Cigar Review: La Flor Dominicana LG Diez 2015

Vitola: Cubano (robusto)
Size: 5″ x 50 ring gauge
Price $10.99
Purchased at Maxamar’s Cigars

Background

This is a cigar that Litto debuted in 1999 that is comprised of tobaccos solely from their farm.  I believe that they try and make this a yearly release but I don’t think it happens every year for whatever reason.  The cigar blend isn’t published as far as I can find other then all of the tobacoo is grown on Litto’s Estancia La Flor de Palma farm in the Dominican Republic.  The tobaccos in this cigar are aged four years before they are released.  I will admit that his cigar has been a favorite of mine from the first time I tried one, with each year being a little bit different.  These come packed in 20 count flip top boxes.  I think this was my third one from the year.

Prelight

The banding on this cigar has changed for the better in my opinion.  Originally there was no year mark and every band was exactly the same, so you had to mark the year somehow if you wanted to know the difference.  Then a few years ago they started putting the year in small type on the side of the band which was better.  Now there are two bands, the top one with the name of the cigar, which is slightly changed from years past, and a second band with the year clearly marked on it.  Now all they’ll need to do is redesign the bottom band for each year.  The wrapper on this cigar is a nice golden brown in color with a slight amount of oils and tooth to it.  The wrapper on this cigar did seem lighter than the ones I’ve had from years past but it could just be the more gold foil on the band.  When I gave it a squeeze there was a slight amount of give with no soft spots.  Putting my nose to the wrapper I noted lots of leather with barnyard coming from the foot.  After clipping it and taking a cold draw on it I got a good draw with a light sweetness.

Flavor

It starts off with lots of spice on the tongue and retrohale, which is typical of cigars from Litto.  After taking a few puffs I started to note flavors of wood, leather, cream, marshmallow, green herbs, with a slightly sweet finish.  The spice did tone down towards the end of the first third and by then I did get some of the copper flavors I’m used to getting in some Dominican puros.  The cigar starts off full strength to start.  The spice did mellow a bit more as I moved into the second third.  Flavors I noted in this third were leather, copper, green herbs, with a bit of a sweet finish.  The cigar was still full strength.  The spice started to build back up as I got into the final third, but it never got to the same intensity as it had in the first third.  The flavors were pretty much the same as the second third.  I did start to get a nicotine hit from it as well.

Construction

The cigar had a great draw throughout.  The burn was a little uneven but nothing that turning the cigar couldn’t correct.

Value

While it is definitely more than I’d spend on a everyday cigar, it is definitely priced at a point that won’t break the bank on a special cigar.

Conclusions

I can’t say this is the best one of these cigars I’ve had, I think it might have been the ones from 2008.  However this year’s release is definitely towards the top of the list for me.  I will be picking up more of these and letting them rest as I’ve had good experiences with aging these.  They definitely aren’t for the nicotine sensitive, so have something to eat before lighting one of these up.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10