This was one of the sticks I have wanted to smoke for a while … I could never find one to actually buy until a BOTL hooked me up, and I was able to get a hold of some …

I have always been a big fan of the “Small Batch” concept, i.e. when cigar manufacturers produce a limited quantity of specific sticks with specific tastes and qualities. The Small Batch No.2 is just one of the examples from Litto Gomez, and one he has used before, with the (somewhat obviously named) Small Batch No.1 (which was even more rare, and which I have not reviewed as of yet, but it is coming).

I have not seen many reviews online of this stick (which is one of the reasons I wanted to write one), most likely because they are fairly difficult to get a hold of. When released, the production was 30,000 cigars which came in huge cabinets of 105 (that almost looked like an ammo locker). That means only about 285 boxes were available to the worldwide market.

Let’s get down too it, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed: Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 2
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
• Wrapper: Dominican Sumatra Seed
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Size: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $16.00 (Boxes of 105, $1,510.00)
• Release Date: September 2007
• Number of Cigars Released: 285 Boxes of 105 (30,000 total cigars)

The wrapper is a very nice reddish brown color, and I could smell a little bit of pepper and tobacco (obviously). It is slightly oily and also slightly spongy when squeezed, but it is a VERY dense stick. In fact, it almost feels TOO heavy for the size of the cigar, it is so dense. I love the band on it, love the colors and the ornamentation.

After torching the foot and lighting the cigar, I took a few puffs and got a fairly medium amount of pepper from the start. Not a blast of pepper like in a lot sticks, but a very pleasant amount that added to the overall experience.

The first third of the cigar was dominated by some pepper (medium) and flavors of oak. There was also a slight earthiness (kind of a musky earth flavor) that intertwined with the oak to produce a wonderful unique flavor that I really loved.

During the second third, the pepper in the cigar was reduced to almost nothing, but that earthiness increased and became quite a bit sweeter (almost caramel?), to the point where I almost wished for some more pepper  to combat it … almost (but not quite) cloying.

In the final third, the pepper returned to previous strengths, and the aforementioned earthiness and sweetness dissipated, and I was left with a toasty nuttiness, an almost tart flavor that continued until the end of the cigar … a fairly nice way to end the stick.

Final Notes:

• After reading the few reviews that are out there online, and talking to some other BOTL, I was really expecting the typical full strength pepper bomb that Gomez’ sticks are known for, but it seems as though time as muted the pepper, and what is left is an extremely complex cigar …
• The smoke from the cigar was extremely dense, and seemed to stick around longer in the air then most other cigars I have smoked … kind of odd really …
• The burn and draw were great all the way to the end, I did not have to touch it up even once …
• It was a fairly long burn, and the final smoking time was 1 hour and 55 minutes …

The Bottom Line: While this was a fairly complex cigar in terms of taste, I can’t help but think that the muted pepper (most like due to aging) hurt the overall smoke. I think a bit more pepper would have increased the contrast between the flavors and made it more enjoyable. Still a very good cigar, but not as good as it could have been … having said that, I did enjoy it, and have some more that I will not be getting rid of.

Final Score: 90