La Flor Dominicana Solis (Toro Extra)

Many cigar companies are family operations, and that applies to La Flor Dominicana. Certainly, the brand is known for the creations of Litto Gomez, but Litto’s wife Ines and his son Tony have been involved with the company for many years. In 2022, it was time for another Gomez to bring his first project to the forefront – and that is Litto Gomez Jr. The project would be Litto Jr.’s first blend to be released under La Flor Dominicana. Dubbed “Solis,” the cigar would make its debut at the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Today, La Flor Dominican Solis is the cigar we are going to take a closer look at.

The name Solis is derived from the Latin word “Sol” which means sun. This name is appropriate because of the Sun Grown Habano wrapper that is used on the cigar. It’s packaged in a circular box similar to the one La Nox, the other La Flor Dominicana cigar, is packaged in. La Nox is a project that was spearheaded by Litto’s other son, Tony. Whether intentional or not, the Solis/La Nox delivers a “day/night” complementary tandem by the two Gomez brothers.

La Flor Dominicana Solis – Packaging

Without further ado, let’s break down the La Flor Dominicana Solis and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the Sun Grown Habano wrapper, Solis also features a Sumatra binder and a filler consisting of all-Dominican tobaccos coming from the Gomez family’s La Canela farm in the Dominican Republic. Production comes from the Gomez family’s factory, Tabacalera La Flor in Tamboril, Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Sun Grown Habano
Binder: Sumatra
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera La Flor

Vitolas Offered

The La Flor Dominicana Solis comes in one size – a 6 1/2 x 50 Toro Extra. The cigars are packaged in ten-count boxes. Solis is an ongoing limited-production offering.

Appearance

The Sun Grown Habano of the La Flor Dominicana Solis has a distinct cinnamon color shade and a silky complexion. Upon closer examination, a slight amount of mottling can be seen. There are some visible veins on the surface. The wrapper seams are minimally visible. All in all, the wrapper gives the cigar quite an elegant appearance.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the La Flor Dominicana Solis, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a combination of earth, cedar, and natural tobacco. This was a good pre-light draw experience. At this time it was time to toast up the La Flor Dominicana Solis and move on into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The La Flor Dominicana Solis opened up with notes of cedar, earth, natural tobacco, dried fruit, and baker’s spice. Early on the natural tobacco and earth notes moved into the forefront. The cedar, dried fruit, and baker’s spice notes settled into the background. The combination of the sweetness from the natural tobacco in the forefront and the dried fruit from the background gave this cigar a nice sweetness that was not overpowering and balanced nicely with the flavor profile. Later in the first third, some black pepper also surfaced in the background. During the first third, the cedar and black pepper were also present on the retro-hale. These spices were not overpowering.

The second third of the La Flor Dominicana Solis saw the natural tobacco and earth remain primary. The pepper, cedar, dried fruit, and baker’s spice remained in the background. Some of the sweetness diminished from the first third, but the cigar still remained balanced and quite satisfying. Once past the midway point, the pepper and cedar increased slowly in intensity. There was also more black pepper on the retro-hale, but it still was not overpowering.

By the final third, the earth notes remained grounded in the forefront. The natural tobacco joined the pepper, cedar, dried fruit, and baker’s spice. The pepper and cedar had more intensity, but they still did not overpower the blend. This is the way the La Flor Dominicana Solis came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn performance of the La Flor Dominicana Solis was excellent. This cigar had a low maintenance burn and had no problem maintaining a straight burn path and straight burn line. Any touch-ups required were on the minimal side. The resulting ash was silver-gray and remained on the firm side. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

La Flor Dominicana Solis – Burn

Draw

The draw of the La Flor Dominicana Solis also delivered an excellent performance. This was a draw that had a touch of resistance – making this an ideal draw in my book. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

The La Flor Dominicana Solis started out as a medium-strength, medium-bodied cigar. The intensity levels of the strength and body remained constant during the first half of the cigar experience. Just past the midway point, both attributes gradually increased in intensity. By the final third, the strength and body crept across the threshold into medium to full territory.

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

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

There are two bands on the La Flor Dominicana Solis. The color scheme of the bands, which is mostly red, gold, purple, and blue, worked quite nicely against the Habano wrapper of the cigar. While I realize many retailers will not like the circular boxes, I am a fan of them. They make the box quite a collectible item.

La Flor Dominicana Solis – Open Box

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

It was an impressive debut cigar for Litto Gomez Jr.! The La Flor Dominicana Solis delivers on what is the most important attribute – flavor. In particular, the sweetness that came from this cigar in the first half was quite memorable. While some of the sweetness subsided in the second half, the cigar didn’t really suffer, as some of the spices reminded me that Solis is a “La Flor Dominicana.” In the end, this is quite an approachable cigar and is one I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is not only worth buying, but it’s a no-brainer to buy a box. Coming in at 91 points, the La Flor Dominicana Solis exceeds our Standard of Excellence.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Natural Tobacco, Dried Fruit, Cedar, Pepper, Baker’s Spice
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Final Third)
Body: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Final Third)
Finish: Good