La Palina El Diario Review

Cigar: La Palina El Diario

Size: Robusto (5 x 52)

Filler: Honduran Corojo ’99 Rosado

Binder: Honduran Criollo ’98 (x2)

Wrapper: Honduran Corojo ’99 Rosado

Price: $9.80 each

Individual Weight: 16.53g


Press Release: “Rolled at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras for La Palina Cigar, the El Diario is a perfect complement to our acclaimed original line, the Family Series. The La Palina El Diario is a richly flavored medium bodied cigar. The sweet characteristics of the Honduran rosado wrapper round out the spicy Nicaraguan corojo and criollo filler. *The double binders from Honduras refine and complete the blend, creating beautiful balance.

The La Palina El Diario is a straightforward blend with a harmony of sweet and spicy notes that you will find the ideal choice for daily enjoyment. El Diario translates to “Th*e Daily” in English. *The El Diario is a La Palina for every day.”





Pre-Light: This is one of the prettiest cigars I’ve had the pleasure to review. It is nearly flawless in construction and aesthetic, with minimal veining, and very consistent coloring in the wrapper finish. The cigar is very heavy in the hand and solidly rolled. The banding is intricate in design yet elegant in nature featuring a picture of a woman’s head at the center of the banding, and adorned by gold bordering. Taking a pre-light sniff of the cigars body and foot only show signs of a sweet Spanish cedar scent. The cigar features a triple cap that is evenly applied and smooth as silk. After cutting the cap, I struggle to get a pre-light draw. It is very densely packed, but I can still get air to flow through it.

1/3rd: The first draws from lighting present a bouquet of flavors that are very enticing. First there is a woodiness matched with a browned butter sweetness that is followed by a paprika spice that finishes with floral sweetness and a “twang” that I normally find in Cuban blends. This is a very interesting flavor profile. The draw is still very stiff, but I wouldn’t classify this as a plugged cigar. It does make me wonder how the flavors would open up if I were getting proper airflow through it however. The ash is a bit dark, but I’m unsure to accredit this to the tight draw or the age of tobaccos used. The cigar has a sweet and spicy nature to it that is very interesting but pleasing. There is a nuance on a retro-hale that reminds me of smoldering Japanese incense. Nearing the two inch mark, I detect notes of very milky chocolate. It is a very Cadbury type of chocolate flavor rather than the more complex cocoas found in top end candies.



½ Way: The woodiness is still very present. It reminds me of the scent you would find by peeling back the thin, fibrous bark back on a Willow Tree. It mixes very well with the leather flavors that are found nearer the halfway point. The nuttiness and butter component are still present, however they have changed their position in the flavor profile to be in the middle part of the palette rather than on the front. The retro-hale has the same sweet floral aromas with a spice that follows on the back of the tongue and edges of the lips. As I near the end of the second third the sweetness starts to meld more with the nuttiness bringing about a more caramel sweetness rather than floral.



Final 3rd: The final third is simply an amalgamation of the already present flavors. The depth and character of the profile continue to develop and build into a heady but well-rounded bouquet. This cigar leaves a very nice and floral room note that I am complimented on twice while reviewing this cigar. That doesn’t happen often. As much as I try to triple puff and get this cigar to become harsh, it refuses my efforts and remains as bold and flavorful as when I lit it. This cigar is medium in body, possibly due to the draw issues, but full in flavor. The last bit of the cigar ends on a leather note. It is very tannic and sharp in flavor but not overly unpleasantly acidic or bitter. The cigar leaves a very clean aftertaste that I am enjoying greatly.



Final Thoughts: This is a fantastic cigar that has earned a spot in my humidor. Rarely do I find a cigar that has as cool and pleasing smoke as this one produces. The flavors play very well together and leave you wanting more as you leave the nub in the ashtray. I highly recommend this cigar to anyone who is needing a cigar that is strong enough for the connoisseur, but could be smoked on a daily basis unlike many of today’s overpowering maduro blends.


Full La Palina El Diario Review

[Gooner]

Thanks for the review Clancy! Never tried these and they sound interesting.

[TJtorpedo]

Great review! Does anyone know if they re-priced these? I seem to remember when they first came out, they were running about $20 per stick, which was too much for me, but they always looked interesting. At around $10 though, I'll definitely give them a shot.

Originally Posted by TJtorpedo

Great review! Does anyone know if they re-priced these? I seem to remember when they first came out, they were running about $20 per stick, which was too much for me, but they always looked interesting. At around $10 though, I'll definitely give them a shot.

Ed from PDXCigars.com says retail is $9.80. As their PNW distributor, I believe him.

[Garbandz]

Priced about the same here,longer vitolas go up to $13.00

[TJtorpedo]

Wow, I saw these priced at $20 for one of the bigger vitolas about a year ago at one B&M. Guess I'll look elsewhere to try them. Thanks for the info!

[lenguamor]

Had one of these yesterday; delightful. Sweet, graham-cracker and ginger flavors up front. fruity tones further in. Picked it up on the spur of the moment at the Miami Cigar pig roast/herf, so no pics.

Highly recommended.