La Perla Habano Morado Belicoso

Size: 6.2 x 52

Wrapper: African Cameroon

Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Price:  $9.50

I have conflicted feelings about this cigar, and really the whole brand.  I first discovered LPH Black Pearl in 2006.  I tried the Cobre first—didn’t like the first one, but really enjoyed the second. Next came the Rojo.  My review at the time praised the flavors but noted my frustration with construction issues.  For many years thereafter, La Perla Habana disappeared from the online cigar sites, but I still ran across them from time to time at brick and mortar shops for around $10 each.  About two years ago, all of a sudden, they were back on Cigars International and CigarBid at ridiculously low prices. I grabbed a box of these 93-rated Morados for less than $2 per stick.

After a year of aging, they have been a mixed bag. The best cigars in the box have developed a nice faint toothiness on the wrapper.  These cigars have a pungent pre-light aroma of oak and pepper.  Once you light up, you get an initial blast of pepper (like a Pepin black label) followed by nuts (like a Gran Habano #3) with that special tangy Cameroon under-note. Some of these cigars, the ones with the toothy wrappers, stay on the full side of medium-full; others lose the pepper spice altogether and then slip into a rather nondescript medium body. 

Some cigars burn straight and true, while others draw tight and require frequent touch-ups.  I’ve noticed about half these cigars seem to have been rolled too tight, especially under the band.  Cigars with this problem tend to dry out between the cap and the band, meaning they burn fast and hot at the foot, but the draw is still not loose enough. 

This cigar pairs well with anCnoc 12-year old single malt, a light-body scotch with pronounced lemon citrus flavors.

La Perla Habana Black Pearl Rojo
Size: 6.0 x 50 (Toro)
Wrapper: Habana Corojo
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $4.50 (retail), or $3.00 (online discounter)

This is the sister cigar to the Black Pearl Cobre, which I've already reviewed. They are both medium- to full-bodied, but the corojo wrapper lends hints of a fruity-apple taste, rather than the alternating sweet-and-spice combination of the criollo wrapper. It really goes well with a glass of pinot noir after dinner. (It also tastes very similar to the Punch Rare Corojo).

Unfortunately, although 3 of the 5 I've tried so far have been excellent, the other two had serious problems with construction. One canoed on me from the start and just refused to play right, even after I had to re-clip and relight. Another one had a very dry wrapper, torn in multiple places. (It was so bad I thought maybe something had gone awry with my humidor. I threw it away and tried a 2nd one, which fortunately was in perfect condition.)

The Black Pearl Rojo recently scored a '90' in Cigar Aficionado.

This week was characterized by lots of driving with cigars:

(1) Padron Londres (Revisited).

I reviewed my first Londres in 2003, and I haven't had one since. But these are excellent driving-around-town smokes. They added color to two otherwise dull trips to grocery stores and ATM machines. I don't often smoke Padrons because I think they're usually a tad overpriced (this stick is barely larger than a Punch London Club and costs $2.50), but there's something very unique about their taste. I really like it.

(2) Legends - White Label Comacho.

OK, I've reviewed these before, but I just want to add they're perfect when driving four hours in the Geo Tracker, with the convertible top down on the interstate to Prattville. Times like that are not meant for savoring subtle aromas and textures; you need a cigar that's gonna kick you in the seat of your pants.

(3) Black Pearl.

A little sugar, a little spice.

(4) CAO Cameroon Robusto.

The more I smoke them, the more I dislike them. Great construction, but the taste doesn't do anything for me.

And now a brand new review...

Indos Purios Nacionales
Size: 6.5" x 43
Filler: Honduras
MSRP: $3
Puros Indios is the flagship line of Rolando Reyes, Sr , a widely regarded cigar blender who was trained in Cuba. Puros Indios are handmade in Danli, Honduras with Cuban-seed fillers. This blend has received scores up to ’90’ by Cigar Aficionado.

This was my first Puros Indios cigar, which I got as part of a Cbid sampler, for about $1.70 each. They had a very smooth, medium-bodied flavor, but I don't think I'll buy anymore Nacionales. I don't like the shape. They are too narrow (43 ring guage) for their length (6.5"), which gives a very tight draw. The first one I smoked had a bad tendency to canoe on me, although I had no problems with the second.

I did like the flavor, though, so I might try another size or even the Rolys (Puros Indios segundos) in the future.

(postscript 04-05-06: I must add that, in the absence of any Punch London Clubs, these Nacionales do make a decent yardwork cigar. I like the tight draw when I'm working.)

La Perla Black Pearl Cobre Robusto
Size: 4.7 x 52
Filler: Nicaraguan Wrapper: Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut
MSRP: $4.20

I won a couple of these as part of a CigarBid sampler. I smoked the first one during the 2nd half of the Alabama-TN basketball game at TJ Mulligans. My palate was already somewhat deadened by a strong JR Limitada Edicion in the first half, but my first blush at this cigar was that it was a mild stick, with a sweetish aroma. It burned well, lasted about 45 minutes, with not a lot of annoying smoke out the front, but still a very good draw. I smoked the 2nd one in the courtyard of a hotel in Eastover, SC. The sweetness was still present, but this time there was also a very definitive peppery taste. All in all, I was very pleased.

La Perla is a well-known boutique brand (www.laperlahabana.com). Made in the Carlos Tarano factory. Many of their other lines have scored '90' or above by Cigar Aficionado (I couldn't find a rating for the Cobre). The original Black Pearl, an oscuro, sells for $6-$7 apiece. I've also read good things about the Black Pearl Rojo

No new review today. Last night’s cigar was a disappointing JR Alt-Monte #2. But the disappointment was my fault—not Lew’s. I had to let the cigar die 5 minutes in, because Kedron woke up from her nap early. When I returned an hour later, the wrapper started to unravel and split, which led to burn and draw problems. This marred an otherwise fine night of heads-up, no-money-wagered poker with Anthony on the back porch.

This brings me to tonight’s subject: I first became a fan of the JR Alternatives line in 2004, because they were the only quality hand-rolled, long-filler cigars that could be obtained for a buck. Yes, there are cheaper buys, but they are either segundos (which by their nature are inconsistent) or mixed-filler sandwich cigars, like Riata and Mister B’s. Back in 04, a bundle of JR Alt-Monte #2 cost $21.95, plus $2 shipping, or $1.20 per smoke.

But over time, Lew’s inventories dropped and shipping costs rose. Today, that same bundle costs $26.95, plus $2.63 shipping, or $1.48 per smoke. Still a great bargain for a very good smoke.

However, I recently found a site called CigarBid.com where boxes of name-brand cigars are routinely placed on the auction block at less than $10 and a feeding frenzy ensues. This site seems to specialize in new and boutique labels that became popular in the boom of the late 1990’s. I see more cigars with “by Rocky Patel” or “by Perdomo” in the name than Montecristo or Punch. Most boxes end up selling for 70% of retail; some even sell for higher than MSRP. But sometimes you can get a steal: I bought a box of Legends Series Camachos and a 20-cigar sampler of CAO, Gurkha, La Perla, and Puros Indios for almost the same price as the JR Alts ($1.68 per smoke, after shipping).

I’m excited about this, because it will mean more variety than what I find at JRCigars, at my present costs. I’ll post reviews soon.