Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 5 by La Flor Dominicana

The Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 5 is the latest installment of La Flor Dominicana’s Small Batch series.  This release technically is the sixth release of this line (There are Small Batch No. 1 through No.3, but for Small Batch No. 4, there was a Small Batch No. 4 and a Small Batch No. 4 Oscuro).  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.  Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the Small Batch No. 5.  Overall, I found this cigar to be a solid addition to this line.

When we reviewed the Small Batch No. 4, we compared how taking tobacco from a single crop year is similar to what is done in the wine industry:

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.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Small Batch No. 5 and see what this cigar brings to the table:

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. 5  with the other releases.  As with all of  LG Diez Small Batch releases, they are shipped in cabinets of 105 cigars.

La Flor Dominicana did not get into specifics, but in an interview Gomez did with Emerson’s Cigars back in August, he mentioned the tobaccos come from corojo, sumatra, and pelo d’oro seeds grown on Gomez’s La Canela farm.

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 5
Wrapper: Dominican 
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 6 3/4 x 52
Release Year: 2013
Production: Approximately 25,000 cigars.

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 

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)

Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 4 Oscuro
Wrapper: Dominican Pelo de Oro Oscuro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: 7 x 52
Release Year: 2012 
Production: Approximately 10,500 cigars (100 boxes)

Appearance

The Small Batch No. 5 is medium / medium to dark brown has a rosado/colorado color to it.  The Small Batch No. 5 contains some of the black marbling that has been a trademark of the Small Batch series. The wrapper has somewhat of an oily texture, yet has a bit of a rougher feel when touched.  There are some visible wrapper seams and some visible veins.

The 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”.  On the lower left (front) part of the band it says “DOMINICAN” in small gold font.  On the lower right (front) of the band it says “PURO SB V”.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Before lighting up the Small Batch No. 5, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut.  After successfully clipping the cap, I proceeded with the pre-light draw.  The dry draw provided some notes of cedar, sweet natural tobacco, and cinnamon.  Overall, I found the pre-light flavors from this cigar to be quite pleasing.  At this point, I was ready to light up the Small Batch No. 5 and see what the overall smoking experience would deliver.

Flavor Profile

After lighting up the Small Batch No. 5, I immediately was treated to notes of wood, natural, tobacco, and pepper.  None of these flavors would dominate early on.  Meanwhile a cinnamon flavor surfaced in the background.  At the same time, I could detect the pepper notes on the retro-hale.

By about the ten percent mark, the natural tobacco notes moved into the forefront. At times I could detect a slight cherry taste in the sweetness being produced by the natural tobacco. Meanwhile the pepper and cinnamon notes remained background flavors.

By the second half, the pepper notes moved into the forefront with the natural tobacco flavors.  As the Small Batch No. 5 moved into the last third, much of the cherry-like flavor to the natural tobacco dissipated.  At the same time, the cinnamon notes diminished.  I found much of the last third to be a combination of natural tobacco and pepper.  As the Small Batch No. 5 came to a close, no harshness developed.  The resulting nub was cool in temperature and slightly warm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The construction of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 5 was excellent and this was reflected in both the burn and draw of this cigar.  While there was a little bit of curviness to the burn line, overall I found this burn was one that really didn’t require that many touch-ups to keep on the straight path.  It also was never in danger of tunneling or canoeing.  The ash remained tight and firm throughout the cigar.  The ash also had a nice light gray color with some darker speckles mixed in.   The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Burn of the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 5

The draw was ideal as well. It was not too loose, and not too tight and made for a low maintenance cigar to puff on from start to finish.

Strength and Body

The one thing that caught me by surprise with the Small Batch No. 5 is that it seemed more dialed back in terms of both its strength and body.  In terms of its strength, the Small Batch No. 5 starts out in the medium strength range.  The strength does ramp up in the last third into the medium to full strength range, but when comparing this to the previous three Small Batch releases (I had not smoked Small Batch No. 1 and Small Batch No. 2), this definitely seemed dialed back.

The depth of the flavors also seemed dialed back.  The Small Batch No. 5 starts out medium-bodied.  I was also surprised the flavors stayed in this range until the last third when they progressed to medium to full.  This too was dialed back compared to the previous three releases.

When comparing the strength versus body, the Small Batch No. 5 does a great job in providing an equilibrium between these two attributes – with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

The Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 5 was an enjoyable experience.  I would not categorize this cigar as something that is groundbreaking, nor will this cigar bring a radical new flavor profile to the table.  I found this is a cigar that will deliver a very good flavors and do its job well.  The fact that this cigar was a little more dialed back in its strength and body compared to some previous releases works in favor here. This cigar is going to carry a higher price point ($19.00). This price is not factored into our numerical score (which is based on merit), but it is now factored into our assessment rating (a change for the 2014 Cigar Year which for us is underway). This is a Small Batch No. 5 that I would recommend to either the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. It’s definitely a cigar I’d recommend to La Flor Dominicana and Dominican tobacco fans.  As for myself, this is a very good cigar. It’s probably my favorite of the series since Small Batch No. 3. It’s one easily worth keeping five around in my humidor.

Summary