The La Flor Dominicana TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 is the latest installment in a La Flor Dominicana’s TCKFA M Collector’s Edition series. The Collector’s Edition is an annual release of artesian-styled perfectos that are also uniquely-styled barber-pole wrapped cigars. These cigars have been released late in the calendar year in time for the year end holidays. For the Collector’s Edition 2015, the cigar features an Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro wrapper with a Connecticut Shade wrapper wound around it. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the TCKFA M Collector’s Edition 2015. For each installment of the Collector’s Edition, I’ve found the to be a fun cigar to smoke – and the Collector’s Edition 2015 is no exception.
The origins of the Collector’s Edition can be traced back to a series of artesian styled perfectos released by La Flor Dominicana called Mysterio. In 2013 the first of the barber pole artesian perfectos,the Mysterioso Collector’s Edition 2013 was released. The cigar featured a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a light Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper twisted around it. A little over a year ago, due to trademark issues with the Mysterio / Mysterioso name, La Flor Dominicana rebranded the cigar TCFKA M ( The Cigar Formerly Known as Mysterio / Mysterioso). Late in 2014, a second Collector’s Edition was released called the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2014 – this time with a light Connecticut Shade wrapper and a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper twisted around it. For the Collector’s Edition 2015, the combination of a dark Sumatra Oscuro wrapper with a light Connecticut Shade wrapper twisted over it is used.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2014 and see what this cigar brings to the table.
Blend Profile
The TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 consists of tobaccos from four countries:
Wrapper: Sumatra Oscuro / Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade (Barber pole)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitolas Available
As with the previous two installments, the La Flor Dominicana TCKFA M Collector’s 2015 is a perfecto measuring 7 x 55.
Appearance
The underlying wrapper of the TCKFA M Collector’s Edition 2015 is the Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro wrapper. It has a coffee bean color with a mahogany tint and a moderate amount of oil on that. Draped over the Sumatra s a thin light brown CT Shade wrapper. The way this barber-pole is arranged similar to the Collector’s Edition 2013 and 2014 editions. By the cap it is a very tight spiral wind. As it reaches the wider parts of the perfecto, it is arranged more more like a winding pinstripe. The foot of the perfecto is all Shade wrapped and looks almost like a pencil point, but with an open foot (this part is consistent with the other TCKFA M cigars). The cap is also unique as it has almost a “ball-like” shape.
The cigar has a single band on it. It is a classic LFD gold script logo with the burnt red and black background. It also has the standard LFD gold adornment for trim. On the left and right side of the band there is both a gold leaf and a gold medallion.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Prior to lighting up the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015, I went with a straight cut. As I did with the previous installments, I cut a little past the ball cap to get a little more diameter on the draw. Once the cap was removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw gave me mostly cream and wood notes. Overall I didn’t consider this to be the most exciting pre-light draw, but given we don’t score the pre-light draw, there is no loss of points here. At this point, I was ready to light up my La Flor Dominicana TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 and see what the smoking phase would bring to the table.
Flavor Profile
The start of the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 continued with more of the cream and generic wood notes that I detected on the pre-light draw. Meanwhile I picked up a cedar sweet-spice on the retro-hale. Once the cigar burned through the Connecticut Shade tip of the cigar, notes of cedar and natural tobacco sweetness surfaced. The cedar and natural tobacco took over as the main flavor. Meanwhile the cream notes receded into the background. At the same time, I also detected some black pepper in the background. The black pepper also displaced the cedar on the retro-hale.
The cedar and natural tobacco notes held throughout the first third. By the second third the cedar notes remained in the forefront and the natural tobacco notes moved into the background. During this stage, I found the cream notes diminished, but some grassy notes also surfaced in the background.
As the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 moved into the last third, there was a sharp increase in the black pepper. The pepper joined the cedar in the forefront and in the last stages displaced the cedar. There still were some notes of natural tobacco, grass, and cream toward the end. This is the way the cigar experience came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch, but cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
During the early stages of the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015, I found the cigar maintained a straight burn line. As the cigar reached the thicker ring gauge, I did find the burn meandered and this was a cigar that needed more frequent touch-ups. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t a loose flaky ash either. The ash had a darker salt and pepper color to it. Meanwhile the cigar maintained an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature.
Overall I found the draw to the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 performed quite well. Considering I had a very small surface area where I snipped the cap, I found the cigar to be a low maintenance draw with just the right amount of resistance. I also found the cap area didn’t not get overly soft while puffing on the cigar.
Strength and Body
Of the three installments of the Collector’s Edition, I found the TCFKA M 2015 to be the boldest. From a strength perspective, this cigar came right out of the gate with medium to full strength. The strength does build up along the way and by the second half, the cigar progressed to full strength. As for the flavors, I found them to be on the upper end of medium to full-bodied. In terms of strength versus body, the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 I found the strength had the edge – particularly in the second half.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned, each year I have found the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition cigars to be fun cigars to smoke. While I still would prefer the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Collector’s Edition to the 2015, I still feel this is a cigar that has its place. I found the TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015 to fill the spot in this series as the quintessential La Flor Dominicana – namely a strong cigar with plenty of flavor and spice. This provides a nice contrast to the milder 2014 edition and the medium plus 2013 edition. It’s a cigar I would definitely position to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast looking for something quite bold. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again. This cigar is definitely worthy of a fiver – which pretty much puts you into a box of these.
Summary
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: 3.0-The Fiver
Score: 89
References
News: n/a
Price: $20.50
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 178
Stogie Feed: La Flor Dominicana TCFKA M Collector’s Edition 2015
