La Hoja Signature Series 1962 Petit Corona
Right before the end of the year, La Hoja Cigar Co. announced its latest release – the Signature Series 1962. It features a filler using proprietary Dominican hybrid tobacco that was developed in the 1980s along with a Dominican binder and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper that has been aged three years.
The line is a limited release and comes in three sizes.
- La Hoja Signature Series 1962 Petit Corona (4 x 40) — 750 Boxes of 25 Cigars (18,750 Total Cigars)
- La Hoja Signature Series 1962 Corona (5 1/2 x 44) — 750 Boxes of 12 Cigars (9,000 Total Cigars)
- La Hoja Signature Series 1962 Double Corona (7 1/4 x 50) — 750 Boxes of 12 Cigars (9,000 Total Cigars)
- Cigar Reviewed: La Hoja Signature Series 1962 Petit Corona
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tamboril DBL S.A.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
- Binder: Dominican Republic
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- Length: 4 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 40
- Vitola: Petit Corona
- MSRP: $10 (Boxes of 25, $250)
- Release Date: January 2017
- Number of Cigars Released: 750 Boxes of 25 Cigars (18,750 Total Cigars)
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
While the wrapper of the Signature Series 1962 is bumpy, it’s not rough; in fact it’s quite smooth and has a nice oily feel as well. There’s a touch of give when squeezed, just enough to feel pliable and not hard. A unique aroma comes off the wrapper with fruity bubblegum, hay, raisins and some leather. From the cold draw I get more of the bubblegum note in a big way, along with apple, cinnamon, light leather and a healthy amount of sweetness.
Starting into the first third the profile is quite different from the cold draw, with pepper and spice up front, while sweet fruits, earth and a touch of dark roasted coffee follow. The burn doesn’t seem to want to stay even, with a touch up needed about a quarter of an inch into the cigar. Though the ash isn’t very dense looking and only holds on to around a half an inch, it doesn’t flake everywhere, which is great. The sweetness has started to die down some, leaving pepper and earth to grow and pushing the fruit, spice and coffee to the background.
As I move into the second third, the profile shifts quite dramatically, with earth up front, followed by a meaty note, black pepper and some charred wood. While the coffee is still clinging on in the background, the fruit, spice and overall sweetness is long gone. The burn has shaped up a bit, though it’s more of a straight angle now instead of a jagged burn, and eventually it needs to be evened out. Strangely enough for a fleeting moment I got a very strong grapefruit note, which was odd considering how different from the rest of the profile it was.
The final third sees more of the same earth, pepper and charred wood, leaving behind the complementary notes of meats and coffee. Another touch up is needed and the ash has started to get a bit flaky. Perhaps it’s just the combination of bold flavors, but a harshness has started to creep into the profile. Unfortunately, the profile seems to just devolve from there, with the earth, pepper and charred wood picking up bitter undertones, finishing out the cigar with a profile almost the complete opposite of what I started with.
Final Notes
- There was one sample that performed almost flawlessly when it came to construction, with an exquisite burn and dense ash that held on to around an inch. Unfortunately, the other two both required multiple touch-ups throughout the cigar to keep things in line.
- In 2014, La Hoja had to revamp their brand due to a trademark issue. They changed from La Hoja de Flores to La Hoja Cigar Co. 1962.
- After the rebranding, La Hoja launched two new cigars: the La Hoja Edición Maduro 1962 No. 1 Robusto and the La Hoja Reserva Limitada 1962.
- In addition, they released the La Hoja Edición Crema 1962 at the 2015 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show.
- Despite a fairly active social media presence, the company only has a placeholder website. Also, while I found plenty of sites carrying the company’s core lines, some cursory searching didn’t turn up any of the Signature Series 1962 for sale online.
- Cigars for this review were sent to halfwheel by La Hoja Cigar.
- Final smoking time averaged a little over an hour.
A unique cold draw and a flavorful start gave lots of promise to the La Hoja Signature Series 1962 Petit Corona, though it wasn’t able to follow through to the end. The first third was certainly a delight to have experienced, and though the second third wasn’t anything spectacular, I would have been content if the cigar had finished out with that profile. Unfortunately the final third was a bit of a mess and the harshness ended what had been an overall enjoyable cigar. I would be curious to try the other sizes in the line, but after three of the Petit Coronas I don’t think I’ll be revisiting that size.
Brian Burt
I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.
Related Posts
-
December 30, 2016 -
July 11, 2015
