La Palina

[BTcigars]

The La Palina "Alison" (torpedo) is a new launch of a old cigar brand. I was fortunate enough to be able to try one.

Before I gave it a straight cut, I did the old pinch test which yielded a good amount of give to it. After I cut the cigar, I took a pre-light draw and was very pleased. The draw was perfect and the flavors that I got out of it was of a smooth tobacco taste.

Upon lighting, I was immediately struck by how good the aroma smelled. Lots of smoke was already coming off of the cigar and the first initial puffs were spicy. Retrohaling at this point wasn’t all that pleasant because the spice through the nose was overwhelming.

As I went into the second third of the cigar, I noticed that the frequency of the puffs I took affected the flavor. The more frequently I puffed, pepper notes were apparent. The slower I puffed the more of a smooth flavor it had with a slight vegetal taste with what tasted very faintly of raisin. This cigar was proving to have a complex flavor profile!

Going into the last third of the cigar, it still was very toasty and enjoyable with a great finish. The flavor started to change again because I was now getting a spiciness that was present at the beginning. The flavor profile was coming full circle. What was left was starting to become a bit spongy. Shortly thereafter, the taste had become bitter and the cigar was warm to the touch. That was the end of this cigar for me.

I give this cigar a 5 out of 5

My full review is here, thanks!