La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 | Cigar Review

By The Katman on May 27, 2015 • ( 1 )

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 5.5 x 52 “Robusto Extra”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $9.00
Number of Cigars Smoked Prior to Review: 0
Accompanying Libation: Water

Today we take a look at the new La Flor Dominicana TAA 47.
I would like to thank Vanessa, at La Flor Dominicana, for sending samples to me.

BACKGROUND:
The 2015 Tobacconists Association of America has successfully provided cigars to 82 retail members.
La Flor Dominicana allowed the TAA to determine what size of cigar they preferred.
LFD offered up the following: 5.5 x 52 Robusto, 6 x 60 Gordo, and a 6.5 x 54 box-pressed torpedo. Samples were sent to the TAA convention last month.
La Flor Dominicana has committed to provide TAA blends in the coming years.
The cigars were produced at Tabacalera La Flor S.A.

DESCRIPTION:
I’ve got three sticks and all very nice looking. Invisible seams. Few veins. Strangely, each one has a tree trunk sized vein that starts at the cap and runs down the entire length of the cigar.
The wrapper is a semi-oily chocolate brown. The triple caps are expertly applied.
There are double cigar bands. The main band simply says LFD. The secondary band says 47th TAA with the TAA logo.

AROMA AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
The shaft reeks of dark chocolate, spice, fruit, floral notes, nuts, and creamy.
The clipped cap and foot give out aromas of strong barnyard, chocolate, and leather.
The cold draw is very spicy, with elements of salt, chocolate, warm bread and a dollop of generic steak sauce.

FIRST THIRD:
First off, the draw is excellent. Second, the flavor profile jumps to it. A list of flavors emerges: Extremely strong spice, chocolate, steak sauce, nuts, salt, sweetness, and warm yeasty bread.
This is a meaty, manly cigar from the start. Big flavors. Big impact on the palate. It’s sort of taken me aback. I wasn’t expecting this as I couldn’t find any reviews of the cigar. And I don’t know anyone that has smoked one and reported his findings.

And to prove what a schmuck I am, I go back to Google and discover three reviews from the A Listers. You know who I mean. It appears there is not a consensus on what the binder is. I agree with two of the reviewers but the third says it is a Mexican San Andreas.
This is a real pet peeve of mine. The Mexican area is spelled San Andrés..NOT Andreas. That’s a fault line in California. Even cigar catalogs and articles get it wrong all the time. Anyway, it isn’t Mexican San Andrés. It is Nicaraguan. Even the press release, posted here, says it is Nicaraguan. Cigar Aficionado reports it incorrectly so I assume that the third reviewer used that as a reference.

Back to the fun part….The La Flor Dominicana TAA 47. The sweetness, salt, chocolate, nuts, and now raisins work as a team as the cigar finds its complexity. The steak sauce component is replaced by raisins, a touch of vinegar, and molasses. Close, but no cigar.
The char line is doing just fine.

SECOND THIRD:
Creaminess finally shows up. And reinforces the sweetness. With the saltiness, it reminds me of buying chocolate salt water taffy down at the Nu-Pike in downtown Long Beach, CA. It was a small cart with the taffy tumbling over and over without end. Damn. It was good.

Strength is a tick over medium body.
Coffee also makes its debut. Creaminess also accentuates this flavor.
The cigar blend takes off.

The sun comes out. Glorious as the last few days were nothing but dreary and rain filled. Thank the Cosmic Muffin it was nothing like Texas. But we did get some minor flooding in our basement.

The La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 is well rounded now. Damn near perfect. The other reviewers give this a decent rating. But I would rate it higher. Sometimes I think the A List reviewers are jaded. They get to smoke the best cigars on the planet. People are in line to get them to review their cigars. So their bar is set pretty high. I find a little bit of that in myself. But nothing like them.

Even before the halfway point shows up, I would rate this cigar higher than they did.
With each puff, the flavors keep on getting stronger, more potent, more defined, and wonderful.
The La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 will definitely go into “The Katman’s Best 170 Boutique Brands/Blends in the $6-$9.50+ Range.”

LFD has taken a near Nic puro and really put it in a head lock. None of the stereotypical Nic puro flavors are aggressive or attack the palate. The spice, chocolate, creaminess, coffee, and nuts are intertwined perfectly. Not the usual Nic blend. But what really takes the cake is the sweetness and raisins.
And the sun goes away. Natch.

The chocolate becomes chocolate milk.
The La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 is a very sophisticated cigar. Experienced palates will love it.

As the strength remains at just a smidge over medium body, even newbies should give it a try. Great way to train the palate.
Construction is spot on. The ash is tough mother. The char line hasn’t required a single touch up.

HALFWAY POINT:
Smoke time has been a delicious 40 minutes.
Here they are once again: Spice, chocolate, raisins, creaminess, sweetness, nuts, salt, and earthiness.
The creaminess morphs due to an added flavor of graham cracker to cheese cake.
The spiciness begins to dissipate.

What a treat and I have one more to smoke. Woo Hoo.
I’m smacking my lips like a cow chewing its cud. The flavors are friggin nuts!

I do believe some online stores carry them. And of course, any retailer that is a member of the TAA will have them in their B & M’s. I went to the TAA web site but in order to check things out, you must become a member.
But I found a way around the membership and there is a Retail Member Directory (Public) with all of the retailers. All 82. I found two in Wisconsin. One in Germantown which is a bit of a drive and another one that is a helluva drive. The one in Chicago is closer. Just like Cuba and Florida, Milwaukee is 90 miles from Chicago. A 90 minute drive.

LAST THIRD:
Strength hits full body.
Again, this is one helluva treat. LFD scored one for the team.
I am blown away by the flavor profile. There is no let up. The intensity keeps getting stronger with each puff. Even the steak sauce has returned.

Smoke time has been an hour and 10 minutes.
I’ve slowed down. Not just because of the newly added nicotine bomb. But this is a cigar to be savored.
You gotta get your hands on the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47. Really.

If I had the dough, I’d buy a box of the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47. And then hide it from everyone I know. Scrooge McDuck.
Final smoke time is one hour and 25 minutes.

PRICE POINT:
While everyone else is charging a fortune for new blends, LFD has their feet planted squarely on planet Earth. This is an extremely complex and sophisticated cigar. $9.00 is nothing for this blend. If they had come out and charged $14, I would have pissed and moaned about it but compared to other blends out there in that expensive price range, the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 would be worth it.

SUMMATION:
La Flor Dominicana sets the bar high.
Cigar Aficionado calls Litto Gomez “..Arguably the most innovative mind in the cigar business.” I have no quarrel with that statement.
I found something interesting about Litto: “Gomez, a jeweler-turned-cigar maker started the business after his jewelry store in Miami was robbed by armed men at gunpoint of about $400,000 worth of jewelry.”
According to Wikipedia: “The brand was first known as Los Libertadores and according to Gomez, it took him 15 to 20 years to refine his cigar making process and bring the brand to where it is today. The name of the brand was inspired by the flower of the tobacco plant which signifies that the growing cycle is complete and the plant is ready for reproduction.” Interesting, huh?
The La Flor Dominicana TAA 47 settles in for the finale. No harshness. No heat. No bitterness. A totally enjoyable cigar blend.
I highly recommend the La Flor Dominicana TAA 47.