La Palina Goldie Laguito Robusto Extra

A year and a couple months ago, the latest and greatest La Palina Goldie Laguito had been released—the Robusto Extra, which was a larger cigar at 6 1/10 x 50. A couple months ago saw this year’s Goldie released, which was a swing back in the opposite direction. Still over six inches long, the Dalia is 6 3/4 x 43. While I’m looking forward to trying the skinnier size, I did remember that I particularly enjoyed the Robusto Extra, and thought I would revisit it a year later.

Here’s what I originally had to say:

While I thought the Goldie No.5 was a good cigar, it didn’t blow me away like so many people experienced with the Goldie line. The Robusto Extra is a really good cigar that I enjoyed, but also had some surprising moments in that genuinely made me stop and think what a good profile the cigar had. It definitely hits its stride at the midpoint of the cigar, with the fruit note getting quite distinctive and great, though it fades back into just a good enjoyable cigar by the final third. Construction was very impressive, as far as looks, burn line and ash retention, but the flakiness of the ash was quite annoying. With such a minor gripe though, it is a cigar I can easily suggest you seek out and pick up when you see it, as these go quick and can be difficult to get a hold of.

• Cigar Reviewed: La Palina Goldie Laguito Robusto Extra
• Country of Origin: USA
• Factory: El Titan de Bronze
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: Ecuador
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 1/10 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Robusto Extra
• MSRP: $18 (Boxes of 10, $180)
• Release Date: June 9, 2015
• Number of Cigars Released: 2,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

The Goldie Laguito wrapper is still as pristine as I’ve come to expect them to be, with a medium brown wrapper that is soft and enticing. There still isn’t much give to the cigar when squeezed, but enough that I know it’s been humidified well. Coming off the wrapper is still a perplexing aroma of salty, vegetal notes that remind me more of the ocean than anything else I can describe. The cold draw however is another story, with warm spices, light fresh cut hay, a little fruitiness and the slightest touch of pepper.

Lighting it up, the first third starts out slightly surprising—not nearly as smooth or mellowed out as I would’ve expected it to be—with some spice and pepper on the lips, followed by a sweet nuttiness, some fruit and a hint of the fresh cut hay from before. There isn’t much change as I move through the first third into the second. I’m still getting lots of rich spices, that light pepper hitting my palate, along with nuts, fruit and the light hay. Noticeably missing is the bright berry note that made itself so known before, creating that delightful pastry-like flavor. Instead the general dried fruit not continues as it has been. The final third sees a bit of change finally, but unfortunately for the worse. The rich spice and sweet nuts, hay and fruit fade slightly, while the pepper stays at the forefront and an overall bitter note starts to creep into the profile. Luckily the bitter note never becomes too overwhelming, and I can finish the cigar without the profile dropping off too much.

The first third’s burn is quite even, impressing me unlike the previous samples. No runs, solid ash that holds on to around the inch mark and doesn’t flake off everywhere and a draw right in the middle of ideal, really gives me hope for the remainder of the cigar. The second third continues the trend, with a sharp, even burn line. Last time there was a lot of flakey ash, but this time I’m seeing very dense ash hold together and not make a mess at all. The final third still continues with the same even burn line and solid ash, wrapping up the cigar nicely without any construction issues, unlike the minor ones I experienced before.

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.