Originally published on Tiki Bar Online
52 (Robusto), 5” x 52 ring gauge / SRP $9.15, Maxamar Ultimate Cigars
Sometime ago, I had my first and only La Palina Maduro. It was sent to me by the company in the Toro (50) size and for whatever reason, I just didn’t enjoy it. I made up my mind early on to give it another try at some point, but it took a while. I didn’t want to try the same size as before and that’s all I ended up seeing for sale…until recently, when I was out in California and found them in the size I wanted at Maxamar Ultimate Cigars in Orange, a long-time sponsor of this site (through their Small Batch Cigars web store). I thought a quick review would be in order, but first the facts: the wrapper is a Mexican Maduro, a double-binder from Honduras is employed, and the fillers are Nicaraguan corojo and criollo tobaccos.
Initial inspection of the cigar showed a beautifully dark and oily wrapper leaf that had a strong earthy aroma, along with notes of anise; the foot had earth, wood, and chocolate notes emanating from it. Once lit the La Palina Maduro featured a full earthiness along with lesser notes of coffee, cedar, and cocoa powder, as well as a fairly potent nasal burn. As I recall, the big problem with my previous sample was construction, but this cigar was perfect in that respect.
While I burned through, I picked up plenty of earthier notes of black coffee and cocoa powder, as well as some underlying dried fruit sweetness that helped balance those notes. The spice died down fairly early. Overall, this Mexican-wrapped cigar turned out very good and I’ll definitely revisit it in the future.
