I’ve smoked a number of these over several months and found them to be amazingly consistent in both flavor, strength, and performance. The beautiful, light honey-brown Habano wrapper, grown in Brazil, is topped with a perfectly applied cap. The burn line is truly razor sharp, the draw near ideal.
The excellent construction and consistency are a testament to the care and attention to detail by both La Palina brand owner Bill Paley and factory owner Abe Flores in the Dominican Republic.
With medium strength and body, La Palina Classic features an Ecuadorian binder with filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican. It begins with a bready, yeasty tone that’s quickly augmented by a little pepper. That pepper ramps up as you smoke through the six-inch Toro, and some sweetness emerges as a presence as well about a third of the way down.
I get light chocolate on the finish, and the earthy aroma from the smoke is both noticeable and pleasant.
This is not so much a complex cigar that takes off in different directions, but one that begins with a harmonious blend and makes subtle riffs on the dominant themes.
At $7.75 per stick, this 50-ring gauge vitola fits comfortably with the Classic’s aim of being a more affordable line that maintains La Palina’s quality. My colleague Patrick S gave the Robusto high marks about a year ago. A few months later, in a Quick Smoke, he praised the Corona.
This cigar is one I would recommend to anyone, from newcomer to old-timer. For me, the La Palina Classic Toro earns four stogies out of five.