At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, La Flor Dominicana released the latest installment of its Factory Press series. This year’s release was simply dubbed the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press. It was the first Factory Press release that La Flor Dominicana had released in four years. The Factory Press series has three signature characteristics: First, the cigar itself is a wide, extreme box-pressed cigar; second, the cigar itself is packaged in trays resembling cigar mold trays; and third, the cigar is a one time limited edition release.  Each Factory Press release features a different blend, along with some slight variations in the size of the box-press cigar itself. Today, we take a closer look at the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press release.

The release of the 2017  La Flor Dominicana Factory Press is actually the seventh release of the Factory Press series. As with most of the Factory Press release, the 2017 Factory Press is packaged in 120-count chests. Each chest consists of ten cigar mold trays containing 12 cigars. The exception to the rule is that there have been two “Factory Press Limited: releases (2007 and 2013) that were released in 12-count boxes containing a single cigar mold tray.

Without further ado, let’s break down the 2017 edition of the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

Normally, we divide the blend profile and vitolas into two sections, but we are going to recap the history of this line below, so it is easier to combine these sections.

The 2017 edition of the Factory Press consists of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, and all Dominican fillers. This is the first Factory Press release to use an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. As with all La Flor Dominicana cigars, the Factory Press was produced at Tabacalera La Flor.

Factory Press (2017)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 58

Below is the blend and vitola information for the previous releases of this series:

Factory Press I -2005
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Sumatra-seed
Filler: Corojo
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 60

Factory Press II -2006
Wrapper: Oscuro Natural Nicaraguan
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitola: 6 1/4 x 54

Factory Press II Limitado (2007)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitola: 6 1/4 x 54

Factory Press III – 2008
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitola: 6 1/4 x 58

Factory Press IV-2011
Wrapper: Mexican
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican (La Canela Farm)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitola: 6 1/2 x 60

La Flor Dominicana Factory Press Limitado 2013
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Flor)
Vitola: 6 1/4 x 60

Appearance

The 2017 edition of the Factory Press featured the signature extreme sharp press that the series is known for. As for the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the cigar, it had a near cinnamon color to it. There wasn’t much in the way of oil on the surface. The wrapper had some visible wrapper seams and a few thin visible veins, but overall this wrapper had a smooth surface.

There are two bands on this cigar. The first is the classic LFD gold script logo with the burnt red and black background. There is a gold medallion and leaf on the left and right side of the band. The band features many gold adornments.

The secondary band rests just below the primary band, giving an effect that it is actually a single band. This is also a black band with white adornments. On the center of the band is the text “FACTORY PRESS” in white font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Experience

A straight cut was placed into the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press to commence the cigar experience. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered subtle notes of baker’s spice and natural tobacco sweetness. While this wasn’t the most complex pre-light draw, the flavors were still quite satisfying and it made this pre-light draw experience excellent. At this point, it was time to light up the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The natural tobacco sweetness and baker’s spice flavors on the pre-light draw continued as the cigar experience of the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press commenced. These notes became primary as notes of bread and black pepper surfaced in the background. Meanwhile, an additional layer of black pepper surfaced in the background.

Later in the first third, some of the sweetness present early on began to diminish. The natural tobacco notes developed a slight bitter component to it. This wasn’t necessarily a negative as I felt it contributed to the overall balance of the flavor profile. As the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press moved into the second third, the baker’s spice started to diminish and moved into the background shortly before the midway point. Simultaneously, the bready notes joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. There also were some hay notes that surfaced in the background.

The last third saw the natural tobacco and bready notes remain primary. There was a slight increase in the black pepper on the tongue. In the more distant background, there still were notes of baker’s spice and hay. This is the way the 2017 edition of the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

I did find the burn to the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press needed a good amount of touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. While I consider touch-ups to be a normal part of the combustion process, the number of touch-ups was slightly higher than I prefer. The resulting ash had a silver-gray color. This wasn’t the firmest ash, but it wasn’t a loose nor flakey ash either. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Draw

The draw to the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press was ideal for a box-pressed cigar. It had a touch of resistance – which is something that I like. At the same time, I didn’t find the Factory Press to be a high maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press started out medium. Toward the end of the second third, there was a slight increase in intensity levels and the cigar progressed into medium to full territory for both strength and body. After the increase, the intensity levels leveled off.

When looking at strength versus body, I found both attributes balanced each other very nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One reason why I look forward to the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press is that each installment delivers a different smoking experience. With the 2017 edition of the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press, it did deliver a satisfactory smoking experience from a flavor standpoint. At the same time, I was hoping for a little more in the way of a “wow” factor from this cigar. This is a cigar that I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast, but I certainly wouldn’t discourage a novice from trying one. As for myself, this is a cigar that I would smoke again. At $15.00+, it certainly isn’t an inexpensive cigar, but it’s still worth buying to smoke now or keep in the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Baker’s Spice, Bread, Black Pepper, Hay
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Last Third)
Body: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Last Third)
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 89

References

News: La Flor Dominicana Factory Press Returns for 2017
Price: $15.10
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: La Flor Dominicana

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted