1 review for Warped La Hacienda
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Warped La Hacienda
Overall Score
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The Bare Hand
Origin : Nicaragua
Size : 5.6 x 46
Format : Corona
Wrapper : Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Factory : Casa Fernandez
Body : Medium
Price : $10.50 MSRP
Warped is a rising star boutique brand (as far as I’m concerned, they have arrived) founded by Kyle Gellis. In recent years, they’ve received accolades for their unique blends, and if you haven’t delved into the Warped brand yet, now is the time. A great place to start is with La Hacienda (“The Estate”). Warped brought back an old Cuban brand for this blend, and this Nicaraguan puro has been a home run, and it’s a staple in my humidor. I’m amazed at the consistency in performance and flavor profile.
Appearance : [rating:4.5/5]
La Hacienda is a very sleek and sexy looking cigar. The band on this stogie is probably my favorite in the industry with a retro 1970s vibe. The turquoise lettering on the black band really catches my eye. There are tight, invisible seams, and just a few small veins. This particular example has unusual quadruple cap. The wrapper is silky smooth with a straightforward brown color. The cigar feels very solid in hand for its size, and at the foot, I see a nice pack.
Construction : [rating:4/5]
The draw is just a tiny bit over-tight throughout, but it did not hamper my experience. The burn was slightly wavy, but never required one single touch-up making for a relaxing experience. The white and black ash fell off a few times in 1.5-inch chunks. The smoke output was spot on. Final smoke time was 1 hour and 14 minutes. I was feeling a strength kick, so I did lay it down probably about 10 minutes early. You could get 1.5 hours from this size, which shows the quality of the construction.
Flavor : [rating:4/5]
Pre-light experience:
The wrapper has faint scents of hay and a fruity sweetness. At the foot, I get sweet tobacco and a hint of a red pepper lurking that induced a sneeze. On the cold draw, it’s plain and simple. Faint notes of sweet tobacco, a hint of cocoa, and more of the red pepper that already creates a tingle at the back of my throat. The ring gauge makes for a very comfortable experience for my jaw.
First impressions:
La Hacienda starts off with a burst of red pepper flakes. I love it when a cigar starts off with a nice bang and grabs your attention. It’s spicy through the nose right away, but also very smooth and manageable. Mixed in we’ve got some sweet cocoa powder, and a touch of a leather and cedar right off the bat which is also nice. Plenty of smoke, and it’s a nice “wet” smoke. Basically, I’m salivating. The draw has an obvious sweetness to it that will return again and again throughout this session. The finish is medium in length with a nice pepper sizzle on the end.
First 3rd:
This is the 5th time I’ve smoked a La Hacienda in this size, and as I mentioned before, it’s always been a sweet and fruity experience for me – very easy on the palate. This time is no exception. At about the 1-inch mark, we’re already cruising with a cedar base, and swirled in is a syrupy sweet milk chocolate, caramel, cherry, and on the long finish, you get a touch of spicy red pepper and the aroma of leather. It’s really delightful – almost sinful. Often times while smoking a cigar, I’ll get a bitter oil note on my lips, and I try not to lick my lips while smoking as not to spoil my taste buds. With this cigar, it leaves almost table sugar sweetness on your lips. It’s not a sweetened tip either. It’s incredible and a great change of pace.
Second 3rd:
At the start of this section, I’m not getting any sense of a flavor shift, but more of an intensifying of what’s already been there. New to the game are sweet leather and a fleeting Marciano cherry. There is still plenty of milk chocolate and caramel cream on top of that cedar base. This blend plays a nice balancing act with sweet and spicy. There’s still some pepper, but now it’s earthier, moving towards a black pepper flavor. It almost has a fizzy quality like from a Cola.
The burn is near razor sharp, and the draw has opened a bit as the cigar burned down – 40 minutes to the halfway mark.
Final 3rd:
A new flavor has entered the mix, hazelnut, and I’ve finally pinned down what I taste – chocolate hazelnut rolled wafer. I’ve had them in a milkshake before and they are like crack. I could eat a whole can of those darn things. Dangerous.
As I near the band, the overall sweetness seems to be dying down, replaced with some more serious dark earth, dry leather, and some gritty black pepper notes.
The nub is near the opposite of the rest of the cigar. It’s got a small strength kick. I can feel my hands become jittery and I’ve got a little sweat going. It’s medium-full bodied at this point, and very earthy, dark, and toasty. What a great finale after all the fruitiness.
Value : [rating:5/5]
At $7.50, La Hacienda is an absolute steal in my book. It tastes and performs like a high-end premium. If you take the nub down, you’re looking at 1.5 hours of smoke time, maybe more if you smoke slowly. That’s INCREDIBLE VALUE. This is a great place to start with the Warped brand because it’s priced as their entry-level cigar. You’ll wonder why you haven’t smoked this cigar before!
Overall Rating : [rating:4/5]
It comes down to complexity for me. This cigar, while mouthwateringly delicious, is a tad one-note. That in no way is a BAD thing, because when a cigar tastes this great, I really don’t mind if it doesn’t change. The flavors are very similar from start to finish. I feel that this is a great cigar for a beginner who is striving to develop their palate and wants to recognize sweet notes in tobacco smoke. It would be a great cigar to gift to a buddy who you’re trying to get hooked on the hobby. So, it really captures a wide audience as a seasoned smoker can sit back and enjoy the rich sweetness, while a new smoker can learn to appreciate the hobby.
Pairing recommendation:
I usually pair this with a black coffee after breakfast. Going for La Hacienda on an empty stomach might not be the best choice as it does have a slight nicotine kick. For the evening’s choices, since towards the end it builds in body, I could see this matching up very well with a smoky Scotch as it would cut the spirit and provide some balance. Call me crazy, but I think a dry white wine like an Oregon Pino Gris (maybe a dry Chardonnay, but I’m personally not the biggest fan) would be an interesting match as well.
Aaron Taubman
I always keep a spare box on hand of the La Hacienda Superiores. By far it’s one of my favorite Warped Cigars if not my favorite. Excellent flavor, complexity and yet had a dud. One thing I recommend is aging them at least a month before smoking as with all Aganorsa Puros.
sportser
I pay $10.50 locally. I find flavors very much like H Upmann Majestic. Try pairing with Guinness stout I find this to be very satisfying.
David
I picked up some of these this past summer. They are a very good smoke for the money (for what my opinion is worth).
Bill K
So which is it $7.50 or $10.50?