The La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro did not exactly take the cigar community by storm when it was released in mid-2009. Intended as an experiment of sorts, it the cigar is the exact same blend as the regular Coronado by La Flor, which I still love to smoke, with a Maduro wrapper from Ecuador replacing the rosado Nicaraguan wrapper on the original blend.

Only 83 boxes of 24 were produced, and almost one year later, there are still a few available for purchase.

When I first reviewed this smoke, the strength in the cigar overwhelmed just about every characteristic that were present. However, I did note that I thought this would make a great aging candidate, mostly due to the strength, and the fact that I knew what the blend of this cigar was supposed to taste like.

In fact, one of my comments in the original review was, “I don’t mind strong cigars, in fact, I enjoy most of them, but this blend to me seems very young, and needs to rest for a while to get everything in harmony.there is not doubt in my mind that it will be an amazing smoke with some rest.”

Well, I bought 10 of the cigars when I reviewed them the first time, and honestly had forgotten all about them until a good friend of mine, randomly mentioned smoking one and how great it was with a bit of rest. This got me thinking how different another review on this cigar would be, compared to the first one, and so here we are.

The La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro is still a cigar with a jet black wrapper. I have not run across many wrappers that are darker, and there is still quite a bit of oil present, in fact, the oil easily came off on my finger. The wrapper is also quite smooth to the touch, and smells very strongly of chocolate, so strongly, in fact, that I had my wife smell it to see what she thought.her comment was, “smells like a Hershey’s bar, now get that damn thing out of my face.”

Here is a photo comparing the La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro (left) to the Regular Coronado (right):

La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro 1.png

  • Cigar Reviewed: Coronado by La Flor Maduro Corona Especial
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
  • Binder: Dominican Corojo
  • Filler: Dominican
  • Size: 5 7/8 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 47
  • Vitola: Corona
  • Est. Price: $10.00
  • Date Released: April 2009
  • Number of Cigars Released: 83 Boxes of 25 Cigars (2,075 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 2

The cold draw also tasted strongly of bitter chocolate, and this was an interesting development, as I do not remember anything close to that from the first review.

The first third starts out with so much black pepper that it has me wondering if I was just going to get a repeat of the same cigar I had six months ago. However, after about 15 puffs, the pepper fades very quickly into a pleasant background note and I start tasting some really great notes of leather, bitter chocolate, and a spicy, woody combo that all combined into a wonderful experience. La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro 3.png

At the start of the second, the pepper from the beginning of the smoke almost totally disappears and the profile of the cigar started leaning towards creamy, but with some spice left over. The main flavors are still the same, but with everything together, it is just a great flavor combination.

La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro 4.png

The final third is not as impressive as the first two. In fact, the cigar pretty much fell apart at the very end. The flavors from the first two-thirds start disappearing, one after the other, and at the end, I am just left with a harshness that made me happy to finish. However, I usually smoke it as far to the nub as possible, so people who quit earlier than that would not even notice it.

La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro 5.png

    Final Notes:

  • I have never smelled or tasted some much of a chocolate flavor in a cigar before and it ranged from a slightly sweet to a very bitter profile.
  • The ash on this cigar was not pretty, and was extremely flaky.
  • There was quite a bit of woodsy, spicy smoke produced from this cigar. An interesting combination considering the flavors of the actual cigar being more of a chocolate profile.
  • The final smoking time was one hour and 40 minutes.
89 Overall Score

To me, the La Flor Dominicana Coronado Maduro is one of the best examples of how a cigar can improve greatly after aging for a specific timeframe. The first time I smoked this cigar, any flavors that it had were overwhelmed by the strength that was present. now, after six months, the strength is still there, albeit diminished greatly, but instead of it being the main component, the strength now compliments the other flavors which have had time to develop into a much more complex and enjoyable smoke. Having said that, the cigar did get a bit harsh at the end, and I think I will let the rest of these rest for another year or so before trying again, as I think they can be even better then they are now.

Original Score (May 2009)
83
Redux Score (August 2010)
89
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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.