The Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 is the newest line released by Pure Aroma Cigars.  Pure Aroma Cigars is owned and operated by Isaias Santana Diaz.  Based out of Miami, Pure Aroma Cigars is best known for the D’Crossier line of cigars produced in Costa Rica. Recently the company has also entered into a distribution agreement with Espinosa Cigars. The Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 introduces a more valued priced cigar line with a suggested retail price ranging in from $6.00 to $7.20. Diaz is also known for delivering cigars with packaging that makes for some beautiful packaging. With the Flor de D’Crossier, he keeps true to this as it is packaged in cedar lined tins. This cigar has recently hit the market, and recently I’ve had an opportunity to sample this cigar in the Hermosos  No.2 (5 1/2 x 48) size. Overall D’Crossier strikes gold with this cigar – delivering an outstanding cigar experience.

Diaz originally is from Havana, Cuba but has lived in the United States since 1995. He named his company’s main brand D’Crossier as a tribute to his great grandfather Francisco Crossier. Originally Crossier came over to Cuba from France in search of a place to expand some vineyards he owned. It was there where Crossier expanded his passion for cigars. Diaz founded the company to complete his great grandfather’s legacy.

In terms of the No. 512, this pays homage to the location in Costa Rica where D’Crossier cigars were first made back in 2008

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Hermosos No. 2 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 features tobaccos from three countries:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Costa Rican Sumatra
Filler: Costa Rican, Dominican
Country of Origin: Costa Rica

Vitolas Available

The Flor de D’Crossier No. 512 is available in six sizes:

Coloniales: 5 1/8 x 44
Corona Gorda: 5 1/2 x 46
Hermosos No. 2: 5 7/8 x 48
Magnificos: 5 7/8 x 52
Campana: 6 x 54
Geniales: 6 1/2 x 54

The Coloniales, Corona Gorda, and Hermosos No. 2 are packed in 20 count tins. The Magnificos, Campana, and Geniales are packaged in 15 count tins.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Hermosos No. 2 is what I would best describe as being on the darker side of medium brown.  The wrapper itself is smooth with an oily complexion.  There are some thin visible veins, but most of the wrapper seams are well-hidden.  There is a nice aroma from the foot and sides of the wrapper that has a combination of cedar, barnyard, and floral.

The band to the Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 is a classic looking one.  The band has a red background with gold colored font.  Prominently displayed on the center of the band is the text “SANTANA & FERRER” (reference to Diaz and his business partner Jose Timoteo Gonzales Ferrer).  Below that text is the txt “Est 2006” in smaller font.  There are two concentric ovals surrounding the center text. In between the outer and inner oval on the upper portion is the text “FLOR de D’CROSSIER” while on the lower portion is the text “SAN JOSE” (reference to the city in Costa Rica).  The remainder of the band has gold trim.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Hermosos No. 2, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut. Once the cap was successfully removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw provided some notes of chocolate and cedar. Overall I was quite pleased with the prelight draw on the Hermosos No. 2. At this point I was ready to light up this cigar and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Hermosos No. 2 started out with a mix of chocolate, baker’s spice, and fruit sweetness. The chocolate notes moved into the forefront early on with the fruit and baker’s spice in the background. There also was a touch of red pepper on the tongue. The red pepper notes were also present with the baker’s spice on the retro-hale.

Later in the first third some sweet natural tobacco notes surfaced in the forefront. As the Hermosos No. 2 moved throughout the second third, the chocolate notes diminished into the background. The natural tobacco remained in the forefront and at times the fruit sweetness made it into the forefront. The baker’s spice and red pepper remained in the background, and the red pepper began to play a more prominent role.

By the last third, there was a combination of the natural tobacco and spice notes. There still were some chocolate and fruit notes in the background. This is the way the cigar experience came to a close.  The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch, but cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

Overall I found the performance to the burn of the Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Hermosos No. 2 to be excellent. The cigar took a straight burn path from start to finish. There was a slight amount of jaggedness on the burn line itself, but this was easily remedied with some touch-ups. The ash itself was firm with a salt and pepper color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw was outstanding. I got a slight amount of resistance on the draw – something that I consider ideal. What did surprise me as the amount of smoke production from this cigar considering it did not have an open draw.

Strength and Body

From a strength perspective, I found that the Hermosos No. 2 started out in the medium range. By the second half, I found the cigar had built up enough strength to be classified as medium to full.  Meanwhile a similar pattern occurred with the body. This cigar started out on the lower end of medium to full-bodied and by the second half, I found the Hermosos No. 2 to be in full-bodied territory. As for strength versus body, I gave a slight edge to the body throughout the smoking experience.

Final  Thoughts

Over the past couple of years, D’Crossier has done quite well as a brand on Cigar Coop. The Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Hermosos No. 2 is another outstanding release by the company. Why Flor de D’Crossier might have a lower price point, I found this cigar to be of the high quality I have come to expect from Diaz. This is a cigar that has excellent flavor, nice complexity, and terrific construction. This is a cigar I’d definitely recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast. While usually I don’t recommend cigars with strength / body falling medium to full / full to novices, I found this the perfect cigar for the novice to “graduate to”. As for myself, this is definitely a cigar I’d smoke again. It’s easily a box worthy cigar.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy
Score: 92

References

News: D’Crossier Announces Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512
Price: $6.40
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 146
Stogie Feed: Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Hermosos No. 2 by D’Crossier Cigars

Note: D’Crossier Cigars is a sponsor of Cigar Coop and Stogie Geeks.