Monday my wife and I spent another day on the set of Creed II, being a volunteer extra, and it was shot at Temple University’s arena, and it got me thinking that the library at Temple is named after Samuel Paley. Samuel Paley founded the La Palina cigar brand, and is the grandfather of the current brand owner, Bill Paley. Some people may not know that Bill Paley’s father, and Samuel Paley’s son, was William Paley, who founded the Columbia Broadcast System, initially to advertise the family cigar business on the radio waves. Bill Paley re-launched the La Palina brand in 2010 with the launch of the Family series made in the Bahamas. this series eventually moved to El titan de Bronze in Miami, and other lines were launched being made in various factories, including PDR, General Cigar Co. among others.
The La Palina Bronze Label was released as a TAA exclusive last year and went into full production this year. This line is available in a 6½” x 52 Toro, a 6″ x 60 Gordo and the Robusto, which I smoked, at 5½ x 50. the wrapper is a Honduran Habano, binder is Honduran and the fillers are Honduran and Nicaraguan. These are rolled in conjunction with Rocky Patel at the Placencia’s factory in Honduras. I smoked two samples at different times of the day, one on my usual evening walk, and one this morning with a cup of black coffee. Oddly, I enjoyed the one today more than the one smoked in the evening, both were he first cigars of the day, and I don’t recall what I had for dinner last time, but it may have had an effect. The cigar has an earthiness, not uncommon in heavily Honduran blends in my experience. With coffee, the coffee and cocoa notes come out more, and it was very tasty. The construction was exceptional, with a firm ash. As I’ve been doing lately, I used the Colibri V-cut with great success. Side note on the cutter, it is possible to pinch the inside of a finger if not careful, but it continues to provide an excellent cut. La Palina has a broad range of cigars in their portfolio, I’m partial to some more than others, and now this one falls into the one’s I’m happy smoking. Thank you to Nick at La Palina for sending samples, and to all my friends there for their continued support.
That’s all for now, until the next time,
CigarCraig
hi Craig – thx for sharing a small part of La Palina’s history. This is a cigar brand that I’ve yet to try. Which blend(s) does your palate enjoy most?