La Palina Bronze Label Bronze Age Edition

La Palina Bronze Label Bronze Age Edition

• Size: 7 x 38
• Strength: Medium-Full

Wrapper: Aged Honduran, Habano grown in Jamastran
Binder: Honduran Corojo
Fillers: Honduran Corojo, and Nicaraguan Jalapa
Body: Cinnamon and barnyard
Foot: Chocolate and moth balls
Cold Draw: Musty cedar, leather

Tasting Notes: The First Third opens with sourdough pretzel, tangy dried peach, red pepper, a hint of lemon, oak, vanilla, then BOOM tonka bean, chocolate. Second Third I get waxy, creamy, smoke that reminds me of the rind on a hard cheese. I get a little brie cheese too, these are phantom flavors. This is much more subtle. Chocolate, dried thyme, tonka bean or vanilla are dominant notes. But I also get oak, red pepper, and cinnamon heat with dried fruit tartness peeking back in from the first third, though not as strong. There is lemon zest on the tip of my tongue, and apple on the finish. The final third brings lemon, oak, black pepper, cream, must, and ginger! There are beautiful notes of oak, lemon, leather, vanilla and root beer, and the retrohale is a spicy red pepper.

Paring Notes: Brie cheese and crackers. Hershey’s Kiss one hour before smoking. Red root beer or cream soda. Soft pretzel with spicy brown mustard. Lemon meringue or key lime pie. Orange creamsicle. Hotdogs with mustard and sauerkraut. Over-proof bourbon for likeness, aged rum for contrast. Amber lager beers. Earl Gray tea.