Torpedo, 6.125" x 52 ring gauge / approx. $11
Back in October of last year, Keith and I published a dual review of the La Palina El Diario, their newest release. As noted then, this was made in Honduras by Raices Cubanas and features Nicaraguan filler (Corojo 99 and Criollo 98), two Honduran Criollo 98 binder leaves, and a Honduran Corojo 99 Rosado wrapper leaf. It was designed to be a balanced, medium bodied smoke with an affordable price tag that people might be able to enjoy on a daily basis, thus the name El Diario, which means "the daily." In the end, though, neither Keith nor I really enjoyed the cigar much, and I think one of the biggest problems was the size they sent for review: a 6" x 60 ring gauge Gordo. After an honest, but negative, review I thought we might not hear back from La Palina, but they sent a pair of El Diario in the smaller ring gauge Torpedo size, so I thought...this might be a good opportunity to see how size affects this blend. I smoked both of these for this review.
I won't belabor the prelight appearance...it was great on the Gordo and it is great here. The wrapper had nice aroma notes of wood, earth, and leather; the foot had more earth along with a sweet chocolatey note. After clipping the tip from the El Diario, I got a very good draw that featured flavors of natural tobacco, sweetened cocoa powder, and a little bit of pepper spice. So far, so good.
When I fired up, I found the El Diario Torpedo actually delivered good flavor at the outset: earth, medium-roast coffee, and even a little citrus on the palate; red pepper spice on the nose. The citrus did not last long, but it was replaced by a subtle dried fruit note that kept the sweetness in play. As the first third burned through, I got mostly flavors of earth and coffee, along with a rich natural tobacco. Underneath was a more subtle flavor of cedar. I have to admit that at this point, I was enjoying this vitola much more than the other I had tried.
In the second third the actual flavors did not change so much as the intensity of them switched around. The leading roles now were the natural tobacco note...almost haylike...and cedar. Underneath were flavors of earth and dried fruit sweetness. Construction had been superb so far; the draw was great, the burn line had needed only one minor touch up and the ash had to be forcibly tapped off at around an inch.
In the last third, the El Diario Torpedo did not change a whole lot, mostly just continued the flavor profile that had developed in the second. It is no secret that I think smaller ring gauges tend to bring out the best in a cigar's blend and this is no exception. While I still was not blown away by this cigar, it was a vast improvement over the 60 ring gauge sample I had smoked a few months ago and is something I would smoke again. The body was just over the halfway mark and the strength was nothing too potent, so this could be recommended to all but the most novice of smokers. I think those who appreciate Honduran tobacco are still going to be the biggest fans of this blend due to the triple whammy of that country's leaf in wrapper and dual binders, but this one is an exception to my rule of Honduran tobacco being a little...well...boring. While not as intensely flavorful as many Nicaraguan puros, this one did bring some life and interest to the party.
Body: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
Back in October of last year, Keith and I published a dual review of the La Palina El Diario, their newest release. As noted then, this was made in Honduras by Raices Cubanas and features Nicaraguan filler (Corojo 99 and Criollo 98), two Honduran Criollo 98 binder leaves, and a Honduran Corojo 99 Rosado wrapper leaf. It was designed to be a balanced, medium bodied smoke with an affordable price tag that people might be able to enjoy on a daily basis, thus the name El Diario, which means "the daily." In the end, though, neither Keith nor I really enjoyed the cigar much, and I think one of the biggest problems was the size they sent for review: a 6" x 60 ring gauge Gordo. After an honest, but negative, review I thought we might not hear back from La Palina, but they sent a pair of El Diario in the smaller ring gauge Torpedo size, so I thought...this might be a good opportunity to see how size affects this blend. I smoked both of these for this review.
I won't belabor the prelight appearance...it was great on the Gordo and it is great here. The wrapper had nice aroma notes of wood, earth, and leather; the foot had more earth along with a sweet chocolatey note. After clipping the tip from the El Diario, I got a very good draw that featured flavors of natural tobacco, sweetened cocoa powder, and a little bit of pepper spice. So far, so good.
When I fired up, I found the El Diario Torpedo actually delivered good flavor at the outset: earth, medium-roast coffee, and even a little citrus on the palate; red pepper spice on the nose. The citrus did not last long, but it was replaced by a subtle dried fruit note that kept the sweetness in play. As the first third burned through, I got mostly flavors of earth and coffee, along with a rich natural tobacco. Underneath was a more subtle flavor of cedar. I have to admit that at this point, I was enjoying this vitola much more than the other I had tried.
In the second third the actual flavors did not change so much as the intensity of them switched around. The leading roles now were the natural tobacco note...almost haylike...and cedar. Underneath were flavors of earth and dried fruit sweetness. Construction had been superb so far; the draw was great, the burn line had needed only one minor touch up and the ash had to be forcibly tapped off at around an inch.In the last third, the El Diario Torpedo did not change a whole lot, mostly just continued the flavor profile that had developed in the second. It is no secret that I think smaller ring gauges tend to bring out the best in a cigar's blend and this is no exception. While I still was not blown away by this cigar, it was a vast improvement over the 60 ring gauge sample I had smoked a few months ago and is something I would smoke again. The body was just over the halfway mark and the strength was nothing too potent, so this could be recommended to all but the most novice of smokers. I think those who appreciate Honduran tobacco are still going to be the biggest fans of this blend due to the triple whammy of that country's leaf in wrapper and dual binders, but this one is an exception to my rule of Honduran tobacco being a little...well...boring. While not as intensely flavorful as many Nicaraguan puros, this one did bring some life and interest to the party.
Body: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
See bigger isn't always better... I keep telling my wife that!!! Glad you enjoyed it, I'm not a fan of the 6x60 sizes of any stick I have a few in my humi that just sit there and rest until I have a whole day of nothing to do. Great Review
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