Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina Robusto

In June 2023, Pure Aroma Cigars, Inc. announced that it would be adding a more affordable line to the D’Crossier portfolio.

Outside of the lengthy name—Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina—the new line is probably most unique for its aging process. The cigars are rolled and then placed in the aging room for 120 days, which is longer than most cigars will spend in an aging room. The really unique part is that they are then placed in Spanish cedar boxes for another 120 days, meaning the total time between when the cigars were rolled and when you might smoke one is at least eight months. It’s also relatively uncommon for companies to deliberately age cigars in boxes.

Blend-wise, it uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a Dominican binder and five-year-old fillers from the Dominican Republic and Jalapa, Nicaragua.

The line is offered in three sizes:

• Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46) — $9 (Box of 25, $225)
• Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina Robusto (4 7/8 x 50) — $10 (Box of 25, $250)
• Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina Hermoso #2 (6 x 48) — $11 (Box of 25, $275)

For 2023, there were just 250 boxes of each size released.

As for the name, according to the company, Lumina was chosen as it “inspires enlightenment in virtue and silence, a motto that encapsulates the meaning of life.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina Robusto
• Country of Origin: Costa Rica
• Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Length: 4 7/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Robusto
• MSRP: $10 (Box of 25, $250)
• Release Date: June 24, 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Many of D’Crossier’s cigars have eye-catching wrappers and the Seleccion Escogida Lumina Robusto appears to be no different. It’s got a great light brown color with smaller veins—both a lesser number and smaller in size than normal—and lots of oil. To the touch, the wrappers are particularly supple, like some nice leather furniture. Of note, the third cigar I smoke feels much firmer to the touch than the other two cigars, as well as compared to most cigars I smoke. Aromas from the wrapper are full and consist of barnyard leading acidity, lemon and some fall leaves. The feet also smell quite similar to one another: muted sweet chocolate leading to acidity and leather, each around medium-full. While the dry aromas were consistent, the cold draws are not. Each is led by some sweetness, but it’s different in the three cigars: generic sugar, floral and, on the third cigar, an overly sweet artificial berry flavor that reminds me of a Fruit Roll-Up. Secondary notes include cedar, citrus, floral flavors, woods and, on one cigar, a funkiness that reminds me of parmesan cheese. Each cold draw is medium-plus and slightly open.

The slightly open draw extends once each cigar is lit. The first puffs of the Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina Robusto are drier than I expected, with cedar, cashews and some damp wood flavors leading pretzels, white pepper, tartness and some minerals. One cigar reminds me of the aftertaste of overly greasy french fries, though I don’t find that in the other two cigars. All three cigars have draws that are slightly open. I don’t find much consistency in the leading flavors as things go on. One cigar is led by peanut butter mixed with some soggy potato chip flavors, another has a thick medium-dark roast espresso flavor joined by some generic bread and the third is led by woodiness accented by some brown mustard and mushy popcorn. What is consistent is that the leading flavor is going to be savory. Secondary notes include some muted barnyard, nuttiness, herbs, minerals and leather. There’s not much in the way of spicy, sour, sweet or creamy sensations. The finish of each cigar differs, though it’s generally not adding anything new to each cigar. For example, the cigar led by mustard and popcorn finishes with a flavor that reminds me of popcorn that has been sitting out for half a movie, joined by some herbal flavors. Comparing retrohale notes from the three cigars produce more similarities. Thick coffee and nuttiness tend to be present, though sometimes one of those flavors is the primary flavor while other times it’s a distant secondary note. One cigar is different with a funky barnyard and leather leading cedar, black pepper, orange and creaminess. The finishes of the cigars add some meatiness and are much sharper than the rest of the profile. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is mild-medium. The draws are slightly open, the burns are consistently excellent, and smoke production is massive.

Each cigar continues to get sharper, which seems to allow a lingering harshness to play a larger part of the profile. It’s not overly harsh, more like just a touch more than I’d like. As different as the cigars tasted in the first third, the second thirds of the Flor de D’Crossier Seleccion Escogida Lumina Robusto are largely in the same place. Dry nuttiness leads the profile, oftentimes joined by bread and/or leather. Other flavors include lime skin, creaminess and saltiness. The finish sees the cigar head to different places. On my first cigar, I find the saltiness goes away during the finish; on the third cigar, the saltiness gets more intense during the finish. Typically, nuttiness and breads lead the dance, though black pepper and coffee provide some accents. The larger change is the harshness, which lingers into the finish and is quite different compared to the first third. On the nose, retrohales have nuttiness outpacing breads with tertiary floral and tart flavors. In complete contrast, the tongue is engulfed by that harshness. As the finish takes over, the nuttiness travels down to the tongue, joining the lingering harshness. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. When the cigar is properly lit, it’s like the first third: slightly open draw, even burn lines and massive smoke production. Unfortunately, two cigars need touch-ups to help with combustion during the second third.

While all three cigars continue to be too sharp for my liking in the final third, only the first cigar is actively getting sharper. The profile is quite similar to the second third: dry nuttiness leads accented by earthiness, leather and, at times, a meatiness that reminds me of a generic hot dog flavor. I find the nuttiness is muted, especially compared to the first third when it was vibrant. One way to better understand this might be to think about the difference between the taste when you are chewing on mixed nuts versus the taste five seconds after you’ve stopped. Secondary flavors include grains, toastiness, minerals, black pepper and bitterness. The finish continues with the muted nuttiness and toastiness, though adds some brighter acidity and tartness. Retrohales add saltiness to join the nuttiness; sometimes, the salt leads, and other times, the nuttiness seems stronger. Secondary flavors include leather, white pepper, bread and some generic earthiness. The finish tends to be similar to whatever is going when the smoke is in the nose, though at times, floral flavors, tartness and green pepper emerge. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is no stronger than a light medium. Every cigar needs a touch-up to help with the combustion—both smoke production and to a lesser degree, burn evenness—something that is probably a downside to the slightly open draw.

Final Notes

• If you told me the main band is red and the secondary band is green, I would have expected a cigar that looks like it has a Christmas theme. Because of the darkness of both colors, especially the green, it doesn’t at all appear like that.
• This cigar teeters between being good and very good. It’s not a tie goes to the runner situation—when I would just round up to very good—and it makes scoring very difficult.
• If you are a disgruntled Cuban cigar smoker who is unwilling to pay the newly-minted high prices and deal with the inconsistent quality control and need for aging, D’Crossier is a brand that you should check out. This cigar is going to get you 95+ percent of the way there to many Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey, H. Upmann or Montecristo cigars. It’s not identical and I don’t think there are too many moments where I would guess that it was a Cuban cigar, but there are at least some puffs when that happens and the majority of puffs are at least in striking distance to where I could be convinced that this is a Cuban cigar.
• Similarly, if you were trying to challenge cigar reviews with unbanded blind reviews, D’Crossier would likely trip up lots of people.

• Speaking of Cuban cigars, these were listed at the classic Cuban robusto size of 4 7/8 x 50. While all three cigars were close to that, one was more like 5 x 52.
• D’Crossier used to have some unique cut-outs on the cellophane it used for cigars. The argument was that it allowed the cigars to “breathe” better. There were none on these cigars and the cellophane was the standard design I find on most cigars.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• From unlit to less than an inch of nub remaining, final smoking time was just over two hours.