Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Falto La Pureza is medium brown with a fair number of raised and knotty veins present. The seams are easily visible as they are raised while the head is finished with a single cap that is tied off in a short pigtail. The band is the traditional design for the brand carrying a blue, yellow, gold and black color combination and denotes the brand and line name. The aroma from wrapper and the foot are both a light cedar with the foot having a little bit of sweetness to it. The pre-light draw brings slightly musty cedar and a subtle saltiness.

Pre-light Experience

The Falto La Pureza is firm in hand. Firm to squeeze as well. The wrapper sports veins of all sizes, and there are quite bit of veins present throughout. The coloring is very marbled and it is faint Natural to Colorado throughout. Very antique brown. The wrapper has an aroma of sweet tobacco, earth and leather, while the foot is giving off notes of rich earth and damp wood. Really barnyard like.

Pre-light Experience

The Falto La Pureza has a tear tab built into the UPC sticker to remain intact when the cellophane is opened. Additionally, the cigar features complications of a pig tail cap, and an oval soft box press. The wrapper is a chocolate brown color, with some visible veins. For aromas, I was able to pick up barnyard, hay and mild underlying sweetness. There was sweet hay with faint aged wood detectable from the foot.

Pre-light Experience

The Falto La Pureza has a spotted near Colorado maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head well wrapped. Aromas from the wrapper give pungent barnyard and red pepper. Aromas from the foot tell intensified wrapper notes. Cold draw gives hay, stale beer and a hint of prunes.

First Third

The cigar begins with a mix of cedar and a heavy baking spice. At a quarter inch in, some mustiness joins the profile. At a half inch in, the baking spice has mellowed. At an inch in, the cedar has taken on a well aged profile as the baking spice has ramped up a bit. The retrohale is a musty and aged cedar with a mild baking spice in the background. At an inch and three quarters, the baking spice has once again mellowed. As the third comes to a close, the profile is musty and aged cedar with mild baking spice. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

The first third opens up by delivering flavors of cedar, lemongrass and seasoned wood. There are some hay and black pepper qualities present as well, and it is complex with a lot going on. In terms of strength and body, I would classify the cigar as being between medium and medium-full.

First Third

Cedar and hay are the flavors that greet me with my first few puffs. Barnyard is present on the retrohale, finishing with dry hay. Mild bread joins the retrohale quite quickly, and a faint sweetness not long after. Baking spices establish on the post draw, and graham cracker by the 10 minute mark. Eventually, the first third settles back into cedar and hay with a graham cracker chaser.

First Third

The first third has more favorable notes than not. Really enjoying flavors of cherries, red pepper, cream, cedar and nuts. There is a general burning construction paper type of vibe to the cigar that I hope does not pick up in intensity. Retrohaling gives a big dose of red pepper but it does also bring elevated creamed cherries. The finish is a mixture of cedar and stale red pepper spice. Strength and body is medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, a light saltiness joins the profile. At an inch in, the baking spice has left the profile. The retrohale is musty and aged cedar. At an inch and three quarters, the cedar gains a toasted note as the light saltiness disappears. The strength remained at slightly below medium.

Second Third

The second third delivers a flavor profile of cedar, cream and black pepper. There are some red pepper notes present as well, and I am getting faint earth notes on the finish. Like before, the cigar is smoking at a level between medium and medium-full.

Second Third

The second third opens with cedar and mild graham cracker, with dry hay to finish. Graham cracker pushes back to the front of the profile as the second third settles in. Some mid profile bitterness comes through as the second progresses.

Second Third

The second third transitions to a profile that is earthy and pepper driven. There’s a unique and a bit off-putting note of stale cedar, burning paper and red pepper mixture. This combination overshadows the good notes of cherries, cream and nuts. Strength and body is unchanged at medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the toasted note transitions to a light char. The retrohale remains musty and aged cedar. The cigar wraps up with the musty and charred cedar. Strength remained at slightly below medium.

Final Third

The final third delivers a flavor profile that showcases the lemongrass and cream notes from before. I am picking up some cedar and barnyard qualities with that, and the finish is of soft pepper and earth. Unlike the first two thirds, the cigar finishes by smoking at a medium level in strength and body.

Final Third

Tannic cedar and hay move the cigar into the last third, with medium strength tannic hay on the post draw. Mild graham cracker returns to the center of the profile as the last third settles in.

Final Third

The final third is almost identical to the second third. Off-putting mixture of stale cedar, burning paper and red pepper. These notes continue to overshadow the first third’s cherries and cream. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn was absolutely atrocious. Two re-lights in the first third and then almost the entirety of the second third was spent re-lighting. At the end of the second third, I cut off a quarter inch of hard charred tobacco hoping to get a fresh start with the burn, but it resulted in another two re-lights in the final third.

Burn

Great burn from start to finish. Well constructed cigar.

Burn

The burn and construction was pretty impressive overall. There was a slight unevenness to the burn in the first third that quickly corrected itself. The ash held on well up to 1-1/2 inch increments.

Burn

Burn performance was (especially) impressive for this slender ring gauged cigar. Even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Draw

The draw was slightly looser than I prefer, but I don’t think it contributed to any of the burn issues.

Overall

The cigar had a nice start flavor wise with the aged cedar, baking spice and mustiness. After the second re-light, the flavor profile degraded a bit when I was actually smoking the cigar. How I will remember the Falto La Pureza will be the burn, which may be the worst burn I’ve ever experienced on a cigar. If I wasn’t reviewing this, I would have ditched it a half inch into the second third. I hope the other guys have a much better burn experience and report more on the flavor and at that point I’ll be able to see if I have any interest in revisiting for hopes of better construction and a cigar I can actually smoke.

Draw

Amazing draw from beginning to end.

Overall

The Falto La Pureza is a lovely cigar and a great vitola. A larger petit lancero, the 40 ring gauge allows the smoker to pick up the wrapper but also the filler tobacco qualities. There is balance with the blend and complexity and transitioning. I thought the strength and body paired well and I particularly liked how the cigar finished in the final third. It was a softer finish to the cigar. Very approachable, the flavor profile is perfect for morning, afternoon or evening. They smoke well now, but I believe they will age great. A lovely blend that was enjoyable from start to finish.

Draw

The draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone between resistant and open.

Overall

The Falto La Pureza was a well constructed and pleasant cigar that delivered a just above average flavor profile. Overall, the complexity didn’t seem to get my attention or engage me beyond the first third. If you’re looking for a cigar that sits between mild and medium with some soft flavors, this cigar would very much appeal. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 30 minutes on the nose.

Draw

The draw was also perfect, striking the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

The Falto La Pureza was a wonderfully constructed average tasting cigar. The average tasting experience was mainly attributed to a staleness in cedar and burning paper note that I dislike in any cigar. The reason I dislike it so much is because these notes often times overshadow other flavors and is quite off-putting. Although this line isn’t for me, I look forward to what other offerings Falto has.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

4.62

Cost/Point

$1.52

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$0.99

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.15

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.15

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Falto La Pureza