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La Flor Dominicana Reserva Especial

webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
There's a difference between mild and weak. The opposite of mild is harsh. The opposite of weak is flavorful. Therefore, a flavor may be mild and flavorful, mild and weak, harsh and flavorful, harsh and weak. We may illustrate this didactic doodah with examples: Cafe con leche is mild yet flavorful. The espresso which makes up the first half of it is harsh and flavorful. McCoffee on the other hand is weak and harsh, while Dunkin coffee is weak and mild.

Not to the cigar:
La Flor Dominicana Reserva Especial is mild and weak.

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A 5 1/2" x 52 toro with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper which appears to have been painted brown with tobacco juice. This wrapper tastes bitter and has a sting, with a leather aftertaste. The foot smells like barn. It has an impeccable construction, perfectly round head, tight throughout, seamlessly wrapped. Uncaps easily. The unlit draw is like new leather shoes.

One match toasted the foot and she lit right up. There's a spice in it, but too weak to identify. Weak spice, some bitter pepper, and the new shoe leather. That stogie flavor typified by PA or CT broadleaf "natural" wrapped cigars ... that's the best analogy I have come up with yet to describe it, is new leather shoes. But I have been actively hunting for a better description. In this case, all flavors were muted. Plenty of smoke volume but meager flavor in it. Needs more spice, more leather, more something.

The smoke rose rapidly, both at first and throughout. Thick smoke rising makes for good smoke rings. The burn was slow, patient, and razor sharp. Light grey ash hung tight an inch and a quarter at a time. The Dominican Flower died an inch and a quarter in. Lit back up just fine. Still weak.

Just not enough flavor. I know I've burnt an LFD before and I recall being impressed; but which one it was I can't say, because that was before I started keeping notes. Cannot have been this one, I tell you.

Meager stink finger, furry morning mouth which after brushing was too weak to stand up cafe con leche, no wheeze.

Two stars out of five.

“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)


Comments

  • VisionVision Posts: 7,764 ✭✭✭✭✭
    o_O ?
  • RainRain Posts: 8,958 ✭✭✭
    Vision:
    o_O ?
    Trollin' ;)
  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Always enjoy your write-ups, Davis. Your analogies are spot on too.

    Haven't had this one yet but the Air Bender and Double Ligero are reliable smokes IMO. Have you had any of their other smokes?
    I've been meaning to try more of the LFD & LG lines, might move this one towards the bottom of the "to try" list

    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I put "la flor dominicana reserva especial review" into Google. Here's my first three hits:

    Stogieguys
    "On the whole, this is a superior cigar with a lot to offer. The only drawback is that its flavors aren’t as strong as advertised."

    Stogiereview
    "The flavors were pleasant, but just not as bold as I prefer."

    Stogiegeeks
    "The flavor profile was not very balanced however. Lot’s of pepper dominated the other flavors during the first two thirds"

    So, no, not trolling; and in this rare instance not just me either. Two out of the three thought it weak as well. The third guy, Doctor Pepper, I don't get him at all. Not much pepper to it.

    I'm sure I have a different flavor LFD in the box. I'll dig it out. Prolly plenty flavor.

    “It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)


  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    webmost:
    I'm sure I have a different flavor LFD in the box. I'll dig it out. Prolly plenty flavor.

    Bummer on the "dud" blend then ....

    Every manufacturer has some like that .....(I'm looking at you Tatuaje Ambos Mundos) ..... oh well, what you gonna do.

    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • Gray4linesGray4lines Posts: 4,691 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Surprising, as every LFD ive had has been strong and packed with flavor. Havent had this one though!! Thanks for the review
    LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
  • blurrblurr Posts: 962 ✭✭
    First review I've read calling an LFD "weak" and "mild". No comment beyond that, and it being a 2 star cigar. Morning mouth, ok, wheeze? Really? Are you inhaling your cigar? Smoking a few times a week I don't get wheeze like a long time unfiltered cigarette smoker. No wheeze, taste is foremost.
  • BigshizzaBigshizza Posts: 15,644 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Haven't had this particular one but love Air Bender, Double ligero especially in the chisel..you need to try the Mysterio... That one is right for that special angry time!!
  • RainRain Posts: 8,958 ✭✭✭
    Webby, If you just take a nice picture, say you tasted leather and wood...you'll be good.
  • webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Rain:
    Webby, If you just take a nice picture, say you tasted leather and wood...you'll be good.
    Well I think I pissed Blurr off. But I think he's right. After further thought, I think I way over-reacted to weak flavor and rated the thing way too low. I ought to have gone three or even three and a half stars. After all, construction, appearance, burn, etc. all were quite excellent. I just felt let down by the thing and took it out in stars. That's not right. There's more to a stick than flavor.

    Which is also why Blurr is wrong. If he says "...taste is foremost," then lack of it ought to swing a big bat.

    I am mooting a separate post about wheeze, stink finger, and morning mouth, because I do consider these to be all very important factors in a rating as well. I'll get on that now.

    “It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)


  • RainRain Posts: 8,958 ✭✭✭
    Hmmm, in my own rating scheme everything is equal, 1 to 5 stars...perfect score is 35. But then, that is true...flavor is the most important thing. At least to me. It could look bad, smell horrid...but if the taste is good, I'd overlook those things. Food for thought.Edit - I think I'll keep it the way it is. Cigars, for me, are an experience....and a crappy band and horrid smell ruins the experience.
  • pelirrojopelirrojo Posts: 1,757 ✭✭✭
    On the other end of the scale, I had a cigar recently that tasted great but burned poorly, went out a few times and was too much work to keep it burning correctly. I pitched it in the dirt and think I would have given it a poor rating based on the burn. However, it could have been a humidity issue now that I think about it. Everybody has their own way of forming an opinion about a cigar. That's the beauty of it.
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Posts: 7,347 ✭✭✭
    Eh, I like a lot of LFD cigars but some I just don't. Not every cigar is going to rock. I sort of feel the same with you on this stick. I wasn't too impressed either. Personally nothing they make is better than the ligero and double ligero's. The chisel maduro is damn good as well.
  • webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Rain:
    Hmmm, in my own rating scheme everything is equal, 1 to 5 stars...perfect score is 35. But then, that is true...flavor is the most important thing. At least to me. It could look bad, smell horrid...but if the taste is good, I'd overlook those things. Food for thought.Edit - I think I'll keep it the way it is. Cigars, for me, are an experience....and a crappy band and horrid smell ruins the experience.
    I use an app on my pocket puter called RateMyCigar. It employs a clumsy five stars by halves system; which is essentially a one thru ten system. I spose I could divide into categories... but then I am sure I would give each category a different weight, and then I'd want to switch the weights around. For instance, haven't you had a cigar that smelled so delectable and looked so fine that you walked round the garage a quarter hour just admiring before you lit it? Yet haven't you burnt others where the whole deal was the smoke?

    I dunno. It's all quantum to me. When I find the perfect method I'll let you know.

    “It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)


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