Smoked: La Barba Purple

Smoked at: West Chester, Ohio

La Barba Purple is a medium bodied, medium strength cigar that stays on the mellow side of medium.

Flavors include nuts, oak, pepper, earth, vanilla sweetness – somewhere between caramel and icing on a cupcake - and some puffs of leather. The wood and spice combination is quite unique. I also taste animal crackers although it has been so long since I’ve eaten those I’m not sure. But that is what immediately comes to mind. There’s a touch of cream that along with the pepper, earth and vanilla becomes more predominant during the second third along with floral notes – like walking into a flower shop. What comes to mind is violets, but it could be my brain reinforcing the name of the cigar and the color of the band. Either way, there’s a very strong floral note to this cigar. The earth, wood, vanilla and floral notes are leading the way in the flavor profile while the pepper subsides a little by the final third.

Good construction, nice draw with just enough resistance and ample smoke output. My only complaint is a off kilter, uneven burn line that required numerous touchups.