La Flor Dominicana TAA 47

Going into the 2015 Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) Convention, it was known that La Flor Dominicana would be providing an exclusive cigar for the fourth consecutive year as a part of the TAA’s annual Exclusive Series. However, the specific cigar that would be put into the series had not been decided. Prior to the convention, TAA members were sent a three pack known as “The Contenders”. The three pack consisted of a 5 1/2 x 52 Toro, a 6 1/2 x 54 torpedo prensado (box-press), and a 6 x 60 Gordo – all of the same blend. It would be at the convention where TAA members would vote for the the size they wanted based on how much they would order of that size. Shortly after the convention, it was announced the Toro size had won and would be dubbed the La Flor Domincana TAA 47. Today we take a closer look at the TAA 47. I recently have had an opportunity to smoke this cigar. Overall I found this to be an excellent release as a part of the 2015 TAA Exclusive Series.

The TAA is a small group of retailers. At press time the number of retailers listed is 82. As per their web-site, the TAA is defined as:

The Tobacconists’ Association of America, Ltd. is a trade organization established in 1968 by visionary retail tobacconists. By providing education, communication, research, advocacy, and member discount programs, The TAA works with our members and the industry they support to offer the tools and relationship building opportunities needed to maximize professionalism and success.

The TAA Exclusive Series is a series of cigars made exclusively for sale by the retail members of the TAA. The following are the the new additions that have been added into the 2015 TAA Exclusive series. With 10 new blends, and 15 total blends, this is the largest amount amount of cigars in this annual set.

* – Denotes cigar being released in multiple vitolas

The TAA 47 gets its name because 2015 was the 47th edition of the TAA convention. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the TAA 47 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 contains tobaccos from three countries.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)

Vitolas Available

The La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 is being released in one size. As mentioned above, it is a 5 1/2 x 52 Toro. The cigars are packaged in 25 count boxes.

Appearance

The TAA 47 has a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The wrapper has a chocolate brown color with some colorado red mixed in. The wrapper itself had an oily complexion and also was quite smooth. Any visible veins were quite thin, and the dark color of the wrapper did a good job at hiding the wrapper seams.

Thee are two bands on the TAA 47. The primary band has a black background with gold font. On that background it has the classic LFD gold script logo. The band has what I term classic “LFD gold adornment” for trim. On the left and right side of the script logo, there is both a gold leaf and a gold medallion.

There is a secondary band that rests just below the primary band. It is also black in color with gold font. At the center of the band is the Indian logo of the TAA. To the left is the text “47th”. To the right is the text “TAA”. The band is finished with LFD-styled gold adornments.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Before lighting up the TAA 47, I used a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was successfully removed I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw provided a mix of unsweetened cocoa, earth, and a subtle tangy spice. I didn’t find the pre-light draw to have the boldest notes, yet it still was quite satisfying. At this point, I was ready to light up the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 picked up where the pre-light draw left off. It delivered a mix of cocoa, earth, grass, as well as a tangy pepper note. These notes were definitely bolder than the pre-light draw. I also found the cocoa to have a little more sweetness once the cigar was lit. Meanwhile on the retro-hale, I detected a layer of black pepper that layered over the other flavors nicely. As the TAA 47 burned through the first third the cocoa notes became primary while the other notes were close secondary notes.

The second third saw the grass notes move into the forefront joining the cocoa notes. I found the cocoa and grass alternated in intensity. Meanwhile the earth and pepper notes were in the background. The tanginess of the pepper diminished.

Just past the halfway point, the cocoa and grass started to diminish and the earth notes became more prominent. By the last third, I found the earth notes to be the primary flavor with the cocoa, grass, and pepper close behind. The cocoa still had a nice lingering effect on the after-draw. The latter stages saw a slight increase in pepper, but it never became overwhelming. This is the way the flavor profile held until the end. The resulting nub was outstanding – cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

From a burn and draw standpoint, the TAA 47 gets high marks. The burn path remained straight from start to finish. The burn line remained relatively straight requiring some occasional touch-ups along the way. The resulting ash was tight and firm with a salt and pepper color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47

The draw to the TAA 47 was ideal. It had just a touch of resistance to it – which is something I like on a parejo-shaped cigar. This made the TAA 47 a very enjoyable cigar to puff on from start to finish.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, I found the TAA 47 started out on the upper end of medium. The strength gradually increased and by the second third the strength moved into the medium to full range. The strength continued to gradually increase in the last two thirds, but it did not get out of the medium to full range. As for the flavors, the TAA 47 pretty much stayed in the medium to full-bodied range throughout the smoking experience.

In terms of strength versus body, the body had the edge early on. By the second half, the increase in the strength produced a tighter equilibrium between these two attributes in the second half.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been pretty vocal is to my feelings on the amount of blends being introduced for the 2015 TAA Exclusive Series. In my opinion, in an era where many TAA retailers have little shelf space, the introduction of ten new blends seemed excessive. At the same time, I think to some extent it “dilutes” the series as a whole. That being said, the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 is a pretty impressive cigar. This is a cigar that had an excellent flavor profile and excellent construction. While some of the flavor notes aren’t revolutionary, the way the flavors complemented each other is what made this cigar special. This is a cigar I’d still probably steer to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I’d smoke again – and it’s one worthy of a box split.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (First third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 3.5 – Box Split
Score: 91

References

News: La Flor Dominicana Announces Winning Size for La Flor Dominicana TAA 47
Price: $9.00
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
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