La Palina is an American cigar brand that Samuel Paley founded in Chicago in 1896 and his grandson Bill Paley revived in 2010. The company says Sammy Phillips and Clay Roberts now run it and its handmade cigars are made in Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Miami, where the limited Goldie line is rolled at El Titan de Bronze. In halfwheel reviews, strength runs from around medium (Goldie Prominente, 2021) to halfway between medium and full (Black Label Robusto, called La Palina’s strongest blend in 2014). Halfwheel noted earth, leather, cocoa, cedar, espresso and maple-like sweetness in the Black Label; the Goldie Prominente showed barrel wood, earth and black pepper, though the reviewer missed the banana-like sweetness he links to earlier Goldies. Start with Goldie for a milder smoke or Black Label for more strength. Oxford Cigar Company lists La Palina on its category page when in stock.
La Palina Cigars
La Palina is a storied American cigar brand originally founded in 1896 by Ukrainian immigrant Samuel Paley in Chicago, later revived in 2010 by his grandson William “Bill” Paley as a premium boutique operation. Now under the stewardship of industry veterans Sammy Phillips and Clay Roberts, La Palina produces handmade cigars across Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Miami—including the limited-edition Goldie line rolled at El Titan de Bronze—spanning expressions like the Blue Label, Black Label, Classic, El Diario, and Nicaragua Connecticut, with reviewers noting earth, cedar, pepper, leather and espresso in blends that honor the brand’s 125-plus-year heritage.
Frequently asked questions about La Palina Cigars
Who makes La Palina cigars and where are they made?
La Palina goes back to 1896, when Samuel Paley founded the Congress Cigar Factory in Chicago and named its first cigar, La Palina, for his wife Goldie. His grandson Bill Paley revived the brand in 2010. According to La Palina, Bill Paley is still its chairman, Sammy Phillips and Clay Roberts now run the company, and it has its handmade cigars made in Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Miami. The company does not own its own factory. The limited Goldie line is rolled at El Titan de Bronze in Miami.
How strong are La Palina cigars?
In halfwheel's reviews, La Palina cigars run from about medium to medium-full. Halfwheel's 2021 review of the Goldie Prominente put its strength just below or around medium. Its 2014 review of the Black Label Robusto said that cigar ended about halfway between medium and full and called Black Label the strongest blend La Palina made at the time. Strength can vary from one release to the next.
How do the La Palina lines differ?
The lines differ mainly in where they are made, what they are made from and how strong they are. Goldie is a limited line rolled at El Titan de Bronze in Miami; halfwheel lists an Ecuadorian habano wrapper and binder for the 2021 Goldie Prominente. In that review halfwheel noted barrel wood, pepper, earth and light coffee; the reviewer said he associates the line with a banana-like sweetness but found it missing in that release. Black Label, made at PDR Cigars in the Dominican Republic with a Brazilian Bahiano wrapper, is fuller; halfwheel's 2014 review of the Black Label Robusto noted earth, leather, anise, cinnamon, cocoa, cedar, espresso and a maple-like sweetness. Cigar Aficionado reported in 2012 that the Classic is made at PDR in the Dominican Republic and that El Diario and Maduro are made in Honduras at Raices Cubanas. The 1948 line, launched in 2023, is made in Nicaragua by Oliva.
Where can I buy La Palina cigars?
Oxford Cigar Company lists La Palina Cigars on its category page when in stock: https://oxfordcigarcompany.com/la-palina-cigars/. Free US shipping on orders $50+.