La Palina Goldie, Laguito No.5

[tommggeorge]

So here it is,

my first cigar review on FOH. An unusual cigar choice for a first review perhaps but one that I hope you'll find interesting....

The La Palina Goldie was released in May 2013 to some serious expectations. To those not in the know, its sister, the La Palina Goldie Laguito No.2 was rated by several online blogs as one of the best cigar releases of recent years - CC or NC. Both were rolled exclusively by Maria Sierra - a cuban lady of perhaps the highest rolling pedigree possible. Trained by a combo of Fidel's personal roller (Eduardo Irizarri) and the father of the Cohiba marca (Avelino Lara) she is ranked as a category 9 roller and a legend in the Cuban cigar industry. As a budding cigar nerd, you can imagine my excitement! I bought these as part of an NC splurge last year and they have sat in my NC humidor since about August 2013. Something around a year of rest from rolling.

The No.5 comes in at a hefty 5 5/8 x 54 - bigger than my normal choice but what the hell. Its the end of the week and a Saturday. I guess I'll suffer it

Aesthetically, the Goldie No.5 is perhaps one of the most beautiful cigars I've ever seen. A golden caramel colour it reminds me of the Behike line which it is reportedly designed to resemble. Smooth, perfectly constructed and a pleasure to hold. Both have pigtail caps and are blended with medio tempo - the very topmost primings of the plant. It smells smooth and sweet.

.

A quick punch and I find the Goldie's draw is spot on. Perhaps a little looser than the average Cuban stogie but not unusual for something of this RG. It lights beautifully and I settle back with a glass of Madeira to enjoy (I am 28 going on 68). This is where this review starts to take a turn...

The first third begins comfortably. Simple notes of hay, a touch of something greener and grassier and hints of white pepper. Its is perfectly pleasant but utterly unremarkable. This is the third of these I have smoked from my stash and I have approached each with an open, if not anticipatory mind. I want these to be great. The first third is no more than fine.

As it moves into the second third I get exactly the same. Hay, grass, very little sweetness, something approaching honey on occasion - and very little else. I guess there is no bitterness which is a positive. After that I struggle to find anything of interest. I try to suppress my disappointment, the $20+ price tag and my knowledge of its pedigree and ratings, and approach it openly. But I just can't see anything. Its not even bad. Its just not very much at all. Can the last third pick up from the first two?

In a word, no. Believe me - I want to love this. I spent some serious man hours hunting some down and was rubbing my hands with glee when they arrived. This is the third of my five and I just don't understand the fuss. Am I smoking the same cigar as everyone else? Its fine. Its a bit buttery. Inoffensive and mild. But I'm not sure I'd buy it again if it were $5. As it progresses down to the nub I am amazed by how little it actually develops. And believe me, I am by no means a slap-you-in-the-face-strong-only cigar guy. I love my Bolivars and Partagas as much as anyone but some of my very favourite cigars ever have been the pre-2000 Trinidads and some divine aged Hoyo Epicure 1's I discovered on holiday in Mallorca. This pales in comparison to such masterpieces.

Which leads me to my final thoughts for the evening. As a smoker from the UK I've heard a lot of snobbery about NCs. Pompous old men with little knowledge and too much money have been keen to assure me that a fine Cuban is the only thing worth smoking. As a free thinking, inquistive kind of guy I was frankly all too keen to dismiss their views as out of date and out of touch. Perhaps it held true in the 60s/70s/80s. But now? Surely not I said to myself. With the knowledge, technology, effort and love put into NCs these days, I was certain I'd prove these old duffers wrong and build a collection of fine NCs equal to any of the boys down in Mayfair. But actually, the deeper I get sucked into this hobby, the more I swing to the dark side. The Cuban side. I think I can count on one hand the NC's I have loved - the Elogio's almost without fail. Padron's certainly, though they don't seem to age well at all. Some of the Carlos Torano stuff, and, horror of horrors, some of the Rocky Patel's I've had have also been excellent. But give me a choice between any old NC and any old Cuban and I know which I'm choosing every time.

Snobbery? Inverse snobbery? Personal taste? Bad luck with NC? Or perhaps the idea of Cuban 'terroir' is really true. I'm not saying I know yet. I'm just saying, my next box purchase definitely ain't gonna be anything other than something out of Havana....

Hope you find this of interest.

Have a great weekend all, Tom

[Wil]

Nice review.

[Rye]

Thanks for the great review!

My thoughts I. This cigar were much the same. Tasty, but really left me wanting more, and didn't deliver.

[Tino]

Good review! Anticipation and expectation are difficult mistresses, much harder to be impressed once you've mentally put something on a pedestal or you really want to love something.

[Cisco]

Thanks for the review. I've always wanted to try one of these, they're hard to find though.

I agree with the above poster in that anticipation can ruin an experience. I can't count how many times a high-end cigar under-performed while a C&C delivered in spades.

As for the age old debate of NC vs CC, I think the way one needs to look at NCs is that they are just different, and should not be compared to CCs. Given that, I think one can find uniqueness, and thus learn to appreciate what they can offer. To me, it is kind of the like the long standing debate in the wine community over red Burgundy and New World pinot noir, the the latter always being compared to the former. The reality is that New World pinot is vastly different and will never have the "terroir" of Burgundy and if you always compare it you will be disappointed. New World producers are now doing an excellent job with pinot and if you accept them as offering something different, a whole new world opens up, just like NC cigars.

The problem then becomes wading through all the chaff. With so many producers of NCs, it's hard to find the good stuff. This is where forums and fellow enthusiasts help us focus in on the good stuff. Thanks again for the review.

[canadianbeaver]

Was gifted 2 of these with the promise it would put any CC of mine to shame. Uh, no. Great review!

[Chunks96ss]

Good review

[tommggeorge]

she would be destroyed by some of Fuente rollers. I've seen stuff they do that is mind blowing. i've seen people less than 30 years old that are masters. cigar rolling is not brain surgery after a couple years of doing it. the mystique of cigar rolling is a lot of hype. I wish I could remember where the pics of the rollers from Fuente that can roll shapes that you can't believe could be made. most were made by younger people.

I don't doubt that there are probably some epically talented rollers out there. And you may very well be right Psi. But I can't help but wonder if (as with many things in life) while to an outsider it may look like someone has 'mastered' it after a few years, a roller's technique and consistency continue to improve over a long period of time. I surf for example. And after a couple of years practice you can look pretty decent. Even do some fancy things that make you look like a pro. But am I really? Far from it. Just musing...

[tommggeorge]

Thanks for the review. I've always wanted to try one of these, they're hard to find though.

I agree with the above poster in that anticipation can ruin an experience. I can't count how many times a high-end cigar under-performed while a C&C delivered in spades.

As for the age old debate of NC vs CC, I think the way one needs to look at NCs is that they are just different, and should not be compared to CCs. Given that, I think one can find uniqueness, and thus learn to appreciate what they can offer. To me, it is kind of the like the long standing debate in the wine community over red Burgundy and New World pinot noir, the the latter always being compared to the former. The reality is that New World pinot is vastly different and will never have the "terroir" of Burgundy and if you always compare it you will be disappointed. New World producers are now doing an excellent job with pinot and if you accept them as offering something different, a whole new world opens up, just like NC cigars.

The problem then becomes wading through all the chaff. With so many producers of NCs, it's hard to find the good stuff. This is where forums and fellow enthusiasts help us focus in on the good stuff. Thanks again for the review.

Agreed. Glad you liked the review. I think anticipation was definitely a contributing factor. And I love your analogy - for me the CC/NC thing is very similar to the Old World/New World wine 'debate'. I do like both but don't expect one to taste like the other. For me [enormous generalisations follow], NZ pinots tend to taste a little fresher, a little more 'clean' and maybe more 'pure'. On the flip side of the coin I find them a little less complex and less interesting than Burgundies. Fewer earthy, animal or 'tertiary' aromas.

Interestingly, I feel almost exactly the same way about NC vs CC with regards flavours and aromas. I hadn't realised it until I thought about your post but I also get more complex, unusual aromas from CCs and find NCs can taste a bit, 'manufactured'. It's almost as if theyve been too well made. They can also be more likely to be refined and have 'direct' sort of flavours too though.

Can anyone enlighten me/us as to why that might be the case though? Perhaps the fermentation processes and blend selection processes used in Cuba lead to a certain style? Going back to the wine analogy, the more I learn about wine, the more I come to the conclusion that many of the flavours associated with 'terroir' are actually attributable to differences in the winemaking. I'm willing to bet that it'll be the same for cigars.

What do people think? Glad this post has generated some discussion.

Cheers, T

[fookite]

I felt largely the same about this cigar.

Frankly, I think "boutique" NC cigars are just a big scam.

[Optic101]

Great review, thanks for sharing.

[earthson]

I felt largely the same about this cigar.

Frankly, I think "boutique" NC cigars are just a big scam.

Many are, but some are not. Elogio makes some mighty fine smokes.

[bogglor]

I'll be the voice of dissent - I actually am smoking one right now and I find it rather enjoyable to be honest. It's definitely on the lighter side of medium but it does have the same clean finish and buttery / creamy texture with some citric notes sprinkled in there that I found in the BHK 52. Like the Behike, it's got delicate flavors that favor a measured smoking pace. It has a very pleasant retrohale. Intensely creamy with a touch of sweetness.

I do think expectations can definitely taint one's opinion of a cigar - the more you WANT to like a cigar, the easier it is to be let down.

[earthson]

Tobacco, more than most other plants, responds to the local terroir a lot. A saying among the Nicaraguan tobacco-growing community is that you can plant two identical seeds with identical genetics across the street from each other and you'd end up with two different plants.

[littlepea]

I felt pretty much the same about this cigar...really wanted to like it but it was just okay.