Quick Smoke: La Palina Nicaragua Oscuro Gordo

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

I lit this behemoth (6 x 58), a new line from La Palina, at the kickoff of an NFL playoff game and was still puffing well into halftime. It was an excellent smoke for the occasion. Starting with a burst of pepper, it added a toasty element after about a half inch. As the cigar burned, the pepper rose and fell while other flavors, including coffee and leather, came to the fore. The blend is an Ecuadorian Oscuro wrapper over Nicaraguan filler and binder, it’s rolled at A.J. Fernandez’s factory. I paid about $9.

Verdict = Buy.

–George E

photo credit: La Palina