La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 5

For three years now La Palina has put out a special edition cigar called the Goldie, and a little over a year ago I reviewed the second release – the Goldie No.5. The entire Goldie line stands out among special releases, as they are all rolled by the same roller, Maria Sierra.

With that knowledge, along with the selective medio tiempo leaf tobacco it’s easy to see why these are priced how they are. Since my original review I was only able to smoke one cigar, I jumped at buying another when I stumbled across them months after the release at a local shop. I put it away in my humidor and forgot about it, so I could see what some time did to the blend.

Here’s what I originally had to say about the cigar:

As with any well-rated, thinner ring gauge cigar, I’m always curious how a fatter ring gauge of the same blend will hold up. While comparing notes from my review of the Laguito No.5 and Brooks Whittington’s review of the No.2, it did seem that Brooks enjoyed a little more complex and flavorful experience than I did. Having said that though, I think the blend worked great in this size and it actually had a very nice feel in my fingers—not too fat and not too skinny. The flavors were unique and robust, all while keeping what I would call an overall medium body, even with the cigar ending at full strength. As stated in the final notes, the construction was flawless and I wouldn’t expect anything less from a master roller. This is a cigar I can easily recommend you try, in fact I’d go so far as suggesting you should find a box of these, as the following score will imply. However, while we don’t factor price into a score, you should probably factor it into your budget. The cigar has a hefty price tag on it, so even if this sounds like a cigar that’s right down your alley, it might behoove you to buy one or two before jumping on a full box. Either way, a single or a full box, The Laguito No.5 is a cigar that I think most everybody will enjoy and should make almost as big a splash as the No.2 did last year.

• Cigar Reviewed: La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 5
• Country of Origin: USA
• Factory: El Titan de Bronze
• Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
• Binder: Ecuador
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Size: 5 5/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Robusto Extra
• MSRP: $18 (Box of 10, $180)
• Date Released: May 9, 2013
• Number of Cigars Released: 2,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Redux: 1

As before, the first thing you notice when picking up the Goldie No.5 is how silky smooth the wrapper is. Also as before, the aroma coming off the wrapper is only the lightest hay note, though some cedar from the humidor seems to have joined it as well. The cold draw is quite delicate and enjoyable, with some sweet fruitiness up front, a bit of fresh cut grass and, surprisingly, a very light touch of white pepper on the lips.

The first third doesn’t start off as creamy as I remember, though the fruits, nuttiness and a bit of spice is there. What’s new is that same white pepper from the cold draw, mostly on the finish and still very mild, but definitely there. Into the second third the pepper has completely disappeared, returning to a more familiar profile. The creaminess from before has shown back up, complementing the fruits, nuttiness, and baking spice nicely. The fruit not has defined itself a bit, almost resolving into what I would say was a dried cherry note. A little further in a light roast coffee bean note joins the party, continuing to create a interesting and engaging profile. The final third continues with the same flavors, though the burn issues seem to be affecting the profile adversely as some bitterness has entered in the profile, taking over some of the more subtle and enjoyable flavors.

The burn starts off quite nice, even for the most part with just the slightest waver. Smoke production is plentiful, much better than the previous sample I smoked, while the draw is still right in the middle of ideal. A little over an inch in the nice burn goes completely haywire and an entire section lags behind requiring a touch up. The ash is still holds on firmly to around the inch mark, however it’s become a little flakey after the touch ups that were needed. The second and final third continues to have burn issues, with one entire side just seemingly lagging behind and requiring multiple touch ups.