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La Palina "Blue Label Sumatra"

Initial Smoke

Milk chocolate and citrus peel are the first flavors to be found once you light up, with the traditional salt-and-pepper concoction kicking in shortly thereafter. Nutty, medium roast coffee, a sliver of Spanish cedar, and retrohales that roll deep in a cloud of dark, meaty umami tastes and spices follow behind. The draw is mid-grade when it comes to flow, and body is already medium, with the ash showing signs of darkening in areas.

1st Half

Ah, there are those Sumatran tea tastes and exotic spices we adore. Right in the midst of the first third, these tastes take over, and as the pepper flavor fades, mineral notes build alongside some soil and spicy cedar. Nutty, sweet, and gradually growing darker due to the soil notes ditching the dry clay for damp rainforest floors, the magnitude of the blend builds quickly the closer you get to the second third. Despite having a good-sized split on one side, the cigar continues to burn beautifully, plowing through the crack with little more than an ash flake showing itself.

On the other side of this incinerated physical flaw comes the taste of leather and pithy citrus peel. It's intense but also enjoyable, as the bitter tanginess counteracts the bovine hide aromatic notes that have formed. Meanwhile, the tongue has begun to detect more clove and cardamom, which bounces beautifully off the milkiness of the Brazil nut cigar flavor profiles within each puff. Body has grown to near-full, and as the cigar burns, the first hints of nicotine can begin to be felt. Time to strap in and pour another drink...

2nd Half

Salt and mineral plops back onto the tasting table right when you think they have completely disappeared, and together they make the animal hide and rainforest soil notes taste and smell even funkier. But the finish is sweet and rich, and as cedar and tree sap tastes ramp up, the transition to a very different section of the cigar seems all too apparent. 

Spicy, dried tea leaf Sumatran flavors and creamy, sweet aromatics mark the final third's transition as one to remember, with plenty of salted tree nut notes providing that extra "wow factor" we all look for in a premium cigar blend. Pepper flavors and spiciness have slowly resurrected from the grave, and make the exotic spice tastes and smells feel all the more intense. Leather retains its place as a strong secondary note, adding both body and flavor to the cigar, which by now has hit full in body, flavor, and strength. Unlike my sample stick, the nicotine in my review cigar does not feel nearly as intense, even though it definitely can be felt at all times.

Parting Puffs

Nutty, but a touch imbalanced and sharp on the tongue, anywhere from the band onward feels a bit off to me. Baking spice-filled flavors and herb tea retrohales, and an oilier texture to the leathery side of the smoke aren't enough to keep the cigar from feeling off-centered. So I ditch the nub in favor of a long drink from my cassis and grapefruit homemade soda, as I try to clear my nicotine-riddled brain ahead of a final assessment.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

I love it when a cigar can burn through something as damning as a cracked wrapper. Not only did this blend roll through the split that had formed without issue, but it never once showed any sign that a crack had occurred when it came to smoke production and draw feel. In fact, I found the draw on this cigar to be outstanding, with some ash discoloration, a flake where the crack once sat, and an occasional wave in the burn line being the only consideration. 

The cigar's smoke also had a texture that was fantastic, with a gradual increase from medium to medium-full, and onward to full being perfectly timed in both sticks I smoked.

Final Thoughts

Although the 120th Anniversary will always hold a special place in my heart (and humidor), I appreciate how flavorful and performance-focused this 110th Aniversario version is, which came five years prior. Both blends are very different from one another in regard to their appearance and cigar flavor profile, but they also are both quite potent, burn extremely well, and transition cleanly as they combust. They also both tend to be far more mellow in their first and second third, then crank up the intensity in the final third like nobody's business.

However, this smoke is unmistakably Sumatran in nature, and far darker, soil-heavy, and leather-wrapped. That makes it a little less refined in a way, but also a bit more exciting and intense as well. This isn't the sort of cigar you charge into without a second thought, because it's only going to leave your senses and skull swimming. 

This is one of those after-dinner smokes that is best savored with strong drink and zero commitments thereafter. A rich tobacco concoction best enjoyed by those who favor full-strength when the mood strikes, and one that should be avoided by anyone who cannot stomach anything that goes beyond medium. Is it the perfect anniversary cigar in my opinion? No, it isn't. But it's a damn good one. And that's precisely why I suggest trying it on for size, and then smoking the other anniversary blends in the La Aurora line to see what fits you and your palate best.

Overall Balance & Repeatability