The Good Stuff:

La Palina’s Black Label is on of it’s newest releases which made it’s debut at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas. The La Palina Black Label is composed of a Brazilian Bahiano wrapper, Dominican Republic and Nicaraguan Binders, as well as Dominican Republic and Nicaraguan Fillers. The blend is said to be the boldest and strongest cigar in the La Palina portfolio. The Black Label is manufactured at the PDR Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic. This is the same factory that rolls La Palina’s Classic line. The La Palina Black Label is offered in four different sizes: the Petite Lancero (6 x 40), the Robusto (5 x 52), the Toro (6 x 50) and the Gordo (6 x 60). Each stick will run you between $9 and $11.50 a piece. I ordered up a handful of these from out friends over at SmokeInn.com.

Size: 6 x 40
Wrapper: Brazilian Bahiano
Binder: Dominican / Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican / Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Full
Price: $9
Pairing: Laughing Dog Brewing The Dogfather Bourbon Barrel Aged (Imperial Stout 10.85% ABV)

Prelight:

The La Palina Black Label is a dark little cigar. Seriously, the wrapper is as close to black as you can get which makes the name of the cigar very fitting. The wrapper is very consistent and the only areas which show off a bit of the brown are around the crests of the medium-sized veins that are scattered throughout the body of the cigar. The wrapper is silky smooth in some areas while a few areas closer to the foot carry some slight tooth. The entire cigar is coating in a thick layer of oils. The cigar looks a bit rough, but in a good way as the construction is spot-on. The wrapper on the cigar looks real dense, but feels very fragile as the cigar has quite a lot of give when I squeeze it between my fingers. The La Palina Black Label is finished off with a beautifully round triple cap. The cigar is polished off with the classic La Palina gold and white crest along with an additional black and gold band stating “Black Label” across the front of it.

The La Palina Black Label’s wrapper gives off a ton of spice and coffee aroma while the foot of the cigar showcases more woodsiness and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut very clean, and incredibly easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw carried more sweetness than I expected with lots of spice, a bit of grassiness and dirt, as well as some prominent coffee mixed in there.

First Third:

The La Palina Black starts out with some great, subtle black pepper which mixes in well with the heavy spice and cedar in the flavor profile. The backing flavors are some dark chocolate, black cherry, and espresso. I’m impressed with how the sweetness in the smoke surrounds all these flavors making it bold, yet really well balanced. The draw is a bit snug, but after a few puff it starts to kick out these massive clouds of thick, white smoke. The stationary smoke is incredible as well. Its like a miniature smoke machine resting in my ashtray. The burn line is pretty solid and thin leaving behind a trail of bright white, tightly compacted ash which held on for an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

The sweetness is really starting to come out in the La Palina Black Label with the beer pairing’s help. I know the beer is Bourbon Barrel Aged, but even the Black Label alone gives some bourbon qualities in it’s flavor profile. The Cherry, chocolate, and espresso still lead the way with some great spice, woodsiness, and lots of malt. The retrohale is incredible coating my nasal passage with a really interesting malt, spice, and musk. The draw was still a bit snug so I clipped a tiny bit off the cap and it’s rocking now. For what it’s worth, all the other Black Labels I have smoked weren’t tight at all. The body has been in the medium/full range the entire time, while the strength is well in the medium/full range as I feel a slight nicotine kick closing out the second third.

Final Third:

Into the final third of the La Palina Black Label and it’s been incredible all the way through. The body is in the full area now leading with the chocolate, sweetness, and cherry with lots of woodiness and spice. There was also some great raisin flavors that come through in the final third. The burn line has been perfect and I never once had to touch up or relight this cigar. The draw has been great ever since that extra little clip in the second third. The strength really comes through in the final third as I close it out right in the middle of the full area. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this bad boy down to the nub with no harshness, and a slight nicotine kick.

Overview:

Needless to say I fell in love with the La Palina Black Label. I’ve been a long time fan of La Palina. While not all of their blends fit my profile, many of them find their way into my daily rotation. The La Palina Black offers a great, full bodied, full strength experience at a decent price point. While the strength was in the full area, never once did it muddy up the flavors as they were a bit complex, very pure, and extremely enjoyable. While I got mostly the same flavors from the other two formats I smoked, the petite lancero we by far my favorite as they were much more pronounced, especially in terms of the cherry and chocolate. The price points on La Palina cigars have always been a bit higher than most, but that has never deterred me as I have always gotten my moneys worth and the Black Label continues the trend. This is a box-worthy cigar for sure and an excellent addition to the La Palina portfolio.

Pairing:

As the temperatures drop here in West Texas I tend to reach for more darker, thicker beers. One that I can easily go to is Laughing Dog’s Dog Father. The first time I drank this beer our pal Jeff actually sent it to me, and now I am luckily enough to find this brew locally. Brewed at the Laughing Dog Brewery in Idaho, this Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout comes in at a whopping 10.85% ABV. Laughing Dog also makes a non-barrel aged version of this stout which rings in at 11% ABV, but that was only available in the past. This year features the Barrel Aged version. The Dogfather leads with a whole lot of sweetness and maltiness with a very thick mouthfeel and tons of bourbon remnants as it finished creamy and thick with more sweetness, chocolate, and a slight bit of booze. The flavors in this beer are much more pronounced as it warms. It’s obvious why I chose this beer as a pairing with La Palina’s Black Label. The chocolate, bourbon, and malt paired perfectly with the flavors present in the cigar smoking experience. I also think this cigar is begging to be paired with a sweet bourbon or sweet port wine.

The post La Palina Black Label Petite Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past two years then you should be quite familiar with Antonio Lam and Reinado cigars. We’ve reviewed his Grand Empire Reserve line (you can check that out here) a while back and I have said on many occasions it was a stand-out cigar that struck my by surprise, and I know I’m not the only one. Well this year Reinado is releasing a tweaked version of that blend which will feature an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper laid over the same blend as the Grand Empire Reserve. Everything you need to know is contained in this press release:

Oradell, NJ, June 04, 2014 –(PR.com)– REINADO® Cigars eagerly announces the upcoming availability of its latest cigar in the Grand Empire Reserve line, a Petit Lancero. Like all Grand Empire Reserves, the new Petit Lancero (6X38) possesses Nicaraguan binder and filler that have been uniquely blended and fermented using REINADO’s signature process. However, it also incorporates an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper that has been finely aged 3 years as well as an ornate pigtail head.

“With the explosive consumption of our exceptionally rated Grand Empire Reserve line, we sought to introduce a complementary profile that delivers a rich, toasty, and distinctive flavor for smokers seeking a medium strength experience,” said Antonio Lam, owner of REINADO Cigars. “After nearly a year in development, we believe this aged Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper combined with the Grand Empire Reserve blend offers a perfect balance for sophisticated palates.”

“We are excited to carry REINADO’s new Petit Lancero and are confident this premium cigar will be highly appreciated by a wide range of discerning smokers,” said Tom Sullivan, Founder of Alliance Cigar.

The new Petit Lancero will be released on July 20, 2014 at the 82nd Annual IPCPR Convention & International Trade Show in Las Vegas. REINADO will be in Booth #2014.

Packaged in boxes of 10, the Petit Lancero will retail for $8.99 each from Alliance Cigar, REINADO, and fine tobacconists in the United States. Additional sizes beyond the 6X38 will be released at a later date.

One thing I have always loved about Antonio and Reinado is that you can order directly from them. If you are looking for these once they or released or any other Reinado cigar hit them up directly here. Thanks goes out to Antonio for hooking me up with samples to bring this review to you.

Size: 6 x 38
Wrapper: Aged Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $8.99
Pairing: Sierra Nevada Ovila Abbey Saison (7.5% Saison/Farmhouse Ale)

Prelight: Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition starts off with the obvious, the very thin, light Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. The wrapper is very smooth and fragile and this sporting a light brown/orangish color with a few dark grey markings here and there. The wrapper leaf is seamless, carrying only a few small veins as you head up the thin, slender body to an amazing little coiled pigtail style cap. I love that accent. The Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition feels very light-weight in the hand. While the binder and filler tobaccos feel dense and hard, I didn’t put too much pressure on the cigar for fear of breaking the wrapper. Ecuadorian Connecticut is always extremely delicate. The Ecuador Edition is polished off with the signature maroon, white, and gold Reinado crest as well as a secondary “Grand Empire Reserve” gold band which you can find on the other blends in the GER portfolio.

The wrapper of the Ecuador Edition gives off some light cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar carries nothing more than some strong, natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut like butter using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced some strong honey and citrus notes along with a ton of cedar and natural tobacco.

First Smoke: Lighting up Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition I was greeted with some very soft black pepper, soft spice, a ton of citrus and honey over cedar and natural earthy/tobacco/oat flavors. The draw on this cigar is incredible. Each, tiny, little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick white smoke. I’m glad too as often I tend to smoke too quickly on Lancero format cigars and end up charring the experience all to hell. The burnline is crazy wild as huge waves form all over the place. I didn’t whip out my lighter quite yet so we will see how the burn fares into the second third. The ash left behind is a dark gray and decently compacted only holding on a little over half an inch before falling off.

Halfway There: My stubbornness paid off as into the second third of the Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition the burnline has completely corrected itself and is now burning razor thin, and dead even. The flavors began to ramp up a bit and a really strong nutmeg has taken over with some soft spice, cedar, honey, citrus and earthiness underneath. The beer I paired this cigar with is really bringing out the citrus and spice elements of the experience. The retrohale is brilliant, coating my nasal passage with a very strong spice and some nice cedar. The draw is still perfect and I am feeling nothing at all in terms of nicotine.

Finish: The Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition really starts to shine in the final third. The spice has really ramped up and brought the cedar and citrus along with it. Some more pepper has crept back into the mix as it hangs out with the natural earthiness and honey. There is also some interesting leather in the aftertaste that I didn’t start to pick up until the last inch and a half. The Ecuador Edition took me a little over an hour to take back and it outside the first inch it burned flawlessly. I never once had to reach for my lighter. The finish was very smooth and very creamy and resembled the body at the start of the cigar with no harshness at all and absolutely no signs of a nicotine kick.

Overview: I don’t often grab Connecticut shade cigars from my humidor. And when I do, there are only a few that really do it for me. One of those, has to be the greatest Connecticut shade cigar I ever had, E.P. Carrillo’s New Wave Connecticut. Reason being is it delivered greatly in the flavor category, the category in which I feel most Connecticut cigars fail in. How did Reinado’s Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition do? Let’s just say I can’t decide which one I like better. Yes, its THAT good. The Ecuador Edition leads off with some creamy, complex flavors which continue to dance with each other for a majority of the experience making sure that I am always entertained. Then, a little more than halfway in the Ecuador Edition opens up and showcases it’s potential by intensifying it’s flavor and ramping up in body before finishing just as smooth as it started. I know some of you may want to know how it measures up to the standard Grand Empire Reserve and quite frankly, you just can’t compare the two. Let’s just say if it was 10am and I was headed out back to enjoy coffee and a smoke, the Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition and E.P. Carrillo’s New Wave Connecticut would have to fight to their death. Winner get’s smoked.

Pairing: I decided to pair the Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition with a bottle of Sierra Nevada’s Ovila Abbey Saison which is brewed with Mandarin oranges and peppercorns. Brewed in California this farmhouse ale comes in at 7.5% ABV and delivers a very bold, citrus and fruit experience. The peppercorns add a really subtle spice that you only really pick up on this finish as they blend in with the citrus and sweetness. As I stated before the spice and citrus really helped pair up and bring out the flavors in the Ecuador Edition while adding a bit of sweetness which resulted in a flawless pairing.

The post Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition Petit Lancero appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.