Back in January, I was gifted this La Flor Dominicana Oro Chisel by a great friend and BOTL for my birthday. And to be honest, I have smoked very few cigars from LFD, which is weird because I have enjoyed almost everything I have smoked from them thus far.  The Casas Fumando Team has reviewed the following La Flor Dominicana Cigars:

• La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro

• La Flor Dominicana Litto Gomez Diez 2009

Browsing around La Flor Dominicana’s site, I was unable to locate any information on the Oro blend. However, Halfwheel.com had coverage of LFD’s booth at the 2012 IPCPR and had this to say on the LFD Oro:

 Gold tubes and a new blend. Natural and Maduro in Parejo and Chisel sizes. According to Litto, “These cigars are an amped up Coronado blend, with dark Nicaraguan wrappers and Dominican fillers and binders from our farm in La Canela, Dominican Republic.”

The Facts
Price: $13.00
Vitola: Chisel
Size: 6 by 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Pairing: Water (Plus Capri Sun)
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 55 Minutes

Pre-light

I love the presentation of the LFD Oro Chisel.  The tubo and cigar are shaped in La Flor Dominicana’s signature Chisel format. As I remove the top of the tubo, I immediately notice a fairly large crack in the cap that runs about three-fourths of an inch into the wrapper. As of late, I have come across several tubo cigars that have had severe cracking on either the cap or foot of the cigar.

The bottom half of the cigar has a cedar sleeve. The aroma off the wrapper is a wonderful mixture of chocolate, manure, and earth.  The chocolate aroma is reminiscent of Village Inn’s French Silk pie.  Surprisingly, I am not picking up much cedar off the wrapper.  The foot has an unbelievable nose of a much more pronounced chocolate. The medium brown wrapper with a deep red hue contains mainly small veins webbing across the cigar, with a couple of medium sized veins.   With the significant crack in the cap, only a small pinch was needed to reveal a free draw.  The cold draw is very rich with notes of cocoa and spice.  The spice is already leaving a slight sting on my lips and palate.

First Third

Each time I take a draw of the Oro Chisel, the wrapper begins to unravel.  I am going to have to be careful with this cigar to not cause additional construction issues.  The Chisel feels extremely comfortable in my mouth. Only if all large ring gauge cigars could be shaped like this. The draw is free but a couple warm up puffs are required before my mouth fills with smoke. The flavors are full highlighting earth, spice, coffee and a smoky quality.  The coffee is in the French roast realm.   Retrohaling the smoke reveals deep earth and cedar notes, as a sharp spice stings my sinuses.  The light grey ash is holding firm for well over an inch.  The back of my throat is feeling some irritation but the flavors are enjoyable.  The burn is a bit wavy requiring a touch-up.

Middle Third

The spice has become much more dominant and really starts to clear out my sinuses.  There has been some development in the flavor department but I can’t quite put my finger on the major change. Black coffee makes up the core of the profile with added notes of dark fruit, along with the earth, cedar and pepper.  Cocoa is coming forth on the finish.  I am starting to feel the strength of the cigar kick in which I have been waiting for. Flavors and strength are side by side in the full range.  The harshness in the back of the throat has resided. No change in the burn line and one more quick touch-up was needed.

Final Third

As the burn approaches the final third, I slide the band off with ease. The smoke begins to dry my palate but nothing a quick sip of water does not fix.  Feeling a good amount of nicotine, I busted out one my daughter’s Capri Sun All Natural 100% Juice – Fruit Punch to counteract the nicotine. The Capri Sun is actually keeping my palate moist, which is an added bonus. The black coffee and pepper are still holding strong accompanied by a toasted bread-like flavor.  The burn once again swerved off the path requiring one last touch-up.  The flavors finished full, along with a hefty amount of strength.

Wrap-up

The tear in the cap and wrapper is more than likely a result of travel than anything else, so I can’t ding the cigar for that.  This cigar delivered in flavor and strength; however, I was very surprised that I did not encounter any sweetness in the Oro Chisel, especially after the sweet chocolate aroma I picked up off the wrapper and foot. This was a solid smoke that I will be revisiting after a big meal and with a drink pairing.  Also, knowing that my body handles nicotine better mid-day, I will not be smoking another one so late at night.  In the next several weeks I will be making a focused effort to try more La Flor Dominicana offerings.  If you have tried the LFD Oro Chisel let us know what you think. If not, make your way to your local B&M grab a stick or two and share your thoughts with us.

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