La Flor Dominicana Lone Star Cigar Bash Exclusive 2016

For the past few years, La Flor Dominicana has produced a variety of cigars for many of the larger multi-vendor events in the cigar industry.

This June’s Lone Star Cigar Bash, hosted by San Antonio-based Finck Cigars, was no exception. The company brought 50 boxes of a 6 x 52 torpedo that uses a Brazilian maduro wrapper over a Dominican Binder and Dominican fillers.

Pricing was set at an affordable $7 per cigar, or $70 per box of 10.

• Cigar Reviewed: La Flor Dominicana Lone Star Cigar Bash Exclusive 2016
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
• Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Torpedo
• MSRP: $7 (Boxes of 10, $70)
• Release Date: June 4, 2016
• Number of Cigars Released: 50 Boxes of 10 Cigars (500 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Anyone that’s ever bought one of the La Flor Dominicana exclusives will find the following familiar: it’s got a single brown band and a box that is closed via a nail. As for the cigar, it’s dark–not as dark and oily as say the Air Bender Maduro–but it’s certainly got some character. The aroma from the wrapper has black licorice, figs and some barnyard. It’s a completely departure as far as the smell form the foot of the LFD: very floral with some butterscotch sweetness. The cold draw is a bit more of the same with tons of floral flavors, a creamy Orangesicle note and some mild oregano.

Things start with a dry toasty and salty mixture that at time seems like popcorn. Despite the cold draw, there’s absolutely zero indication there will be any sweetness, although the finish has an almond liqueur flavor. As the La Flor Dominicana gets going, the Orangesicle flavor returns alongside some rye whiskey flavors. Still, the profile is best described as earthy with a lot of saltiness. Construction is awesome with no need to touch the cigars up or reasons to think about the draw. I know it’s La Flor, but the strength is barely medium, with the flavor and body not much stronger.

The cigar gets even earthier with the sweetness and rye flavors departing, replaced by some leather, black pepper and a potato chip-like starch through the nose, which is largely dominated by pepper. It’s challenging to find any other changes on any of the three cigars I smoked, as it really remains quite the same: strength is medium at most, body is medium-plus and flavor–while dynamic–is medium-plus.

Unfortunately, the perfect construction marks go away in two of the three samples in the final third. I find myself making a touch-up or two to keep the cigar lit, though otherwise construction is great. Flavor-wise, it gets toastier with peanut shells and saltiness beginning to overpower the earthy mixture. There’s some popcorn, which I enjoy, but there’s also some metallic and herbal flavors, of which I am not particularly fond. Out of nowhere the strength shoots up to full in the final third, so I guess it is a La Flor after all.

Final Notes

• I didn’t make it to the event this year, but I went last year. It’s a fun event with great food and a lot of vendors. Most importantly, the event benefits the Fisher House Foundation, a charity that provides housing for veterans and their families while a veteran is receiving treatment. This year’s festival raised over $35,000 for the charity and combined with past festivals the total donations reach into the six figures.
• It will be interesting to see what La Flor does going forward with these event-only cigars in the wake of new FDA rules.
• Strength was medium up until the final third, when it picked up to full.
• Cigars for this review were provided by Finck Cigars.
• Final smoking time was just under two hours.