La Palina is on the way to The Wharf in Dayton.  If that doesn't excite you, it should.  They are one of the biggest boutique names around right now and their cigars are stellar.  Being handed three samples of their wares made me giddy as a school boy too.  I smoked the Classic already - review forthcoming - and today I opted for the miniscule El Diario Kill Bill.  Word has it that when Bill Paley smoked this blend for the first time he claimed it almost killed him - hence the name.  True or not, I love the thought.  So, let's see if it kills Jack, shall we?

Construction: The KB is covered in a dark red-brown wrapper with a mild dry appearance with some spots of shiny oils.  There is a very vintage look to this cigar and the gorgeous band makes it look like something from 100 years ago.  Just awesome.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw: Out of the cellophane the KB gives off aromas of sweet tobacco, raisins, and a touch of cocoa.  The draw is perfect too.  Time to light it up!

Light and Burn: As you can imagine from a super-premium, the burn on this little guy is perfection from start to finish.  Copious amounts of aromatic smoke just pour from the Kill Bill.

Tasting: Starting off, the KB is pretty intense.  Leather, coffee, and some mineral earth notes mingle into a terrific set of flavors.  Because of the size, I am going to split this into halves.

The first half gives off a lot of strength.  Notes of earth, leather, spices, and cocoa balance well into a crazy amount of power.  A hefty amount of bitter-sweet chocolate hits the palate and nose on this little guy too.  I am shocked at the consistent quality of La Palina cigars.  They are absolutely perfect....Always.  The KB is not for the weak of constitution.  A full belly is a must with this little guy.

The second half?  Delicious.  Loads of earth and a rich woodiness just coat the palate.  I am shocked at the amount of flavor packed into such a small cigar.  Granted, I have enjoyed a lot of very flavorful small cigars over the past year, but the richness of the Kill Bill is staggering.  I would actually classify the strength around medium-full but the body if full tilt.  All four corners of the tongue get hit in just the right amounts. 

Value: A four pack of these will run you about $35 online.  Not bad at all for something so good.

Final Thoughts: If I wasn't already sold on La Palina Cigars before this review, the Kill Bill would have done it for me.  La Palina was ranked as the hottest cigar company last year by several online resources and I can totally see why.  Construction is top of the line, the tobacco is remarkable, and the blending and balance are masterful.  I still have one sample waiting for a review - the Family Series Alison, and I am even more excited to smoke it than I was prior to the KB.  The Kill Bill is just fantastic.  Do yourself a favor and smoke a pack of these right away.  Highly recommended,

Wrapper: Honduran Corojo '99 Rosado
Binder: Honduran Criollo '98 double binder
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo '99 and Criollo '98

Strength: Medium-full

Size: 4.25 x 40

Strange how it looks huge with nothing for scale!