Cigar Review: La Nox by La Flor Dominicana

• Vitola: Toro
• 6.5” x 50 ring gauge 
• $11.99
• Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

One of the “big deals” out of the 2015 IPCPR show was something new from La Flor Dominicana called “La Nox.” People clamored for samples and they were long gone before the first day of the show was over. I didn’t see an actual cigar until they showed up at Burns Tobacconist in November.

La Nox is something of a continuation of a new direction for LFD. Tony Gomez is working on many of the high-profile blends now, including this one, taking over in a big way for his father, Litto. Not to imply that Litto is getting ready to retire or anything (I have no inside knowledge on that front)…I would just call this a proper turning over of the reins to the next generation.

La Nox breaks from the LFD mold by using a different banding design. The last time they did anything really different with banding was when the Coronado was released…of course, it was so very different from the regular LFD lines that many people never realized it was part of the same company. Now the Coronado has been re-released with a banding structure that is in line with the rest of the company and it appears to be doing quite well. So, how will the change in banding affect La Nox? Impossible to say, although I would guess it won’t be as big a deal here because “LFD” is still prominent in the design. I would also note that this is not the first cigar to use “the night” as part of its name…and use it in another language. Carpe Noctem was a blend Emilio Cigars worked on for several years before it eventually ended up in a single store in East Tennessee (not Burns). “Seize the Night” also used a crescent moon as part of the band design, though not nearly as prominent as “The Night” uses…I know this because I designed the Carpe Noctem band.

La Nox uses Dominican Piloto and Pelo de Oro fillers, a Mexican San Andres binder, and a very dark Brazilian Maduro wrapper leaf. When they arrived at Burns I smoked one, but haven’t had another since then. I did buy this review sample from that original shipment and left it to rest in my personal humidor for 6 to 8 weeks before reviewing. I would also note that the original shipment was boxes of 10 while the most recent shipment to arrive had boxes of 20. On both shipments, the boxes are perfectly round with magnetic covers, but the newer shipment featured box bases that were nearly double the thickness.

Image from the LFD website

Prelight

I do think La Nox is a fairly daring and innovative design in the cigar industry. The box is very much made to stand out on store shelves…although I must say it also is very difficult to place or display on store shelves because of its shape. In our “East” store we had to put the box on a horizontal shelf because it just wasn’t going to look good or fit right almost anywhere else. We have plenty of options for display in our store, but not every store will have so many…I expect that in 6 months or a year, LFD will decide to abandon the round boxes for a more traditional shape that will fit in better. Keep those boxes…they could be collectors’ items.

The band is black with blue and white and a very modest amount of embossing. The design is striking and stands out, although the lettering for the secondary band is a bit hard to read in the small size, causing some people to ask for “La Vox” when they come in. On the box the “N” is fairly distinctive…it’s just the smaller size of the band that causes the confusion.

The wrapper leaf was dark…almost black in places…and also very veiny and oily. Giving it a sniff, I picked up notes of chocolate, leather and earth. The foot had a stronger earth note, with a bit of yeast and dried fruit aroma mixed in. The cold draw was very good and had dark fruit notes right up front, along with lesser flavors of cocoa powder and espresso.

Flavor

I fired up La Nox with my single flame torch and it lit quickly and evenly. The earlier sample I had started off with a virtual punch to the palate, but this one seemed smooth, sweet, full and rich right off the bat. The smoke was definitely oily and full in body, but the flavor was more of sweet dried berries and dark roast coffee, with only touches of earth and leather on the finish. Pepper spice was pretty tame on the palate, as well, but it had a fairly good sear on the nose. I remember my first experience with La Nox I felt that it started a bit harsh before settling down a bit, which was one reason I waited a good, long time before reviewing it; this sample was smooth and sweet from the beginning, with no harshness in evidence.

During the second third, I noted an influx of anise into the flavor profile, along with a sweeter chocolate note. The pepper increased on the palate, but not so much that it was dominant. It hung around on the nose, as well.

The final third of La Nox was inundated with sweet chocolate and anise notes, with secondary notes of earth and leather bolstering the profile. I started to feel the strength extant in the blend near the end of the third, too, which seemed to give proof that this is indeed worthy of the LFD brand.

Construction

I had a great draw, very solid ash and an even-enough burn line.

Value

La Nox is a little more than $10 a stick, slotting it in between LFD’s regular releases and their one-off limited editions. Not a bad price to pay for a limited-production cigar that is so good.

Conclusions

La Nox is a very good addition to the LFD line-up, dealing out medium-to-full body and a relatively complex flavor and a stout amount of nicotine strength, which is something the company is well known for. The flavor profile isn’t my favorite in the LFD line, but it is unique for the company with plenty of sweetness from the binder and wrapper leaves. If you are an LFD fan, you really should try this cigar. If you are a fan of full-power cigars, I would also put this on your list; it may not knock you over at first, but by the time you get to the end, I suspect you’ll be fully appreciating it.

By-The-Numbers

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