Los Libertadores Robusto

A little known fact to today’s cigars smokers is that Litto Gomez produced another cigar before starting the famed La Flor Dominicana brand. After being robbed of $400,000 of jewelry at a store called Pekin’s that he owned in Miami’s North Beach in 1993, he quit that job and went to work for a cigar company called Los Libertadores, which means the liberators. The brand only lasted two years and the name of the company was changed to La Flor Dominicana in June of 1996 after the dispute with his former business partner. When the LFD brand was started, the original Los Libertadores blend and vitolas became the LFD Premium Line.

Here is what I said about the Los Libertadores Robusto in the original review back in April of 2010:

To say I was surprised at this cigar is an understatement. Knowing that it was one of Litto’s blends (as you know, he is well known for his stout cigars), I was expecting a more robust smoke. Instead, what I got was an extremely complex and obviously aged cigar. This is right up with there with some of the best medium cigars I have ever had. Is it better then the E.P. Carrillo Inaugural 2009? Most definitely. Is it better then the AVO 22? Marginally. Is it better then the Cohiba Gran Reserva? No, but it is close, and that is saying quite a bit.

• Cigar Reviewed: Los Libertadores Robusto
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: n/a
• Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Size: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Vitola: Robusto
• Est. Price: n/a
• Release Date: 1994
• Number of Cigars Released: 150,000 Total Cigars
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

Like the first one I reviewed, the Los Libertadores has a very light honey brown wrapper that is smooth to the touch, but has a few veins present. It is quite spongy when squeezed, almost to the point of seeming underfilled. The wrapper has very little smell to it, but I do detect wood, spice and leather. Pre-draw is an obviously aged wood and tobacco.

The Los Libertadores starts off with just a tad bit of spice on the lips, along with white pepper on the retrohale. Both of these notes start to recede very quickly and are almost gone by the end of the first third. Like last time, the main flavor is a wonderful creamy oak interspersed with vanilla sweetness and chocolate. There is a sourness underneath the flavors that comes and goes, but it is not a bad note at all, and in fact, works quite well with the profile for the most part. It did get a bit harsh at the very end, but I probably smoked it too far down anyway.

Construction was excellent, both in draw and burn, although the burn did get a bit wavy at times, but it corrected itself almost immediately. However, the cigar had a tendency to get extremely bitter if smoked too quickly, so I found myself slowing down a bit more than usual. The ash was well formed and a very light gray, almost white color.