Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 6 x 54 “Tubo-Toro”
Body: Full
Price: $12.50

This should be an extraordinary cigar. I received a sample of the La Flor Dominicana Oro Tubo No.6 Maduro Toro and the Chisel from Atlantic Cigars. The cigar made its official debut at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show. It is also considered to be an homage to Litto Gomez’s beginnings in the jewelry business. I like that. We actually have something in common.

At age 13, my dad and I became rock hounds in So Cal. Within a few years, we were making full bloomed gold jewelry, cutting stones and gems, etc. My father took us to school in L.A. in the jewelry district. He invested a fortune in equipment that took up our double garage. For years, I raked it in making jewelry for friends’ and their spouses at Christmas.

The cigar comes in both natural and maduro. According to Cigar Coop, “The Nicaraguan wrapper is similar to what is used on the Coronado blend, but with a higher priming. For the Oro Maduro, the wrapper is put through a maduro curing process…and is available in one size only.” Thanks Cigar Coop.

Construction – Beautiful reddish-brown wrapper with no major veins visible. Nicely made cap and an oily sheen texture to the wrapper. The triple cap is a work of art. And if you look closely, there is a bit of mottling.

I clip the cap to search for aromas. Big doses of cocoa, cinnamon, loads of coffee, very spicy, lemon zest, and with a deep, rich earthiness.
Time to light up.

This is a big stick in the mouth. Reminds me of my days in San Quentin. But I never lifted my skirts. Pride, ya’ know.

The first puffs are awash with flavor. Where to start…coffee…And then the cocoa…very sweet natural tobacco, a tinge of red pepper. The char line is wavy. But the draw spews voluminous amounts of smoke. The lemon zest is extremely potent. A perfect palate isn’t required to taste this component. Almost like lemonade.

Since I smoke as I write, I will be here a long time so a rock n roll story is in order after the review.

Half an inch in, the lemon still dominates. But there is a fruity flavor…hard to discern while the lemon flavor is so strong. But cinnamon manages to shove its way through. Odd combo of lemon and cinnamon. But it works.

The triple cap is doing a nice job. Right from the beginning, the flavors are smooth as my tushy. In my last review, I came up with a term I like: sub-flavors. Great cigars have a dominant level of flavor and a sub flavor profile. This cigar is no different. On top is the lemon, cocoa, sweetness, cinnamon, and coffee. Beneath it, is rich earthiness, spice, fruit.

I should note that I have had this cigar in my humidor for 2-1/2 months.

I am halfway through the first third when a floral note appears. Honeysuckle. We had honeysuckle plants while growing up. When they bloomed, the air was coated with a wonderful aroma. The plants would attract neighbors who would stop by just to smell them. And as kids we discovered we could taste the plant as well. If you take the flower, and carefully remove the stem from inside the flower, it was dripping with a honey like substance that we put in our mouths. It was harmless and delicious.

At this point, the body is classic medium. The ash is about 1-1/2” long with no sign of falling off. A complexity begins to form. The lemon zest has tapered off. The cocoa has moved to the front of the line with the tobacco sweetness right behind. That fruitiness seems to be either raisin. The natural sweetness amplifies that flavor.
I leave the first third behind me. The cigar blossoms a bit. The balance of flavors and strength is perfect. I don’t use the word perfect very often, but it applies here. My palate is struggling to taste everything the cigar is throwing at me. It is amazing. The rich earthiness is the bedrock of the cigar. Strangely, the spiciness is barely there. It only reminds me it’s there because of the tingling tongue. My guess is that Mr. Gomez planned that so we can enjoy and focus on the enormous flavor profile…nd not be weighed down by pepper. Leather shows up at the beginning of the second third. I know I say this much too often, but this is a cigar I don’t want to end. I am savoring every nuance the cigar presents. I highly suggest you smoke this cigar alone, some music, and a nice libation. No distractions. Otherwise, you are going to miss the finesse this cigar brings to the table.

And now the creaminess arrives. It is subtle. Very subtle. The cigar has hit the apogee of its wonderful balance.

The cinnamon is emboldened that reminds of the flavor of those cinnamon toothpicks we used to buy as kids, for a nickel. That’s the best I can do to describe how the cinnamon spiciness note.

The cigar is halfway through the second third and it is just a delight. So far, the strength is still medium. Next time I find a hundred dollar bill on the street, I am buying a bunch of these. Don’t get me wrong, for me, this is an expensive cigar. But it is one of the few cigars at this price point that is worth every nickel. This is a smoking experience.

No new flavors have emerged as the second third nears the end. The flavor profile does not need anything new. It has fulfilled the spectrum of what’s best in a cigar. I am positive that giving the cigar a few months rest really brought out the best in it.
I am at the halfway point. The char line has worked out its problems on its own.

My wife is sitting in the living room while I write and asks me what I am smoking. She rarely does this. But apparently, the aroma fills the room with that natural sweetness.

The finish is very long. Lip smacking good. I can’t say enough on how smooth this stick is.
I will review the Chisel version of the Oro tomorrow. Can’t wait.

The cigar makes no dramatic changes. It seems to have found its summit and is content to stay there. I really don’t know where else it could go.
Considering how big a cigar this is, I am very surprised how flavorful it is. It is very much like a smaller sized stick where flavors tend to be more intense.

Again, the sweetness really dominates the profile. I won’t bother to type all the flavors intermingling with each other because it is an ever changing carousel of flavors.

The sweetness finds a caramel component. It tastes like the finest caramelized dessert.
The last third begins with the strength still at medium. I assume the last third is going to kick my ass because, after all, this is an LFD. The epitome of a strong cigar line.

The cigar band is very classy. The shiny black and gold are seductive.

The spiciness has not changed an iota from the start of the cigar. I would have expected a much bigger dose of it. It’s taken me over an hour to get to this last third.

The last third sees the strength coming to full bodied. Yes, it is beginning to kick my ass. I have all the symptoms of the nicotine; blurry vision and shaky hands. I know..I’m a wuss.

The cigar keeps getting stronger and stronger. I don’t know if I can finish it. I have about an inch and half to go.
The flavors just explode during this last part of the cigar. This was a totally enjoyable ride. It took 2 hours to finish.

And now for something completely different:
The Eddie Munster Chronicles 1983

The record label, Rocshire Records, sent us on a PR tour across America. They insisted I go along to babysit. Why? Butch loved to drink and the appointments that were made with TV shows and radio stations were not to be missed.

We were somewhere in the Midwest. I can’t remember where. There was a TV show along the lines of B horror movies with an over the top host. This guy dressed like a ghoul. And his show had been around for some time.

We did the show, which was taped for later broadcast, and Butch was very professional.

After the taping completed, the host, invited us to his annual Halloween party at his house. We agreed to go.

This guy’s house looked like the house in the movie, “Psycho.” It was a scary looking house.

The place was packed with his friends. And a lot of drugs were being passed around; specifically, coke.

The host did more cocaine than any living person I had ever met. I’m talking about heart attack amounts. Butch was in hog heaven and denied himself nothing. Plus he was drinking heavily.

We had been there for about three hours and I was tired. I suggested to Butch that we make our good-byes and split. We had a radio show to do in the morning.

Butch told me no. He wasn’t going anywhere. Now with all that free flowing nose candy.

We argued. But when Butch was high as a kite, it was impossible to get through to him.

I told the show’s host that we had to go and he begged us to stay. I told him about the radio show and with all the coke in Butch’s system, it would take hours for him to settle down and go to sleep. This guy was certifiably nuts.

I got so aggravated that I told Butch I was leaving with or without him. I left alone. He had his own door key for the hotel room.

Around 5am, he crawled in. He went right to bed and was snoring in 5 minutes. We were scheduled to be at the radio station at 9am. They were sending a car.
I couldn’t get Butch up. I took the ice bucket and filled it with a combo of ice and water and threw it on him. He almost hit the ceiling.

I got him in the shower and dressed. I tried to get him to eat but Butch was one of those people that didn’t like to eat. I did manage to get some coffee into him.

The radio show was a disaster. Butch was still drunk and high. He mumbled his words…and slurred them as well.

Butch took phone calls from listeners. He made a complete ass of himself. The program director was livid. He told me we would never be invited back. The interview was cut short and I dragged him to the car. We were driven back to the hotel.

I never said a word about this to our PR agent or the record company. We were on the road for an entire week and this type of event repeated itself over and over.

I eventually had enough. Butch was lying drunk on a hotel room floor and we missed a radio show.

I threw his airplane ticket, and a $20 bill on his chest, packed my bags, and headed for the airport on my own.

I was angry the whole ride back to So Cal. And when I returned, both the record company and PR agent found out about his behavior because everyone called them to complain. They were furious with me.
More later….

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS