Cigars

La Flor Dominicana Ligero

La Flor Dominicana LigeroWhile I might not remember my first cigar or even my first few, I do remember the first cigar that kept me coming back to it. For me that was the La Flor Dominicana Ligero. Even though it’s not a brand new cigar on the market it’s definitely worth writing about. La Flor Dominicana was founded in 1996 in Santiago, Dominican Republic by Ines and Litto Gomez. They personally supervise every stage of production; from farming the tobacco at their farm in La Canela, to the art of manufacturing in their factory. For this article I smoked the Ligero 300 again.

The color of the wrapper is the first thing that gets your attention. It has the color or dark roasted espresso beans and a heavy oily sheen. I was told they use a proprietary technique for aging their wrappers to achieve this look but could not be told anymore. It does have some noticeable veins but the seams are tight and hard to find along with being both firm and yielding to the touch with no dead spots.

The body has smells of chocolaty sweetness, leather and tobacco. the pre-light draw has a light resistance to it and the flavor is a mix of cinnamon, chocolate and black pepper. The cap cuts causing no damage to the construction.

The first half has a smooth bread like flavor with pepper and nuts on the finish. There is plenty of well weighted smoke that is produced and the burn is even requiring no touch ups.

Reaching the second half the flavors shift to being more tobacco driven along with leather and spice on the end. That spice becomes more prominent nearing the end of the cigar leaving you with a, truly satisfying, full tobacco and spice flavor. The smoke production and burn remain consistent proving the companies boast of its excellent construction.

Even though this cigar is a full bodied smoke I find it to be quite smooth with a creamy texture to it. While some newer smokers might pass it by thinking that it’ll be too much for their pallet but I would disagree. Even though it is a powerhouse of a cigar the great blending on this makes it easy to be smoked by anyone. There is generally a limited quantity available each year so make sure to stock up when you see them at the shop.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: Around $8.00 – $10.00 a stick.
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 pints

 

 

Alma Del Fuego From Plasencia

Plasencia Alma De FuegoAlma Del Fuego or Soul Of Fire is the third in a line of five Alma themed cigars from Plasencia. Don Eduardo Plasencia began growing tobacco in Cuba in 1865 and has been one of the worlds leading growers ever since.  Continuing this heritage now in Nicaragua they are in their fifth generation of tobacco growing. One such area is the Ometepe island where they began cultivation in the 1990 and is where half of the filler and half of the binder leaves have come from. The reason this is important is that on Ometepe Island there are two volcanoes which have created very rare and special soil conditions leading to a great place to grow tobacco. These leave used have been aged for seven years prior to being rolled.

This boxed pressed cigar is covered in a dark brown wrapper that has a touch of mottling. There is a noticeable oily sheen to it along with thin but visible veining and the seams are tight and well hidden. It feels dense and well rolled and has just that little bit of give between the wrapper and body that a pressed cigar should have. There are odors of wet earth and leather from the body and foot and the pre-light draw is easy and has the flavors of dried tea leaves and cinnamon.

In the first half there are lots of earth notes with spicy finish. Smoke production was plentiful and medium in weight. The burn stays straight and requires no touch ups..

Moving into the second half a predominately woody flavor takes over with more of a nutty finish however the spice remains as well. Normally I don’t normal discus retrohale as I do not find a lot of new flavors and some people don’t use this technique however, in this cigar this is where I find some citrus notes so it’s worth noting. Smoke production continues to be the same and the burn never wavers.

There was never a shortage of flavor with this cigar and it truly does show the difference that well aged tobacco from Ometepe can give. Medium full in strength it makes for a great way to start your day or a nice stick to pair with a bourbon or rye in the evening with your friends.  While the price point might make you want to save these for more special occasions there should definitely be a few in your humidor at all times

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun-Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: Around $13.00 – $15.00 a stick depending on vitola.
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints

 

Protocol’s Sir Robert Peel Maduro

Sir Robert Peel MaduroIt’s been nearly a year since the initial article announcing the release of Protocol’s Sir Robert Peel went up so it felt like it was time for a review. The Sir Robert Peel marks another police themed cigar from Bill Ives and Juan Cancel, owners of Cubariqueño Cigar Co. These themes are fitting for them being that both are now retired LEOs. Created at the La Zona factory in Esteli, the Protocol Sir Robert Peel comes in a 6”x52 box-pressed toro size and is offered in both a natural wrapper as well as the maduro.

The wrapper has a lovely dark brown color with just a hint of red to it. The seams are tight and most of them are difficult to find, there is some veining but not remarkable making this a smooth feeling cigar in general with a soft velvet like finish to it. The firmness is what you would anticipate from a boxed pressed style and adds the the overall handsome look to it.

From the body I get notes of wood, chocolate, spice and dried fruit from the foot. The cap cuts causing no damage to the construction. The cold draw is easy and gives flavors of cedar, earth and some chocolate.

The first half is loaded with a creamy, spiced flavors leaving me wondering how to accurately describe it. The best I can come up with is spiced butter you would spread on toast. (I know, I know, I try to stick to realistic flavors of tobacco when describing cigars, none of that fresh baked blueberry muffins with a dash of all spice shit, but in this case the butter reference is really the only way I can describe how smooth this smokes.) The smoke production is plentiful and the weight of it on the tongue adds the the over all creaminess feel of the smoke. The burn has a bit of wave to it but no need for a touch up.

In the second half the spices start to retreat a to the back and a decided cedar and earth note comes to the front. Thanks to the ample soft weighted smoke production the smoothness of this cigar remains for the duration. Since the draw is on the light side it makes it easy to get full pulls off of it filling the senses with flavor however, restraint has to be used not to plow right through it. The last have burns evenly and the ash holds tight.

You don’t have to be a detective to figure out that the Sir Robert Peel from Protocol is truly a great stick. This cigar comes in at what I feel is medium full in strength and lands between medium full to full in flavor which is right up my alley. While it might be a bit more than your novice smoker might go for I would say to stay away from it, after all how can you expand you’re palette if you don’t try something new. If you see this in your shop grab some and if you don’t see them in your shop ask them to bring them in.

Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: Around $10.00 a stick.
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 pints