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| Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 |
The Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch series was first introduced by La Flor Dominicana back in 2006. This was a limited release Dominican puro that used the concept of taking the best tobaccos from Litto Gomez’s La Canela farm from a single crop year. At the end of 2011, the fourth Small Batch blend was released – appropriately titled – the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4. This release marked a major change in that the Dominican Sumatra wrapper that was used on the first three Small Batch blends was replaced by a Dominican Pelo de Oro. Overall, I found the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 to be a very good cigar, but one that fell a little short of its predecessor, the Small Batch No. 3.
The idea of blending from a single farm’s crop from a single year is something that is commonly done in the wine industry. It also is something that has had precedence in the cigar industry – namely harvesting the tobaccos from a single farm from a single year to produce a cigar blend. There are other cigar companies that have done this – most notably Tatuaje with the La Verite series and Torano’s Single Region cigar. La Flor Dominicana actually was one of the first companies to do this as they originated the concept in 1999 and released the first LG Diez Small Batch in 2006.
Let’s break down the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 4:
Blend Profile and Vitolas Available
Normally these are separate components to the assessments done on this web-site, but in this case they will be combined as it will be easier to contrast the Small Batch No. 4 with the other releases. As with all of the LG Diez Small Batch releases, they are shipped in cabinets of 105 cigars. As mentioned above, the Small Batch No. 4 is the first of the series to use a Dominican Pelo de Oro wrapper (as opposed to the Dominican Sumatra wrapper)
Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4
Wrapper: Dominican Pelo de Oro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2011
Production: Approximately 26,250 cigars (250 boxes)
For historical purposes, here are the other releases of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch series:
Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 1
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2006
Production: Approximately 20,000 cigars.
Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 2
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 6.5 x 54
Release Year: 2007
Production: Approximately 30,000 cigars.
Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3
Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2010
Production: Approximately 30,000 cigars
Appearance
While it is a different wrapper, the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 , there are a lot of similarities to the Small Batch No. 3. Like the Small Batch No. 3, the Small Batch No. 4 has a
rosado/colorado color to it. The Small Batch No. 4 contains some of the black marbling that has been a trademark of the Small Batch series. Another set of similarities is that both wrappers have an oily appearance and both feel rougher when you touch them. The big difference that I saw was that the wrapper to the Small Batch No. 4 was more toothy and veiny than the Small Batch No. 3.
Tha band is the classic “Litto Gomez Diez” red background with gold font
band. It is highlighted with “LG” in the center – with “Diez” above
the “LG” and “Litto Gomez on it”. It is adorned with leaves on each
side of the “LG”.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
For my Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4, I placed a straight cut into the Pelo de Oro wrapped cap and went straight into the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes provided a combination of black pepper spice and cinnamon sweetness. There was almost a bready taste that was present on the pre-light draw. Overall I was pleased with flavor of the pre-light draw, so it was on to fire up my Small Batch No. 4 and see what the full cigar experience would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The initial draws of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 treated me to some primary notes of black pepper. I could also detect some of the cinnamon sweetness that was present on the pre-light draw. Both the pepper and cinnamon actually subsided early on as some earth notes emerged. The earth notes became the primary flavor with the pepper and cinnamon taking a secondary role. I also detected some cream notes enter the equation as a secondary note. The cream notes slowly creeped up to the primary level. At the five percent mark, the flavor profile seemed to settle down with earth and cream as the primary notes, cinnamon as a secondary note, and pepper on the after-draw.
For a good chunk of the first half of the Small Batch No. 4, I was questioning what would become of the pepper and cinnamon that had provided a nice start to this cigar. The earth and cream notes that were center stage for much of the first half did note excite me as much. Around the midway point, the pepper and cinnamon began to make a comeback. It was just past the 60 percent mark where the pepper moved back into the forefront, and the cinnamon and earth would take a secondary role. The cream notes would slowly dissipate.
Toward the end of the Small Batch No. 4, the pepper spice was the primary flavor, but it was not overwhelming. The finish was not harsh. The nub was lukewarm in temperature and soft to the touch.
Burn and Draw
While La Flor Dominicana used some of their best tobaccos in the blend, they also brought their “A” game when it came to the construction. This was reflected in the attributes of burn and draw. For the most part, the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 had a sharp burn – requiring few touch-ups to keep it going straight. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal for the duration of the cigar experience. The ash remained white and tight for most of the smoke. The draw was outstanding as well and made the Small Batch No. 4 a low maintenance cigar to smoke.
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| Burn of the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 4 |
Strength and Body
For most of the smoking experience of the Small Batch No. 4, I thought the cigar delivered a healthy dose of strength from a nicotine standpoint. I assessed the strength as medium to full for most of the smoke. The strength of this cigar does creep up on you – and by the last third, the strength defiinitely crosses into full-strength territory. As for the body, at the start I thought this the notes were not nearly as deep as the Small Batch No. 3. I felt the depth of the flavors started out as medium-bodied to start, but slowly increased along the way. By the mid-point of the cigar, the flavors are in the medium to full-bodied range, and by the last third, the flavors cross into the full-bodied range. Overall the strength and body complemented each other well.
Final Thoughts
When looking at this cigar on its own, it is a very good cigar. When comparing this to the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 3, this cigar falls a little short. The big difference is I really didn’t dig the earth notes that were present for a much of the first part of this cigar experience. While I don’t factor price into a final
assessment rating, it is still worth noting that this is pricey for a cigar – namely $18.00 to $20.00. Overall, I think this might be a little too much cigar for the novice, but an experienced cigar enthusiast will probably appreciate it. Those cigar enthusiasts that like a Dominican puro should really like what this cigar delivers. As for myself, I’d still smoke the Small Batch No. 4 again – but only if I cannot get a Small Batch No.3
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (Full toward finish)
Body: Medium (to start), gradually increases to Full (by Finish)
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 89
Source: The cigar for this assessment was purchased from Smoke Inn’s online store.
