danthebugman
BoM Nov '10
Beautiful semi-sunny morning here in my neck of the woods. Wife and kid are out for most of the day with the mother-in-law so I too the opportunity to enjoy a few cigars. The first one I smoked was one I'd been eager to try for a while now and thought I'd share with you all how it went.
I was attracted to the La Perla Habana Black Pearl because of it's price and the wrapper...I'm a sucker for a dark wrapper. This Robusto measures 5 x 52 and it features a blend of Nicaraguan, Mexican, and Dominican tobacco draped in a dark chocolate Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. The wrapper has a somewhat toothy appearance and a network of small veins throughout. There are a few cracks in the wrapper.
Feels well packed with a slight give when pressed between the fingers. The wrapper is giving off a very nice musty barnyard aroma (like Pavlov's dog, I immediately start salivating) while the foot is giving off a chocolaty graham cracker aroma. While inspecting the foot I also notice that there are more thick, stem-like, pieces of tobacco than would normally be seen on a more premium cigar (at least that I've noticed). While I like the simplicity of the band if it were not for the gold embossing, it looks as though it could have been printed from any home computer. I know I'm nit picking about a band on a budget cigar, but that's just how I feel (not that it'll detract from my enjoyment of the cigar).
The cap cut cleanly and easily leaving a draw that was just a touch on the loose side, but nothing I'm going to complain about.
Lit easily and from the get go produced large amounts of thick smoke. The first inch or so was dominated by a pepper on the retro hale, though not overpowering. After that it calmed down and I got a nice, deep walnut flavor. The burn was mostly straight at the beginning, but a few touch ups were needed to keep things in check later on. It seemed the wrapper was having a hard time staying caught up on one side.
The second third presented more of the deep walnut flavor, but the pepper had died almost completely away. In its place there was a subtle caramel-like sweetness. The ash has been falling in 1/4" clumps and while not ideal, I do hate when ash falls unexpectedly in my lap so at least it was predictable.
The last third was a combination of the previous walnut flavor and an earthy/charred wood. It surprisingly works out okay, especially with the sweetness on the retro hale. Unfortunately the last third was plagued with burn issues. One side of the cigar would just not burn.
I ended up dropping it in the ash tray shortly after the last pic. The burn issues were becoming a bit annoying and decided to move on to (hopefully) greener pastures.
Overall an enjoyable smoke despite the burn issues at the end and I'm glad I got to try it. At around $2.50 a cigar (a box of 20 is "on sale" right now at CI for $50, but I have seen them go for cheaper on CBid) This will undoubtedly become a favorite for yard work and odd jobs where a cigar would be enjoyable, but where I wouldn't be missing out on any complex subtleties. I've got some other La Perla Habanas on their way and after the favorable experience here I'm looking forward to trying them even more.
Dan
I was attracted to the La Perla Habana Black Pearl because of it's price and the wrapper...I'm a sucker for a dark wrapper. This Robusto measures 5 x 52 and it features a blend of Nicaraguan, Mexican, and Dominican tobacco draped in a dark chocolate Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper. The wrapper has a somewhat toothy appearance and a network of small veins throughout. There are a few cracks in the wrapper.
Feels well packed with a slight give when pressed between the fingers. The wrapper is giving off a very nice musty barnyard aroma (like Pavlov's dog, I immediately start salivating) while the foot is giving off a chocolaty graham cracker aroma. While inspecting the foot I also notice that there are more thick, stem-like, pieces of tobacco than would normally be seen on a more premium cigar (at least that I've noticed). While I like the simplicity of the band if it were not for the gold embossing, it looks as though it could have been printed from any home computer. I know I'm nit picking about a band on a budget cigar, but that's just how I feel (not that it'll detract from my enjoyment of the cigar).
The cap cut cleanly and easily leaving a draw that was just a touch on the loose side, but nothing I'm going to complain about.
Lit easily and from the get go produced large amounts of thick smoke. The first inch or so was dominated by a pepper on the retro hale, though not overpowering. After that it calmed down and I got a nice, deep walnut flavor. The burn was mostly straight at the beginning, but a few touch ups were needed to keep things in check later on. It seemed the wrapper was having a hard time staying caught up on one side.
The second third presented more of the deep walnut flavor, but the pepper had died almost completely away. In its place there was a subtle caramel-like sweetness. The ash has been falling in 1/4" clumps and while not ideal, I do hate when ash falls unexpectedly in my lap so at least it was predictable.
The last third was a combination of the previous walnut flavor and an earthy/charred wood. It surprisingly works out okay, especially with the sweetness on the retro hale. Unfortunately the last third was plagued with burn issues. One side of the cigar would just not burn.
I ended up dropping it in the ash tray shortly after the last pic. The burn issues were becoming a bit annoying and decided to move on to (hopefully) greener pastures.
Overall an enjoyable smoke despite the burn issues at the end and I'm glad I got to try it. At around $2.50 a cigar (a box of 20 is "on sale" right now at CI for $50, but I have seen them go for cheaper on CBid) This will undoubtedly become a favorite for yard work and odd jobs where a cigar would be enjoyable, but where I wouldn't be missing out on any complex subtleties. I've got some other La Perla Habanas on their way and after the favorable experience here I'm looking forward to trying them even more.
Dan
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