notes of the La Palina Goldie Robust Extra evolve throughout the smoke making this something everyone needs to experience. Simply put it is one of the best limited edition cigars on the market today and the crown jewel of La Palina.

Score: 95
Price: $162.99 Box of 10