Vitola: Petite- 5” x 40 ring gauge
- MSRP $37.50 (5-pack)
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
La Nox from La Flor Dominicana made its debut at the 2015 IPCPR trade show and once it actually hit the stores, it was wildly popular and difficult to keep in stock. I personally enjoyed the cigar a lot, but found that the single 6.5 x 50 toro size was a little much for more than occasional enjoyment. So when I found out that they were adding a new size to the line at the 2016 show, I was excited…and then it took us 6 months to bring them into the shop! I personally would have opted for “immediate,” but what can you do?
The “Petite” size (a Petite Corona, really) ships in 5-count small boxes that retail in the upper $30 range…though LFD is fine with shops breaking them out for single stick sales, too. The La Nox blend uses Dominican Piloto Cubano and Pelo de Oro for the filler, a Mexican San Andres binder, and a Brazilian Cubra Maduro wrapper.
I bought a 5-pack of these and this review sample is my third time having one.
Prelight
The look of this cigar is pretty much the same as its larger brother…very dark wrapper with double bands that saw “LFD” (with a crescent moon and clouds) and “La Nox” on them. Both are trimmed in light blue and white. The scaling down of the size of the bands works really well in this case…they are still very readable and look appropriate to the size of the cigar.
The wrapper leaf is a dark chocolate brown color with lots of oils to the eye and the touch. It had a rich earthy aroma with hints of cocoa powder and espresso bean. The foot of the cigar was even more earthy, with a little manure note in the mix.
After clipping the head, I got a good draw that had lots of earth up front, followed by notes of wood and chocolate.
Flavor
The La Nox Toro starts off medium in body without revealing much of its eventual body and strength. The Petite doesn’t hide much from the start…it’s rich and full, while still being smooth and sweet. I got notes of earth and semi-sweet chocolate, a little bit of pepper on the back end, and a finish that had cedar and anise mixed in. The draw was a little tight at the outset, preventing a ton of smoke from coming through, but it wasn’t super-tight. This one might benefit from an hour or so of dry-boxing before you light, simply because of the heavy Maduro leaf used on a very small ring gauge stick.
I recut the cigar near the start of the second third and it helped tremendously; apparently there was a small plug of some sort near the head. During the second third, I got an increase in pepper and anise notes, along with a decrease in earthiness. Dark chocolate sweetness stayed steady and some espresso bean came to the party.
In the last third, the sweetness increased and so did the coffee flavor. Although the La Nox Petite started off full-body, it increased even more during the last portion, while remaining very flavorful.
Construction
The other two of these I’ve had drew well from the beginning; this one not so much. It’s just an inherent problem (or at least possibility) with a ring gauge this small. The burn line was quite even and the ash was solid as a rock.
Value
Great smoking experience and about $7.50…very nice!
Conclusions
The La Nox Petite is a fantastic addition to the line. It is full-bodied and strong, without being too strong for most smokers, simply because of its small size. It also had a great delivery of flavor, though it could be even better if the draw were a little more open. This is one I give a strong recommendation to if you enjoy a good strong cigar from time to time. As far as the “short smoke” part goes…well, it smokes slow enough that even this diminutive vitola burned for an hour or more…so it’s not particularly “short.” Great cigar, though, and well worth the price.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
