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| La Flor Dominicana Oro Packaging – Photo provided by La Flor Dominicana |
Prior to the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show, La Flor Dominicana announced what they intended to launch in terms of new offerings. One of the new blends was launched was the new La Flor Dominicana Oro line. The Oro line new blend being packaged in special gold tubos. There are three offerings in the Oro line: A natural parejo, a maduro parejo, and a chisel vitola offering (with the blend of the natural). In today’s assessment, we explore the maduro offering – the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro. This was not only one of the standout cigars of the 2012 trade show, but one of the standout cigars for 2012 as a whole.
In reference to the Oro line, the press release quotes La Flor Dominicana’s Litto Gomez as saying “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.”
A couple of footnotes on this “assessment”. First this cigar is based on a single smoking experience. Secondly, this “assessment” was actually done “on site” at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. I actually went to an area where I could enjoy this cigar and focus on gathering information for this write-up. Since this was a trade show sample, I have opted for a pre-review to provide some thoughts and perspectives. Once the cigar makes its way to the retailer shelves, we will provide an final assessment rating and score.
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| La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro |
Blend Profile
The 7/24/12 Cigar Insider reported the Nicaraguan wrapper is similar to what La Flor Dominicana used for its Coronado blend. The difference is the Oro uses leaves from a higher priming.
The cigars will be offered with two wrapper options, a natural and a maduro.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Natural/Maduro)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitolas Available
For the blend of the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro, it is currently available in one size – 6 x 54 toro-sized vitola.
The La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural is also available in a 6 x 54 as well as a chisel vitola size.
Appearance
The La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro is a work of cigar art. The cigar has a dark, roasted coffee-bean color. There are very few wrapper seams and veins that are visible. There is some amount of oil on the wrapper.
The band is basically a gold-colored version of the basic La Flor Dominicana band. It features “LFD” in gold scripted font on a gold background. Below the LFD logo says “La Flor Dominicana” in white script. Below the white script, it says “Oro” in white font.
As mentioned above, the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro is packaged in a gold tube. It is worth noting the sample I smoked was not in a tube.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
For my smoke of the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro, I went with a straight cut into the cap. It was now on to start the pre-light draw. The dry draw notes of Oro Maduro provided me notes of leather and spice. This provided a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. It was now time to toast the foot of my Oro Maduro and see what this cigar experience would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The La Flor Dominicana Maduro continued with the notes of leather and pepper spice that were detected on the pre-light experience. The pepper blast was on the strong side at the start. As the pepper spice settled down, I detected notes of coffee and dried fruit in the forefront as well as some cream in the background. The pepper didn’t completely dissipate, but I would still say it played more of a secondary role once the blast subsided.
As the smoke progressed into the first third, there was a citrus component that emerged. This essentially replaced the dried fruit in the forefront and changed up the sweetness that was in the flavor profile.
As the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro moved into the second third, the coffee notes turned to a rich chocolate. This was definitely one of the best spots of the flavor profile. At the same time the citrus notes joined the cream and spice in the background.
When the cigar reached the final third, the pepper joined the chocolate in the forefront. The citrus and cream notes had pretty much dissipated. There was a large kick at the end of this cigar from both a strength and flavor standpoint. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
The burn and draw of the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro was outstanding. The burn line remained straight for the entire smoking experience and required only minimal touch-ups. The ash was firm for the majority of the smoke. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal as well. The draw was outstanding. It had that tiny touch of resistance to the draw that I enjoy. This was a very good cigar to puff on.
Strength and Body
I was warned ahead of time that this cigar was a powerhouse. When I got about halfway through the cigar, this was confirmed. This one is loaded with strength and is the kind of cigar that you need to eat a nice meal before-hand – or even eat a little while smoking this. This is definitely full strength cigar. As for the flavors, they are as deep as the strength. There is a rich, robustness to this cigar’s flavor profile. I assessed the Oro Maduro to be full-bodied. The strength and the body actually do a nice job at balancing each other. It is often hard to find a powerhouse cigar in strength to also balance well with flavor, but the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro does a great job at doing this.
Final Thoughts
About a month ago, I was remarking that I felt 2012 was not a strong year for maduros. In the last few weeks the Illusione Singulare 2012 and now the La Flor Dominicana Oro Maduro seem to have me reconsidering the statement I made. As I said at the start of this write-up; this not only was one of the standout cigars of the 2012 trade show, but one of the standout cigars for 2012 as a whole. The Oro Maduro has incredible construction, great flavors, and wonderful complexity. This is not a cigar for the novice, and really only is a cigar for an experienced cigar enthusiast who can handle a cigar that is full strength. This one is definitely a blend I would want to purchase a box of.
Summary
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Source: The cigar for this assessment was provided by La Flor Dominicana at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. The request was initiated by La Flor Dominicana to myself (Cigar Coop) to provide feedback. Cigar Coop is appreciative to samples provided but this plays no role in a final assessment rating and write-up.
