La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 2 Series 2

In June 2012, La Palina announced the debut of what would eventually become one of the company’s most popular and recognizable lines. The Goldie Series is named after Goldie Drell Paley, who was the wife of the founder of La Palina cigars Sam Paley.

There are a number of reasons that the Goldie series became as popular as it has over the years, starting with the fact that every Goldie was rolled by Maria Sierra until her retirement from cigar rolling in 2017, when Lopez “Chino” Perez took over the rolling duties. Sierra was a category nine roller and one of the first women trained to roll cigars in Cuba, and started her career at El Laguito, where Cohibas are produced, in 1967.

The blend is made up of an Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering an Ecuadorian binder and filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

The initial release in the series was the Goldie Laguito No. 2, a 6 x 38 petit lancero that had a total production of 10,000 cigars. Since then, more than 10 additional vitolas have been added to the series.

During the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, La Palina announced it would be rereleasing two sizes in the Goldie line: the aforementioned Laguito No. 2 and the 6 1/2 x 48 Prominente, which was released in 2021. Both rereleases carry the secondary moniker Series 2, and both feature slightly modified packaging to help distinguish them from the first incarnations. These changes include the front of the boxes—where the phrase “Series 2” is printed—while the color of the tray the cigars are placed in has been changed to gray; however, the cigars themselves do not have any special bands or marks to distinguish them from the original versions.

The La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 2 Series 2 has an MSRP at $23 per cigar—an increase of $8 compared to the original version—and its is offered in 10-count boxes, with 1,000 boxes produced by El Titan de Bronze in Miami. The first batch of the Laguito No. 2 Series 2 began shipping to retailers in August, while the second shipment is scheduled to arrive at retailers around the end of October.

Here is what I said about the La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 2 in my original review back in 2012:

I have to say, although I find the El Diario line a little weak, I have been really loving some of the recent La Palina releases. The Kill Bill is a very good cigar and a wonderful vitola, and the Goldie is even better. The cigar is a flavor bomb, extremely complex, expertly rolled, amazing construction and is just a joy to smoke. Easily one of the best La Palinas I have smoked. Yes, they are almost absurdly expensive for the size, but honestly, there’s something to be said about the historical factor. If you have the money to spend, and love close to full-bodied, complex and full flavored cigars, you will not be disappointed.

And this is what wrote about the cigar for my first redux review eight months later:

This is one of those cigars I have been looking forward to reviewing for a redux, as I really wanted to see how that strong banana note that was so prevalent in the original review would be after six months. Well, the answer is not that strong. While still noticeable, to me, that banana flavor has now morphed into a combination of honey, sweet nuts and citrus that—while not as unique—is just as flavorful. The white pepper on the retrohale is still quite obvious for the entire smoke and that gives me cause to think that these still have quite a ways to go, aging-wise. A great cigar that is well worth the money.

• Cigar Reviewed: La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 2 Series 2
• Country of Origin: U.S.A.
• Factory: El Titan de Bronze
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Ecuador
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 38
• Vitola: Petit Lancero
• MSRP: $23 (Box of 10, $230)
• Release Date: August 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,000 Boxes of 10 (10,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

Editor’s Note: While most of our redux reviews see a reviewer smoke an aged version of a cigar he previously reviewed, this is a rare example where we use a redux review to look at a new version of a cigar that was previously reviewed. This review is one of the 2022 versions, not a review of the original Goldie Laguito No. 2. — Charlie Minato.

First and foremost, while there may not be any secondary band to delineate which cigar is which, the newer Series 2 is also slightly longer, about 3-4mm longer than the original, not measuring either cigars’ prominent pigtails. The golden brown wrapper that adorns the La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 2 Series 2 is quite similar to the previous release from a visual perspective, although I remember the original version having a bit more oil and a little less tooth to it. In addition, the cigar is very firm when squeezed and numerous thin veins run up and down the cigar’s length. The aroma from the wrapper is a bit more restrained than I expected, although I can pick out notes of cedar, dry hay, sourdough bread, earth, nutmeg and generic fruity sweetness. Thankfully, the foot is quite the opposite when it comes to aroma, with strong cinnamon, creamy cedar, almonds, anise and banana aromas all vying for space. Finally, after cutting the cap, the cold draw brings some noticeable spice on my tongue as well as flavors of dry wood, cocoa nibs, baker’s spices, earth, rich almonds, baker’s spices and a slight vanilla bean sweetness.

Earth and an herbal flavor combine with some spice and pepper for the first puffs of the Goldie after I light the foot, but it does not take long for the main flavors of creamy cedar and almonds to take over the profile. Secondary notes of toasted bread, cocoa nibs, leather tack, bitter coffee beans and slight cinnamon show up at various points, but there is only a slight honey sweetness combined with white pepper present on the retrohale, at least so far. Flavor ends the first half at a point just shy of medium and the body is at mild-plus, but the strength lags behind between mild and medium, although I can tell it is still increasing.

In terms of construction, the La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 2 Series 2 gives me no issues whatever until the final third when some burn issues emerge after the start of the final third, but a minor correction quickly rectifies the situation. Unfortunately, there are very few changes during the second half of the La Palina: almonds and creamy cedar easy outpace the other flavors in the profile, a list that includes dark chocolate, roasted espresso beans, leather, sourdough bread, nutmeg and gritty earth. There is a new citrus peel flavor on the finish that starts right around the time the burn line passes the halfway point, but it is never all that strong and it seems to peter out by the middle of the final third. In addition, the flavor does increase enough to land at medium-plus and while the body manages to cross into solid medium territory. Although the strength is barely noticeable during the first half, it ramps up significantly by the end, easily hitting medium-full by the time I put the nub down after one hour and 22 minutes.