La Galera Imperial Jade Chiquito Perfecto

At the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, La Galera had one new product, an extension to the company’s Imperial Jade line.

It’s called Chiquito Perfecto and it has one of my favorite pieces of cigar trivia. It’s called that because only one roller makes this particular vitola and his name is Chiquito.

As for the cigar, it’s a 4 x 40/52 short perfecto. It uses the same blend as the other Imperial Jade sizes: a Cameroon wrapper over a Dominican criollo 98 binder and Dominican fillers. Most of those Dominican tobaccos come from the company’s Jacagua farm, though there’s also some criollo 98 from the La Canela farm, which is adjacent to La Flor Dominicana’s famous farm.

The cigars come in packs of five with the perfectos pointed in alternate directions.

Retailers are shipped the five-packs in five-count display sleeves.

• Cigar Reviewed: La Galera Imperial Jade Chiquito Perfecto
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera Palma
• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Dominican Republic (Jacagua Criollo 98)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (La Canela Piloto Cubano & Criollo 98)
• Length: 4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 40/52
• Vitola: Short Perfecto
• MSRP: $6 (Pack of 5, $30)
• Release Date: July 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

These are small cigars with much of the surface area covered by the highly-detailed Imperial Jade bands, but there are some signs that the cigars could be finished better. The caps are applied pretty sloppily and there are issues with multiple loose seams across the three cigars. Color-wise, the La Galera Imperial Jade Chiquito Perfecto’s wrapper is a darker version of either wood or umber colors on this chart. It provides a great contrast with the light colors on the band, not that the band needs any help looking better. The aroma from the wrapper is muted, likely due to these being removed from cellophane, though I can find some sweetness before barnyard and meatiness emerge. I try to avoid sticking the end of the cigar’s foot into my nostril, though I’m not sure how much of a difference that would make. There’s not much to smell, just some minor ammonia-like tingling. Two cigars have parts of the wrapper unravel upon cutting, a reminder that Cameroon is delicate. As for the cold draw’s flavor, it’s got classic Cameroon-like flavors—sweet earthiness and some mild sharp pepper—along with flavors that remind me of grass and the bottom of a cup of slightly sweetened black tea.

Unfortunately, the most notable part of the first puff is that the wrappers are further unraveling on two cigars. Flavor-wise, there’s oatmeal, dry earthiness, creaminess and some subtle sweetness before earthiness overwhelms the finish.  The issues with the cigar coming undone aren’t limited to just the top part of the cigar, as the bottom is also cracking on one cigar. Flavor-wise, there’s sweet and chalky earthiness along with nuttiness leading straw, leather and some mild strawberry sweetness. Retrohales are extremely smooth with brown mustard, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, oak, muddy earthiness and a wasabi-like pepper. There’s not a puff when all of those flavors are present, but some combination emerges each time I push through the nose. That sharp pepper returns to the finish, joined by red pepper, creaminess and a reduced amount of oatmeal. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. While two cigars are unraveling, I’m not forced to make any corrections via the lighter, though given the shortness of the cigar, that would be a concern.

About 20 minutes in and the second third begins. Oatmeal and earthiness lead the profile over some poultry-like meatiness and a sharp pepper that is more reminiscent of what happens when I burn my mouth due to temperature versus spice level. The finish has leather and oatmeal over white pepper and black tea. I sometimes find the second third of the Chiquito Perfecto to be rather rough, though it never lasts for more than a few consecutive puffs. Retrohales are excellent in the middle portion with a wasabi-like sharpness dominating floral and nuttiness. The overall sensation almost clears the palate in a weird way. As crisp and refreshing as the retrohale initially is, sourness can emerge during the finish. It’s joined by even more of the wasabi sensation along with oatmeal and, on the sides of my tongue, saltiness. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium and strength is medium-plus. Touch-ups are needed on all three cigars to help with both an uneven burn and declining smoke production.

Given the short length of this cigar, there’s not a consistent flavor change to mark the final third, though it does happen with one cigar where the oatmeal leaves the profile. That allows earthiness and dry grain flavors to take the top spot over creaminess, minerals and some of the wasabi-like sensation. On the other two cigars, the oatmeal flavor remains the leading taste, though those other flavors are present. The finish isn’t as dry as before with flavors of oak, leather, earthiness, hay, white pepper and oatmeal. Retrohales are quite different than before thanks to a heavy dose of butter flavors. That’s quickly replaced by leather and some sharp back pepper. The finish has more of the wasabi—the most intense amount of the cigar—along with dry cashews and coffee. Flavor is closer to full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. Two cigars need more help from the lighter to help with inconsistent smoke production.

Final Notes

• This flavor profile is one of the pillars of what I think of as classic Dominican cigars. Given that I haven’t been smoking for five decades, I don’t know how fair it is for me to declare that to be gospel, though I certainly would defend this as a statement about the last 15 years. It’s a profile that has seemingly fallen out of favor with most cigar companies in the Dominican Republic though some companies still produce blends in this wheelhouse. Arturo Fuente and La Aurora—and to lesser degrees Altadis U.S.A., General Cigar Co. and Quesada—make a number of different blends that I would consider falling into this category.
• The reason why I say it’s “fallen out of favor” is because most new blends introduced aren’t cigars that fall into that part of the spectrum. I think there are probably two main reasons for this: a. Arturo Fuente and others make enough to saturate the demand, b. newer consumers seem to gravitate more and more toward stronger cigars.
• This is particularly relevant because we’ve seen recent explicit attempts to go after some of Arturo Fuente’s Hemingway line. This cigar is certainly one of them and the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Twisted Love Story is clearly a competitor to the Hemingway Between the Lines.
• I don’t think anyone—including Arturo Fuente—can really complain about this imitation being the greatest form of flattery. This results from how well Fuente sells these products and other companies want to see if they can also get a piece of the pie.

• As for the shape, it’s similar but not identical to the Short Story. I think the added thickness would help as I found the second half of the cigar to be less enjoyable than the first.
• This is not the first time La Galera has used this size.
• As unique as the shape is, by the halfway point of the cigar it more or less likes a half-smoked corona.
• If you look closely at the picture above, the left side of the cap shows a loose seam.
• Keen-eyed observers will also note that this band features some salmon colors, which aren’t present in the original bands. I’m unsure if all the sizes now have the salmon color or if this is just special for this size.
• One thing I’ve always admired about Tabacalera Palma/La Galera is that the company—the two entities are both owned by José “Jochy” Blanco—is very upfront that it lets rollers roll as many cigars as they can in a day. I cannot think of another factory that is as upfront about this. Unfortunately, I think this size might require more care than what’s currently being given to it. Due to the unique shape, small size and delicate wrapper, any small issues get magnified, and that’s what happened here. The caps came dislodged undone each time—one took a bit longer—and I don’t think it’s due to my current cutter, a Davidoff double guillotine cutter that has been used to cut fewer than a half dozen cigars prior to this, i.e., basically brand new.
• For all of these issues I had with the wrappers coming undone and my complaints about the appearance, the bands on the cigars are about as high-quality as it gets. The bands are made by Vrijdag Premium Printing, which is also responsible for bands such as OpusX and a lot of the bands used by Habanos S.A.
• La Galera advertises on halfwheel
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time is about one hour and five minutes.