La Flor Dominicana N.A.S. Coming Next Month

La Flor Dominicana’s all ligero cheroot will hit stores nationally next month. Jon Carney, vp of sales for La Flor Dominicana, told halfwheel the La Flor Dominicana N.A.S. will ship in late March.

N.A.S., a 5 1/2 x 42 cheroot made from Dominican pelo de oro ligero, was first released in November as a single store exclusive for Michael’s Tobacco of Keller, in Keller, Texas, and its sister store, Town & Country in Euless.

Cheroots are a form of long-filler cigars that are open at both ends and generally rolled in a rougher and faster manner. N.A.S., while staying true to the cheroot form differs in that it contains only ligero tobaccos and as such is much stronger and more expensive than a typical cheroot.

Ligero is the priming grown at the top of tobacco plants. Because of its positioning, the leaves receive a unique amount of nutrients and are stronger in nicotine than the seco and viso primings below them. Their desirability also means ligero tobacco generally sells for higher prices than its seco and viso counterparts, although the tobacco used for N.A.S. is grown by Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana at the company’s farms in La Canela.

The concept of an all-ligero cigar has been tried before, although La Flor Dominicana will likely be the first manufacturer to actually sell a 100 percent ligero cigar. In addition to the concerns regarding strength, ligero tobaccos generally have inferior combustion to the other primings. 

N.A.S. retailed for $8.69 and was sold in 20-count boxes for its single store release. Carney told halfwheel that the company had not finalized those details for the March release.