La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero A Oscuro Natural Collector’s Edition

At the 2013 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, La Flor Dominicana showed off a brand new Gran Corona vitola—otherwise known as an “A”—named the Double Ligero A Oscuro Natural Collector’s Edition. Created to commemorate the expansion of the company’s Tabacalera La Flor S.A. factory in February of 2013, the large cigar was only the second gran corona-sized cigar that La Flor Dominicana had released at the time following the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Oscuro Natural A in 2007.

Blend-wise, the Double Ligero A Oscuro Natural Collector’s Edition features an Ecuadoran sumatra ligero wrapper covering all Dominican tobacco used in the binder and filler, the latter two of which were grown at the company’s farm in the Dominican Republic. Each cigar had an MSRP of $15 and the 10-count boxes of the cigars that were shipped to retailers in August 2013 were laser-engraved with an outline of the factory expansions.

Here is what I wrote about the cigar in my original review back in December 2013:

The Gran Corona vitola has never been a go to size for me, simply due to the almost absurd length. However, I do enjoy them every once in a while as an indulgence when I have the time. The La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero A Oscuro Natural Collector’s Edition is easily one of those cigars, with a really nice—albeit fairly unvarying—profile that builds gradually towards the end of the cigar. Easily smoked and easily enjoyed, but not overly complex, it is still a cigar that will please people who love the Double Ligero blend already and is easily good enough to win over some new converts as well.

• Cigar Reviewed: La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero A Oscuro Natural Collector’s Edition
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
• Wrapper: Equador (Sumatra Ligero)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Length: 9 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 47
• Vitola: Gran Corona
• MSRP: $15 (Boxes of 10, $150)
• Release Date: August 2013
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

Physically imposing, the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero A Oscuro Natural Collector’s Edition is covered in a deep espresso brown wrapper that is sandpaper rough to the touch. In addition, there are plenty of massive veins running up down its length as well as a number of overt dark spots near the foot. The aroma from the wrapper is a combination of sweet hay, manure, earth and bitter espresso while the cold draw brings notes of milk chocolate, roasted coffee beans, barnyard, oak and black pepper. Finally, the cold draw brings flavors of strong, bitter coca nibs, rich coffee beans, earth, creamy oak, leather, popcorn and a slight vegetal flavor along with a touch of honey sweetness.

The first few puffs immediately after lighting the foot are not exactly what I would label as pleasant. A bitter, acrid note is thankfully quickly replaced by a much more enjoyable main combination of powdery cocoa nibs and espresso beans flavor almost like the flavor you would get from grinding up espresso beans and mixing it with cocoa nibs and then eating spoonfuls of it. Secondary notes of creamy oak, espresso beans, potato chips, anise, toasted bread and hay flit in and out at various points, but none are even close to as strong as the aforementioned main flavors. There is also quite a bit of honey sweetness on the retrohale that is combining nicely with some black pepper, both of which actually get stronger as the burn line progresses. Flavor is medium, body is on the milder side of medium and strength ends the first half just below the medium mark.

While the flavors of espresso beans and powdery cocoa nibs retain the top spots in the profile during the second half, there are some changes in the secondary flavors, which now include cinnamon, peanut shells and a touch of floral. There is still plenty of honey sweetness and black pepper on the retrohale, while the finish has picked up a generic woody flavor that continues until the end of the cigar. Flavor remains medium, body has bumped up to medium and the strengths ends up firmly in the medium range.