La Palina The Alison Cigar Review
Disclaimer: I received this cigar as a sample for La Palina and they also advertise on this site. Even so, all reviews are my own.
It has been a while since I have looked up the story behind La Palina cigars. I seem to remember that they have something to do with Bill Paley, the man responsible for CBS. So, in a way, without Mr. Paley we may not have had the ability to delight in the zany antics of Charlie Sheen.
All joking aside, their family story is important as is the family story of everyone who makes cigars. Many cigar operations are family run and because of that I think they special. La Palina cigars is one such company. Heck, this cigar is part of their Family Series of cigars. And here’s a little about the family that is responsible for the creation of these cigars:
[La Palina owner Bill Paley's] quest for the extraordinary took him to Avelino Lara, the expatriate Cuban Master Blender who created the famed Cohibas for Fidel Castro. Lara had abandoned Cuba and was heading Enrico Garzioli’s factory at Graycliff in Nassau. With the acquiescence of Garzioli, Bill worked directly with Lara to create a cigar that appealed to his discriminating palate.
Avelino Lara passed away in October 2009, but his inspiration lives on, guiding his son Abel, and his loyal Cuban torcedores. La Palina is honored to capture the joy and spirit of Lara’s greatness in its cigars.
The La Palina The Alison is a great looking cigar. It is a torpedo with a wrapper that is very toothy and comes with no seriously raised veins. The Alison and The Little Bill are the more full bodied offerings from La Palina The Family Series (Just to make sure that you know they have that little extra kick these two cigars come with an extra band that says “Ligero”).
Cigar Stats
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
Price: ~ $20/cigar
It starts out very reserved striking a good balance between spice and wood. Unfortunately, it isn’t a very impressive cigar during the first third.
The second third is better than the first. Spice is still present, it’s pretty close to cinnamon actually, and there is a sweetness. As this third is progressing my impression of this cigar is definitely improving. The strength is increasing as well.
I think the most apt analogy for this cigar’s flavor evolution is this: a Mac Truck. It might start out slow and lumbering but once it gets up to speed it brings it. The final third is in full force with a good helping spice and some floral notes for balance.
The final two thirds of this cigar are absolutely awesome. Great flavors centering around spice is something that I really like in a cigar. Detracting from this cigar was an occasionally bad burn and that somewhat lackadaisical first third. If you haven’t had the chance to try one of these yet I would recommend you do so.
91 points
Alec Bradley Family Blend Cigar Review
[A note from Travis: This is one of the cigars that will be featured in my cigar dinner on December 1st. If you are in the Los Angeles area and want to smoke some great cigars, eat excellent food and meet a great group of people go here for more info!]
I started seeing this cigar online during the spring or summer and finally pulled the trigger and purchased some a couple of months back. Lo and behold, I get my new issue of Cigar Aficionado and this cigar gets a rating of 94 points. And it was the same vitola that I bought a box of. Crazy, right?
The genesis of this cigar is interesting since it started out as the personal blend for the patriarchs of the AB dynasty.
Alec Bradley Family Blend cigars were created expressly for the fathers of the company’s three principal executives, Alan Rubin (President), Ralph Montero (Vice President), and George Sosa (National Sales Director).
Based off of my mediocre memory of cigar history, it is usually a good omen if a cigar starts out as the personal blend of the head of the company and then gets released to the public. (Some of the Fuente’s cigars and Drew’s Liga Privadas come to mind.) I’ve smoked a few of these Alec Bradley Family Blend cigars now and they continue that trend.
The Alec Bradley Family Blend T11 is a very well made torpedo. There can be some stretch marks on the wrapper and there are some minor veins; ho-hum. The Honduran wrapper has a nice chocolate brown hue to it and it is accompanied by a good allotment of oils.
Besides the good appearance the most striking thing about this cigar, besides the actual smoking of it, comes right after you pull it out of the cellophane. A potpourri of tobacco, sweet spice and leather greets you with a warm embrace.
Cigar Stats
Torpedo
Length: 6 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Price: $7.25/Single | $125.00/Box of 20
The flavor parade starts right after the cigar is lit. What I smelled after taking it out of its cellophane cocoon is pretty much what I am tasting. A restrained sweet spice, a background of leather and some tobacco flavors round out this little flavor parade. Add to that a pretty great draw and an even burn and it is shaping up to be a great cigar during the first third.
What is the most refreshing thing about this cigar, for me at least, is that it is a superb medium bodied cigar. This is a cigar that every cigar smoker will at the very least enjoy, probably much more than just “enjoy.”
During the second third and especially during the final third there is a distinct woody note that comes through. Also during this time the sweetness and the spice grows a little bit. The sweetness slowly morphs into a nuanced dark fruit and the spice deepens into a warm spice, something like cinnamon.
If you are looking for an excellent way to spend a couple hours of your time then you should definitely give these cigars a try. The Alec Bradley Family Blend T11 is a laid back cigar with a ton of flavor and well above average level of complexity. A must try.
95 points
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story Cigar Review
Reading into the history of the Hemingway line a little bit is actually quite interesting. Evidently, the perfecto shape was popular from 1920-1940. But, since these shapes are so difficult to make, cigar makers stopped making this shape. Luckily for us, Carlos Fuente, Jr. remembered his grandfather making perfecto cigars for a line called Fancy Tales and worked with his grandfather so that they could make some for their own personal use. After smoking twenty of these cigars a day they realized that other people might like them and then, in the 1980s, the Fuentes launched their Hemingway line. Thanks guys!
It’s a great looking cigar and you just have to admire the Fuentes for bringing back the perfecto when they did. It is not easy making them. The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story is amazing not only because of its perfecto shape but also because it is so small. I have had the Short Story a number of times before and have liked them all. The wrapper is oily.
Cigar Stats
Perfecto
Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 48
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: around $5.50
Blue Flame!
It is packed with a breadth of flavor. A warm spice, akin to cinnamon, gets a lot of play and is especially noticeable when you blow the smoke out your nose. Meaty, sweet and earthy flavors bolster the warm spice. The flavors balance each other out well.
With a perfect draw and an even burn this is a very enjoyable cigar. And, even though it is a small cigar, I am getting the chance to enjoy it for a good amount of time because it burns slowly. It’s a medium bodied cigar.
While it is a very good cigar it isn’t perfect. There may be a kaleidoscope of flavors bouncing around in my mouth right now but they are not particularly strong. The spice does linger long after you put it down, which is always a good thing in my book.
Overall, I’m not convinced it is a truly great cigar. It is a cigar worthy of praise solely due to its shape; even though cigar presses are used in the making of these sticks I’m sure it is not easy making them. And the flavors are good. Just not amazingly good.
89 points
Pride of Jamaica Vintage Reserva Crystals Cigar Review
This isn’t a mistake. Even though I reviewed one of these yesterday (HERE) that doesn’t mean I can’t review another one today. The same thing goes for this one – I got it for free. Here’s my review:
Pale and dry to the touch. The construction on this cigar looks pretty good but there are some bumps and some mildly raised veins. The last one got 91 points. By the way: I’m smoking this cigar while recovering from being sick. I’m drinking Wild Turkey with some water.
Cigar Stats
Grand Carona
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 45
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Jamaica
Price: $6.50
Second Flame!
Lots of spice; reminds me of cinnamon. There is also a mellow cedar flavor in the background. This one is at least medium bodied.
A half an inch in and that herbal flavor that I tasted the last time I smoked one of these cigars starts to creep back in. It isn’t a strong flavor but it is there.
This has to be one of the spiciest cigars I have ever smoked and I really like that about this cigar. Remember how I described the second half of the other one (“it’s like a little firecracker”)? Well, this one is like that from the beginning. The flavors I am getting are cinnamon and peppermint.
It’s an interesting cigar, very unique. It isn’t full bodied but the spice is extremely strong on the palette and when you blow smoke through your nose. You may not like this cigar if you don’t like your mouth numb from spice. But if you are like me then you will love this cigar.
This is the second one I’ve had and I have got to tell you that this is a great cigar. I love it.
92 points
