La Flor Dominicana Ligero Oscuro Staff Review
La Flor Dominicana cigars are handcrafted in the Dominican Republic, where brand founder Litto Gomez blends a popular portfolio of strong small-batch cigars, like the classic Ligero Oscuro blend I’m smoking in a 5.75-by-50 size called the No. 300, or L-300, for today’s review.
Litto and his wife, Inez, entered the cigar business during the Cigar Boom of the 1990s, when demand for premium cigars was at its peak. They started off making mild cigars, but today they’re best known for producing cigars of considerable power. The La Flor Dominicana portfolio features several strong cigars, including the Double Ligero, La Nox, and Andalusian Bull, the 96-rated ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ for 2016 in Cigar Aficionado.
The Ligero Oscuro I’m firing up fits this category, courtesy of its dark and very oily Oscuro wrapper leaf, grown in Ecuador from Sumatra seeds. Inside is a robust recipe of Dominican long-filler tobaccos harvested at Litto’s farm, La Canela, in the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic. The valley’s hot, dry climate and nutrient-rich soil produce tobacco with an intense, concentrated flavor. Litto ages his tobacco extensively after it’s harvested to tame its potent and spicy character.
After selecting a shimmering No. 300 from a fresh box of La Flor Dominican Ligero cigars and clipping the cap, chewy tasting notes of leather, tobacco, pepper, and plum come through in the cold draw. This dense and well-made cigar exhibits a particular heft from head to foot, while the wrapper boasts a dark and attractive sheen. Eat well before smoking a La Flor Dominicana Ligero Oscuro. Although the blend is less intense by comparison to Litto’s popular Double Ligero cigars, it still packs a wallop, which is masked by a subtle sweetness.
Ligero Oscuro starts off tangy and spicy in the initial minutes, permeating the nose with a hearty dose of black pepper that borders on wasabi. As the binder, filler, and wrapper combust at a uniform pace, notes of charred wood, cocoa, and espresso bean create a toasty impression with hints of raisin. After twenty minutes, the cigar’s bold and earthy spice takes the spotlight with a supporting sweetness for balance.
I recommend pairing Ligero Oscuro cigars with a full-bodied bourbon or single malt. The cigar’s compressed flavors require you to smoke it slowly, allowing each draw to ruminate on the palate. A resilient white ash forms at the foot while I periodically touch up the burn with my torch lighter due to the wrapper’s thick and oily structure. The No. 300 simmers gradually into the second half.
Lingering notes of leather, cedar, and red pepper mix nicely with a persistent sweetness around the edges. Once the band is off, notes of raisin, pepper, and mesquite fill out the final puffs through a slow, decadent finish that takes me just past an hour and ten minutes, longer than I would normally spend on a Robusto. If you enjoy full-bodied profiles, La Flor Dominicana Ligero Oscuro is worth your time, but don’t smoke this cigar too fast, or you risk being overwhelmed.
