The La Palina Goldie Cigar is a limited to 1000 pieces special edition, hand rolled
by master roller Maria Sierra
History is full of photos and stories of famous men enjoying their cigars. But what about women? A new limited edition collection from La Palina Cigars celebrates the significant, but under-publicized role that women have played in world of fine tobacco enjoyment.
While the modern world has seen the gender lines blurred for a lot of different pastimes that used to exclusively belong to one side or the other, the fact remains that cigar smoking is still largely something associated with affluent business men. So, it’s nice to see a world class, limited edition cigar released – produced exclusively by women – that celebrates the significant role that women have played in the tobacco industry.
La Palina
Today’s La Palina cigar is actually the second incarnation of a much older brand. After apprenticing in a cigar factory for several years, Sam Paley made the jump to launch his own brand, La Palina, which he dedicated to his wife, Goldie Drell Paley. The art of the business has been passed down to each successive generation, and continues today much the same as it did over a century ago.
Women and cigars
The role of women in cigar making can be traced back to Celia Sanchez Manduley, a supporter of the Cuban Revolution who worked alongside Fidel Castro as he rose to power. Intent on helping improve the status of Cuban women, Celia worked as Castro’s confidante and secretary, using her position to further her goals. It was her idea to have the first group of women trained to roll cigars at the Villa El Laguito factory in Havana Miramar where the original Cohiba (whose name Celia coined) was personally rolled for Fidel Castro. Among this group was a young woman named Maria Sierra, who quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the company’s top rollers, travelling the world as an ambassador for Cuban Cigar artistry.The Goldie Cigar
For the limited edition Goldie cigar, current La Palina owner William Paley wanted something that would take the company back to its roots, honor the memory of the woman who had inspired the original cigar, and all the women who had helped contribute to cigar artistry in the era in between. To achieve this goal, he enlisted master cigar roller Maria Sierra to personally roll all of the cigars for the Goldie Laguito No 2 (6x38) according to the traditional fan-capped style that she perfected for Fidel Castro. To honor the work of a further female pioneer in the cigar world, the cigars are produced at Sandy Cobas’s Miami-based El Titan de Bronze factory, and are blended according to her guidance.The boutique Goldie Cigar will be limited to 1000 pieces, available in boxes costing 150 dollars each. Individual cigars are available at a cost of 15 dollars each. Each box is signed, numbered, and dated. Further information about La Palina cigars can be found on La Palina Cigars
