Vitola: 1955 (Lonsdale)- 6.75” x 44 ring gauge
- $9.99
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
La Mission was “the new thing” from L’atelier Imports back at the 2015 IPCPR show. It got a lot of attention and sales were brisk…deservedly so, because it was just a great cigar. The blend was originally introduced in 3 sizes, each named after “a vintage year when the Château La Mission Haut-Brion wine received a 100 point designation by Robert Parker.” The 1955 was added to the lineup in the first half of 2016. I did a full review of the 1959 vitola back in December 2015 and a “cigar extra” piece on this 1955 back last November. Normally I wouldn’t go back to the same size for a full review…but it is really good…and it’s a bad time of the year for new material to review, so there’s that.
La Mission is made in the My Father factory in Nicaragua. I uses Nicaraguan filler and binder, including some Sancti Spiritus in the mix, along with a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper leaf. I’ve recently had one or two of these, along with the one I smoked for the cigar extra late last year…I bought this review stick at Burns.
Prelight
It bears repeating…the band on La Mission is totally unique and beautiful in the L’atelier and Tatuaje lines of cigars. It just looks great and achieves a level of ornateness without going overboard.
The wrapper leaf was a milk chocolate brown color with a little darker mottling and an oily feel to it. Raising it to my nose, I got notes of earth, cedar, coffee and cocoa powder. The foot had notes of earth and cocoa powder, along with a little richer, sweeter overall aroma.
After clipping, I got a slightly tight draw, but not so much that I really worried about it affecting the experience. The cold flavor was of semi-sweet chocolate, earth and coffee beans.
Flavor
Due to the small ring gauge, getting the 1955 La Mission started was fairly easy with my single-flame torch. I got immediate notes of black coffee and tea, cedar and hay, earth and cocoa powder, along with a bit of red pepper on the nose and a dry, slightly chalky finish. As I made my way through the first third, I got an increase in sweetness, with more chocolatey notes coming through. Honestly, the flavor just kind of set me back…I really like this blend, but this size may be the best of the bunch.
In the second third, I got mildly sweet chocolate notes, with a earth and cedar in the background. A bit of anise came through from time to time and the pepper spice was an ever-present burn on the palate and nose.
Last third still had plenty of cocoa powder notes, a little sweetness and a low pepper burn. The earth, cedar and anise had faded into the background of the profile.
Construction
Build quality was great on this stick: great draw, very solid ash and even-enough burn line.
Value
The price point falls right in line with other regular production items in the Lat and Tat lines, so definitely good value.
Conclusions
I can’t say I liked this better than the size I originally did a full review on, but I can say I didn’t like it less. Flat out, La Mission is a great blend and I still consider it to be the best Mexican-wrapped cigar to ever come out of the My Father factory…by far. It was on the low end of full-bodied with a subtle sweetness and tons of cocoa powder and earth notes most of the way, along with other flavors that ducked in and out to provide a pleasing complexity. If you haven’t tried this by now…what are you waiting for?
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
