In 2014, Anthony’s Cigar Emporium in Tucson, Ariz. celebrated its 20th anniversary by commissioning two limited edition cigars. One was the My Father Le Bijou 1922 The Martino, while the other was the La Flor Dominicana Anthony’s Cigar Emporium 20th. Since then, it celebrated its 21st anniversary with the Tatjaue Drinking Age, their 22nd with the Viaje Hangover and lastly this year’s 23rd anniversary with the Viaje WLP Hair of the Dog.

Here’s what I originally had to say about the cigar:

Most of the time if I’m continuously having to touch up a cigar, I’ve put it down before I’m halfway through and moved onto something else. There are only a few cigars that I’ve smoked that I can say had some really terrible burn issues that I wanted to keep smoking because the profile was so enjoyable. The La Flor Dominicana Anthony’s Cigar Emporium 20th has now been added to that list. Despite the burn issues, the profile was nuanced and developed throughout the cigar, keeping it interesting and continuously bringing my focus back the profile and not the burn. These are still in stock now, but if you want to try them I’d hurry because they won’t last long.

  • Cigar Reviewed: La Flor Dominicana Anthony’s Cigar Emporium 20th Anniversary
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
  • Binder: Dominican Republic
  • Filler: Dominican Republic
  • Length: 6 1/4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 60
  • Vitola: Gordo
  • MSRP: $11.50 (Boxes of 10, $115)
  • Release Date: Nov. 18, 2014
  • Number of Cigars Released: 200 Boxes of 10 Cigars (2,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

A little over two years hasn’t changed the feel of the cigar: the dark wrapper is still slightly rough with a bit of an oily feel to it. It might have relaxed a touch, having a little give now when squeezed, however it’s still pretty firm. Coming off the wrapper is an aroma of brownies, earth and some leather, while the cold draw has a fruity note of raisins, chocolate, some bread and a nice bit of brown sugar.

The first thing I notice is the complete lack of black pepper that was up front before. A mellow earthiness, cocoa, leather and a muted hazelnut note greet me instead, forming a pleasantly subdued profile. As the La Flor progresses, a sweetness develops, which by the second third has turned the cocoa into more of a chocolate note. A mild spice has shown up as well, along with some smooth cedar which all compliment the earth, leather and fading hazelnut nicely. As I move into the final third, the profile mostly maintains without much change. The spice has moved towards the front joining the earth, followed by chocolate, leather, hazelnut and cedar. It maintains these pleasant flavors all the way to the end, without any harshness or bitter notes showing up.

La Flor Dominicana Anthony’s Cigar Emporium 20th

In the past, construction issues were my main issues with the La Flor, I was pleasantly surprised when the burn started even right off the bat. The ash seems to be holding together better as well, with a touch more density that doesn’t make me wonder if it’s going to flake off everywhere. As to be expected with most LFD cigars, the smoke production is plentiful, facilitated by a draw that is right in the middle of ideal. Moving into the second third I’m still pleased that I haven’t had to touch up the burn line, while not perfect, has been mostly even and doesn’t need any help from me yet. The final third does finally need a little touch up where one small section was falling behind, but after that stays even up until the end.

89 Overall Score

So there’s good news and better news. The good news is the rest that the LFD Anthony’s Cigar Emporium 20th got has done it well, mellowing out the profile into something flavorful yet devoid of any overwhelming notes or flavors, while also avoiding any major construction issues. While my sample size is small, the consistent touch-ups and crooked burns from before have all but disappeared, leading me to believe that the time in my humidor has helped a bit at least. So what’s the better news? Well it looks like Anthony’s Cigar Emporium still shows these in stock. So if you’re a La Flor Dominicana fan, I can easily suggest revisiting these.

Original Score (December 2014)
85
Redux Score (February 2017)
89
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Brian Burt

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.