La Palina Mr. Sam Corona

La Palina has a unique history that started in the late 1880s when Sam Paley emigrated from the Ukraine to Chicago. He soon started working as a lector at a cigar factory where he read novels, magazines and newspapers to the cigar rollers in the gallery. Over time he started gaining interest in the tobacco industry and started using personal time to gain knowledge on everything cigars. Shortly after, he was promoted to roller, then to blender. In 1896 Mr. Paley opened Congress Cigar Company, his first cigar shop, with an adjacent factory whose first product was named La Palina in honor of his wife Goldie Drell Paley. In 1910, the family and Congress Cigar Company moved to Philadelphia with William, Sam’s son, joining as Vice President of Advertising. After several years of success, the Congress Cigar Company was ultimately liquidated in 1926 when Sam retired. Fast forward several decades later and grandson Bill Paley went back to his roots and resurrected the La Palina brand and released their first cigar in 2010.

Shortly after starting the Congress Cigar Company, Sam Paley quickly gained the moniker “Mr. Sam” by the factory workers. The La Palina Mr. Sam you have in your shipment today is a tribute to the man who started it all. This stunning stogie hails from the famed El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, Florida and comes dressed in a dark and tantalizing Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Inside, Mr. Sam is packed with Nicaraguan long-fillers and securely hugged by a Nicaraguan binder. With an even burn and draw, this medium to full bodied smoke will lend complex notes of cedar, pepper, coffee, and spice. Cigar Aficionado gave this smoke a 90 rating and we couldn’t agree more. Enjoy this smoke with a margarita.