Fall 2020 PCA Magazine

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG AUTUMN 2020 | PCA The Magazine 23 La Barba Red Size: Rothschild – 4 ½ x 52 Wrapper: nonhybridized Corojo from the Dominican Republic Binder: nonhybridized Corojo from the Dominican Republic Fillers: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Peru Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura in Tamboril, D.R. MSPR: $114 per box of 12 Smoke time: 1 hour, 10 minutes ut of the cellophane, the nose gives slightest hints of grapefruit and vanilla bean. The cigar is firm to the touch, amply packed and yet not a heavyweight—just 12.4 grams before light-up. Only the slightest color discontinuance gives away the nearly invisible seams on this beautifully redish-hued wrapper. Minimal veining is evident. A standard punch cut renders a perfect draw. The cold draw delivers a pleasant, slight astringency of black tea. I used a single 4-inch wood match to obtain a nice blaze-up and cherry, and we’re off to the races. I’d been foretold to look for white pepper in the first puffs, and I don’t think I’m succumbing to suggestion in reporting that, yes, the white pepper is predominant in the earliest moments. And plenty of smoke! I am seated at my kitchen table, and these first three of four deep puffs were enough to set off the smoke detector in an adjacent room, which had never happened before with any other cigar. The forward flavors are, to my palate, those of honey and iced tea. The retrohale is delicious—thick, velvety and mild—reminiscent of freshly baked bread. At 15 minutes the slate-white ash is holding tight, but at this point it has fractured, so I lop it off into the ashtray before it can deliver itself into my lap. The burn line is wavy, but not straying outside the scope of decent behavior. This is a medium- bodied Rothschild, of a size and strength that could lend itself to the smoking fledgling who wishes to test his wings on a first-class cigar—full- bodied enough to be assertive, yet not intoxicating. At the mid-point, 30 minutes in, the cigar is cruising on a generous stream of sweet nutmeg spice. It is here that I venture to once again shed the ash and then pop off the band, which comes off effortlessly. It is also here that I first sense that the vitamin N is piling on a bit stronger, but just enough to deliver an amiable buzz. At 45 minutes the cigar is coming fully into its own, with notes of French toast and maple beginning to hum behind the tobacco bass notes and brighter citrus. A lingering aftertaste of white chocolate propels the smoker from one puff to the next. There’s lots of complexity in this little number. At an hour and 10 minutes the nub still tastes great, but it’s getting too hot to handle, so I wistfully set it down. This is a grand smoke in a small package, and the boxes of 12 mean that you needn’t overcommit if you wish to give the La Barba Red a go. Recommended. T H E R E V I E W T H E B L E N D O CIGAR REVIEW BY WILLIAM C. NELSON