Among a handful of new releases from La Flor Dominicana at this summer’s IPCPR trade show was the Oro line, a trio of cigars with a new blend and packed in gold tubes, which in turn come in five-count boxes.

According to Litto Gomez, the line is said to be “an amped up Coronado blend,” a reference to the line that debuted in 2006 with the company’s first use of Nicaraguan Habano sun-grown leaves. The Cuban-seed wrapper leaves for the Oro come from a higher priming on the plant, which results in a bit more flavor and punch.

The name for the Oro line, which means gold in Spanish, is a nod to Gomez’s previous career. In the mid 1990s, Gomez owned a jewelry shop in Miami’s North Beach neighborhood called Pekin’s. One day just before closing time, two men came into the shop and proceeded to gag and bind the hands of Gomez and his jeweler and make off with some $400,000 in jewelry. The pair were never caught, and while Gomez rarely speaks of that day, when he does its with gratitude as it was what turned him to the cigar business.

The new La Flor Dominicana Oro is being released in three versions, a Natural and Maduro in the Toro-like No. 6 vitola, which measures 6 x 54 and has a $12.50 MSRP. The third size is a natural Chisel edition, which also measures 6 x 54, but retails for $13 and features the Chisel tip for which LFD recently received a U.S. trademark.

La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No 6 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No. 6
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan
  • Binder: Dominican Republic (La Canela)
  • Filler: Dominican Republic (La Canela)
  • Size: 6 inches
  • Ring Gauge: 54
  • Vitola: Toro
  • MSRP: $12.50 (Boxes of 5, $62.50)
  • Release Date: 2012
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

The gold banded La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No. 6 is both familiar, but also gives you the feeling that something is just a bit different, kind of like when you see a friend with a new haircut. By far the shortest name to appear on an LFD band, Oro seems to get a bit wider, more blocky font that stands out. The wrapper has some noticeable veins and a bit of texture and sits at a slightly darker than medium brown. The pre-light aroma is a somewhat non-descript medium intensity aroma with no real spice to speak of. There’s a faint rich sweetness in the background with muted notes of tree bark, coffee beans and earth in the foreground. The cold draw is smooth and easy with the air seemingly gliding through the filler, carrying a bit of a cereal note with it.

Right out of the gate, the first third of the La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No. 6 lets you know it means business with a spicy punch that lights up the palate. It takes a few puffs to settle down, but once it does, the first settles into a medium-plus bodied smoke that evokes some notes of cookie dough, coffee and a bit of wood. The dark grey ash drops off suddenly just shy of an inch long, which seems to open up the draw just a bit, allowing more of the very smooth and slightly peppery smoke to move through the cigar.

La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No 6 2

By the time the second third comes along, the amped up part of Gomez’s comments doesn’t seem to have happened, though some building levels of pepper indicate it could be on the way. Short tingles in the nose signal the increase of a white pepper note that keeps the Oro from getting overly heavy but still gives it a palate-engaging flavor. At the midpoint, it seems that the La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No. 6 is preparing for a strong second half as the grain and cereal notes are building a foundation upon which some heartier flavors will be added.

La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No 6 3

The final third of the LFD Oro doesn’t ramp up as quickly as I’d anticipated, waiting until the band line to add a chalky note that keeps the cigar right at medium-bodied. In the final notes, a bit of earth and building amounts of pepper enter the equation, giving a bit more body and spice but never picking up the thicker, heavier taste I tend to associate with La Flor Dominicana. Maybe my palate has been forever biased by too many Double Ligero Chisels. What I will say is that in the final inches, the flavors from the Oro linger on the palate for quite sometime – between the dry wood, the chalk and the pepper, it keeps the palate steadily engaged even when not drawing on it.

La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No 6 4

Final Notes

  • While the cigar smoked for this review didn’t come in the gold tube, the regular production sticks will.
  • La Flor Dominicana also added a tubed version to their Double Ligero line in the Corona and Robusto vitolas. Those will be crystal tubos available in 10–count boxes.
  • The Chisel trademark that La Flor Dominicana owns is No. 3,115,620, if you’re interested. It was finally approved on April 4, 2012 after several applications, is retroactive to 2006 and will be valid until 2016.
  • Charlie reviewed a store exclusive Coronado by La Flor Lancero here, while Brooks reviewed the Coronado Maduro Corona Especial here and reduxed it here.
  • As I mentioned in my review of the La Flor Dominicana Small Batch No. 4 Oscuro, there is rarely an LFD cigar I rush through, and this was no exception. While the Oro didn’t burn as slowly as the Oscuro, it wasn’t in any hurry, either.
  • The Oro was supposed to be released last month (September); as of now it’s still not out.
  • Technical performance was stellar the whole way through, with a sharp burn line, plenty of smoke and no wrapper issues.
  • Litto Gomez’s entry into the cigar business is quite an interesting one and Cigar Aficionado captures it well in this interview from 2007.
  • This cigar was provided for review by La Flor Dominicana.
  • Final smoking time is about two hours and five minutes.
  • If you are interested in purchasing the La Flor Dominican Oro, it currently has not shipped, but site sponsors Casa de Montecristo (630.834.7777), Tobacco Grove (763.494.6688) and Tobacco Locker (1.800.474.4795) are all La Flor Dominicana retailers.
88 Overall Score

The La Flor Dominicana Oro Natural No. 6 seemed to follow what has become a fairly standard flavor shift – big pop out of the gate, a mellowing in the first third, a rather subdued second third and a rebuilding of flavor that finishes strong and lingering on the palate. While I'm not sure if “amped up” really applies to this cigar, it certainly has its moments, and provides a different take on the established Coronado blend with favorable results. Does it lack just a bit for my demanding preferences? Yes, but just a bit. It's still a very good cigar with a lot to offer in terms of flavor, pepper and overall smoking experience.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.