Cigar Review: La Palina Mr. Sam Corona
The cigar market has seen its share of limited production stogies, which often have a small run before fading into obscurity as quickly as they appeared, filling the cigar history books with footnotes of fantastic sticks that will never be experienced again. Smoking a limited edition cigar has always been a paradox for me. I often find myself dreading when I smoke one, not because it is a horrid or poorly constructed stick, but because I know that I will never be able enjoy the cigar on a regular basis. I experienced this deluge of irony last year with La Palina’s Mr. Sam. 2013 saw the first release of the La Palina Mr. Sam; the limited release featured a fantastic blend in the robusto format in 10 count boxes. Due to the fantastic profile, Mr. Sam robusto was, for all intents and purposes, a huge hit; one that I enjoyed time and time again. By the end of last year, I was crestfallen to realize that I had smoked the last one in my stash. Coming to terms with the fact that I would never smoke the cigar again, I took solace in the fond memories of the cigar and moved on to different sticks. Jump to 2014 with the return of the Mr. Sam robusto and two new sizes, corona and toro. While the initial run was packaged in 10 count boxes, the now regular production Mr. Sam is packaged in 20 count boxes. Rolled in the El Titan de Bronze factory in sunny Miami Florida, the 2014 incarnation of Mr. Sam is identical to the cigar released in 2013. Since I smoked the robusto last year, I figured I would try one of the new sizes and see how the change would influence the flavor.
Mr. Sam has a perfect appearance with a seamless, slightly toothy Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The cigar features the standard intricate La Palina band with a secondary band bearing the name “Mr. Sam” in gold embossed font on a soft off white background. The pre-light routine is highlighted by an outstanding tobacco flavor with a mild hint of earthiness and an ideal draw for the vitola, open with no obstructions.
2/3: With the ash crawling into the second third of Mr. Sam, the coffee bean note so prominent in the first third, drops off as a note of leather steps into the dance of flavors. The addition of this note gives the cigar a new type of finish, switching from sumptuous finish to a slightly more earthy rustic finish. The retrohale has changed a bit to include a predominate pepper note.
3/3: Mr. Sam bellows its swan song in a most spectacular way. The leather note that arrived in the second third has now diminished and is further complimented by a hint of dark chocolate. The hint of dark chocolate also helps to balance the pepper and earth aspects of the cigar granting the final portion of the stick its most diverse and satisfying profile. While it’s common for cigars to emulate the flavors of the second third, this is where Mr. Sam truly shines reminding any aficionado why they enjoyed the 2013 Mr. Sam to being with. Overall, the cigar was remarkably diverse and extremely enjoyable.
After burning through the Mr. Sam corona I did a quick comparison with the notes I took on the robusto last year. Upon comparing my notes, I found that the corona had a slightly more diverse profile than the robusto, but overall the cigars were similar in strength and finish. Mr. Sam is not a powerbomb of nicotine and strength, but a classic example of how blending a cigar to have astonishing flavor and aroma with a medium body can be simply delightful. Since the cigar is regular production, I can look forward to enjoying this stellar smoke of years to come. La Palina Mr. Sam is available in 3 sizes in 20 count boxes at all 5 Hampton Roads Emerson’s Cigars as well as online at emersonscigars.com.
