Cigar Review - La Flor Dominicana Ligero
La Flor Dominicana - Ligero
Vitola: Corona
Length: 4.8″
Ring Gauge: 40
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Pairing: Café Bustello Espresso style coffee
I picked this cigar up at the Corona Cigar Company B&M about a month ago on a whim. I was looking for a shorter smoke and had never tried a La Flor Dominicana and thought "Why not?"
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Fit and Finish: The wrapper is gorgeous. Dark and oily and nary a seam to be found. Nice tobacco smell on the nose with a hint of spice.
Draw: A v-cut gives a very even draw. Dark cocoa on the cold draw.
Toast/Light: Toasting takes a while, with the center really fighting it. A couple of puffs with the flame nearby finally gets things going. Its pepper right out of the gate on those first couple of draws. Excellent smoke production.
First third: Pepper and earthiness start the show and hold throughout the entire first third of this cigar. As my tongue adjusts to the flavors the kick of the pepper seems to diminish a little and I occasionally detect a little cocoa, but it's mainly earth and pepper.
Second Third: The pepper kick seems to have settled back a bit but it's still there. And there is a nuttiness that comes and goes, but it really doesn't stray too far from its original profile. I begin to have burn issues right around the mid-point of the cigar, with it going from excellent smoke production to just out. This in one minute. I tap it off, relight and we are good to go with no drop in flavor.
Final Third: Any nuttiness or cocoa flavors either leave or are tied up and tucked away in a closet by the pepper that comes back with a vengeance. The earthiness persists but really the pepper is the main thing here in the last third. It goes out once near the beginning of this section, again without warning, and then again with about 1 1/2 inches left and I leave it at that. rather than relighting for a third time.
Final Thoughts: I realize my palate is still changing somewhat but this one just isn't really in my wheelhouse at present. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, it is just that there are so many others that I enjoy a great deal more. There didn't seem to be a lot of complexity. It sits solidly in the medium/full strength and flavor range. If you like pepper and earth then this thing is great. If you want more then maybe you look elsewhere. At least that's how my noobish palate rates things.
Total smoking time: 60 minutes
