Cigar Watch

Cigar Brand? La Flor Dominica

Size Name? Culebra

Length/Ring Gauge? 6 ½ x 30 ring

Purchase Date? 5/20/2008

Box or Individual? Boxed

Smoking Date? 6/17/2008

Packaging? Boxed and bound

Price (Per Cigar or Box)? $18.00 for 3

Where Purchased? Old Virginia

Country Where Made: Dominican Rep.

Meal/Beverage: Pizza and beer

Overall Appearance and Presentation of Cigar (Max. 20 Points) (18 of 20)

Wrapper Color? (4 of 4) A delightfully smooth wrapper

Consistent Color Within Box? (2 of 2) Very even color in all three sticks

Oily/Dry? (1 of 2) Lightly oily

Veiny/Smooth? (4 of 5) Smooth

Cap Construction? (1 of 1) End twist

Packaging? (2 of 2) Very nice indeed

Ease of Cutting? (2 of 2) Easy, perfect

Construction (Soft, Hard)? (1 of 2) Soft

Lighting and Burning Properties (Max. 15 Points) (14 of 15)

Even Initial Light? (1 of 1) Very easy initial light

Even Burn? (9 of 11)

Very nice even burn

Resting Smoke (light & even, smoldering)?

(1 of 1) Light and aromatic

Burn Rate (fast, perfect, slow)? (1 of 1) Medium burn rate

Ash (Solid, Black, White and Crumbly)?

Light white ash that held together nicely

Require Re-Lighting? (1 of 1) Never

Construction (Max. 30 Points) (26 of 30)

Draw (23 of 27) Very easy draw - a light and easy smoke

Wrapper Stays Intact? (3 of 3) Yes - nicely rolled

Taste (Max. 35 Points) (30 of 35)

Light, Medium, Full-Bodied? Medium-mild, very enjoyable - more than I had expected

Bitter, Harsh, Smooth? Smooth from the beginning to end

Sweet/Salty? Neither

Bland, Vegetal, Spicy, Peppery? A nice aromatic flavor - vegetal with hints of pepper and spice

Describe Any Changes in Body or Flavor: I’ll admit to having been apprehensive about this smoke - or properly smokes. I am a big fan of Litto Gomez and the La Flor Dominica line. This was something different. But I was pleasantly surprised. The flavor starts out light and airy - with a wonderful aroma that stays with you even after you put it out. The intensity builds slightly but not to anything approaching full-bodied.

Aroma (Rich and Smooth and Acrid)?

Smooth and nicely rich

Finish? This smoke stays with you long after you put it out - a very nice finish/

Comments: The shape is different - three stocks woven together and bound - and the ring gauge is small. I expected the cigar to smoke hot. That was very far from the case. It is a very pleasant 15 minute smoke with some interesting and enjoyable back-tastes. You may not want to put a lot of them in your humidor - but one or two for when you get the urge for something different would be a good idea. My taste is still for the Ligero line - but a Culebra now and then will always be in the cards.

Total Score / Grade: 88