Country of origin: Dominican Republic
Color: Maduro
Length: 5.75"
Ring gauge: 60
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra (ligero)
Binder: Dominican Sumatra
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan
Rating*: ★★★★★
Although debuting at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Association trade show in the Summer of 2011, the La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro flew completely under my radar...until now. Not only did I recently receive this limited edition No. 5 in one of my monthly cigar club shipments, but found another resting nicely in the bottom of one of my humidors. And I'm not quite certain as to when I received that one, but was thrilled beyond belief to find this gem, after smoking the first one and becoming enamored.
This particular LFD is a limited edition line, only released twice per year. According to reports from Litto Gomez, co-owner of LFD, there was not enough ligero to source in sufficient amounts for regular production, hence the limited production of the Colorado Oscuro. Gomez told Cigar Aficionado magazine in November 2011 that “It’s very different from my Ligero and Double Ligero lines. The cigar is very smooth, but has a surprisingly full body. This is the nature of this particular brand.”
The La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro No. 5 is a beautiful cigar that is silky and smooth to the touch, with a mottled rich dark brown wrapper with some oiliness. Also known as a Double Toro, the No. 5 is the largest of the four vitolas. There are small veins present and the seams are barely visible unless closely inspected. The cigar is quite supple from head to foot, and appears to be well constructed with a single cap. The wrapper and the foot exuded a mild earthy tobacco aroma. After applying a crossed notch cut to the head, I took a number of easy pre-light draws of mocha sweetness. No spiciness was detected from the wrapper, as there were no lingering flavor on the tongue.
The cigar lit very easily and maintained an even burn throughout the smoke with no touch-ups necessary. It produces relatively long, tight ashes, which I only tapped three times during the entire smoke, which lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The Colorado Oscuro No. 5 is a full-bodied cigar with medium-to-full strength - it is extraordinarily rich and robust and I would not recommend for the novice smoker. The smoke starts with a very potent peaty flavor through the first third of the smoke with strong woody notes like oak cask. I also picked up some hints of a fruity black currant flavor which reminded me of a vintage tawny port. Very mild spiciness lingers on the palate; however, each retrohale produced some very intense black pepper flavor. The second third of the smoke was characterized with an interesting mesquite-like smokiness and heavy earthy tobacco flavor with some noticeable floral notes. The black pepper on retrohale is unchanged in intensity. The flavor mellows in strength during the final third; however, the floral notes seemed to pick up significantly through the finish. Although the sweetness was lost during the finale, the persistent dominance of the woody and pepper flavor was quite pleasurable. The ligero wrapper is just relentless and will constantly remind you of its presence with each and every pull. What an excellent smoke...
In addition to the No. 5 Toro Gordo, the La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro is also available in 3 other vitolas: No. 2 Rothchild (4.25" x 48); No. 3 Robusto (5" x 50); and No. 4 Toro (5.25" x 54).
Founded in 1996 in Santiago, Dominican Republic, La Flor Dominicana has garnered a reputation for its powerhouse smokes, specifically the Ligero and Double Ligero lines. The company is quite proud of its consistency in production, as all of their tobacco is grown on their own farm in La Canela. Click here for the La Flor Dominicana website to check out the entire portfolio (as of the date of this post, the website had been updated and appears to be undergoing construction - full details on each cigar line may not available). To also find out more about the background of the company, there is a very interesting article in the printed January/February 2013 issue of Cigar Aficionado magazine, but is also available online (click the link A Conversation with Litto and Ines of La Flor Dominicana).
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*Rating legend:
★★★★★ Excellent/Outstanding
★★★★ Very Good
★★★ Good
★★ Fair
★ Poor