La Palina Classic Connecticut Cigar Review

Turn the clock back – way back – all  the way to the 1800s. That is when the La Palina Classic was introduced by Sam Paley. Well it may not have been called the Classic but that is how long ago the first La Palina cigar was created. Sam Paley the grandfather of Bill Paley -owner of La Palina Cigars cigars – retired in 1926 but Bill reintroduced the Classic years later and now 91 years later the La Palina company has overhauled the Classic one last time. This time the company has turned to General Cigars for the overhaul and introduced three Classic blends at the 2017 IPCPR. Those blends included the La Palina Classic Maduro, Rosado, and Connecticut.  It should be noted that PDR used to be the manufacturer for the Classic.

Today we look at and review the La Palina Classic Connecticut.

The blend of Classic Connecticut is described as:

• Wrapper – Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Binder – Dominican
• Filler – Dominican and Nicaraguan

Like all blends in the Classic line, La Palina offers the Connecticut in 3 vitolas and package them in 20-count cedar boxes:

• Robusto – 5 x 52   MSRP $6.50
• Toro – 6.25 x 50    MSRP $6.99
• Churchill – 7 x 48  MSRP $7.50

For this review I sampled the La Palina Classic Connecticut Toro which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.

The La Palina Classic Connecticut

Pre-Light Examination

The La Palina Classic Connecticut has a medium tan wrapper finished with a simple cap. From the foot you can see it is well packed and nicely bunched. The cigar as a decent weight in the hand and there were no soft spots along the smooth wrapper.

There are two bands on the cigar. The primary is the standard La Palina Classic band using a cream,  gold, and black motif. The words “La Palina Classic” are prominently displayed in the center. The Secondary band is directly below, using the same motif and declares this as the Connecticut blend.

As I ran the La Palina Classic Connecticut across the nose, I did not pick up much aroma off barrel but the foot had a sweet fruit aroma to it.

I used my double blade Zikar cutter to slice the cap and gave it a few cold draw puffs. The draw was mildly restricted and offered a growing black pepper on the tongue.

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Cigar Review Notes

• Light pepper to start
• Light grey ash with a touch of flake on a medium thick char line
• Pepper increases on the nasal
• Cedar enters after an inch as the pepper tones down
• A hint of natural tobacco sweetness enters
• Ash is still hanging tight and eventually falls after an inch and half
• Slightly receded centered burn cone
• Classic Connecticut bitterness enters
• The barrel has a slight squish in the second third
• Bitterness morphs into a dry cocoa powder
• Cedar maintains in the background
• Light to medium in strength
• Total Smoking time was

Overall, the La Palina Classic Connecticut was not an overly complex cigar but did deliver some enjoyable notes of pepper, cedar, sweetness, and cocoa powder. I would say the flavors transitioned well. This is an easy cigar to smoke especially in the morning and may well be enjoyed by a new cigar smoker. I would pair this with a morning cup of sweet coffee or herbal tea to add to the flavor enjoyment.