Quick Take: La Hoja Edición Maduro 1962

You may already know this brand by its former name: La Hoja de Flores, but due to trademark issues, the company has rebranded itself as La Hoja Cigar Co. 1962 (pronounced La Oh-ha) . Along with the new name comes a new design, packaging, and a reformatted lineup that includes a lean, 3 cigars. Marketing themselves in the premium boutique category ($10 and up), La Hoja offers a refined and classic smoking experience. Their reimagined lineup is slated to begin shipping soon.

La Hoja Edición Maduro 1962 Breakdown

My first impression is that this is a nice looking cigar, I certainly wouldn’t be ashamed to have a few of these in one of my higher shelves. The band is classic, with gold foil embossing and a nice footer ribbon to tie it all together. While the cigars are primarily available in 20-ct boxes, they are also available in 10-ct boxes (depending on availability) – which I thought looked nice, having the look of a miniature box of 20 (rather than the usual flattened 10-ct boxes). The cigars are semi-box-pressed, feel solid, and have a pleasant aroma of leather and tobacco.

Lighting up, I knew I was taking a risk, as the cigars had literally just come off the truck – and the cigar did take some time to get going (my bad). Once I got the thing lit, though, it burned surprisingly well throughout. Right away, I couldn’t pinpoint the cigar’s exact profile, only noting that it was pleasant and well-balanced. Soon enough I found myself categorizing it as maple syrup – the main flavor component throughout.

Throughout the first half of the cigar, the flavors didn’t change much, they were mostly a well balanced tossup between aged tobacco and sweet maple syrup. I found myself really enjoying the smoke, only wanting a little more complexity. And going into the second half, it did offer some interesting changes – powdered sugar, wet soil, and a distinct similarity to Smarties candy! It really reminded me of grabbing a handful of Smarties and chewing ’em all at once (you know you’ve done it…) – this flavor went along with the powdered sugar element. The ending finished with charred and tangy flavors, which were an interesting change, just not quite exciting enough for me to “go to the nub”, per se.

Summary

Considering I gave this cigar literally no time in my humidor, I was really impressed with how it performed! Initially, some may be scared off by a higher price for a relatively unheard of cigar, but I’m thinking it’s probably fair – smoking the cigar, you can tell there are some pretty high-grade tobaccos used. Interestingly, I had no knowledge of the cigar’s blend when I smoked it, but became positive it was Mexican when I picked up the powdered sugar element – if you find this flavor in cigars like the Satin Glove and Norteño, you’ll find it here as well.

Pros: Well-balanced, sweet, easy-going smoke that is perfect for morning or afternoon smoking.

Cons: Could be a bit pricey for some, 2 touchups throughout (probably my own fault), and not quite as much smoke with each draw as I’d prefer.

Would I smoke this cigar again?

Yes, and I’ll certainly recommend it to any fan of sweeter maduro smokes.

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