September 7th, 2008 - Edmonds, WA
In attendance were Fernand, John, Pat, Tom, Peter, and Bruce. As usual, we gathered to enjoy a good cigar and give our opinion on it by holding a 'group tasting' following dinner.
The six of us devoured every last morsel of Pat’s home-made lasagna (heavy on the meat). Combined with salad and garlic bread, it was a meal just begging for a good after-dinner stogie. Once everyone had their fill, it was time for the tasting session. Beverages included beer, Syrah, Cognac, port, and Scotch.
Our selection for this Herf was the
LA FLOR DOMINICANA LIGERO OSCURO L-250. A dark looking, sweet smelling robusto measuring 4 3/4 inches long with a ring guage of 48. This La Flor was Cigar of the Week back on
August 18th which received a
90 from Cigar Aficionado's expert tasting panel.
Following
CA's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) we began the tasting. This proved to be a very well-liked cigar among our group of tasters.
After averaging our scores,
The Cohiba Club's official rating for the La Flor Dominicana L-250 robusto is
89. An excellent cigar.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction:
13 pts (87% of the points possible)
II. Flavor:
22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics:
22 pts (88% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression:
32 pts (91% of the points possible)
With a dark, seductive-looking wrapper that gave off a sweet, rich smell, the anticipation was instant and unanimous. The wrappers may have been a little rough looking, but the roll quality was firm and uniform across the group of our samples.
These cigars drew perfectly. Everyone commented how it was just the way they liked it. Ample amounts of smooth smoke were produced and the ashes were quite stable. The burn was very even, for the most part, just wavering a bit (and requiring a couple re-lights) toward the end.
The flavor was tasty right away, sweet and rich, with a great balance of gentle spice and a background strength that came and went as we progressed. Though the label reads Ligero, we were all pleasantly surprised how smooth and easy smokin’ these cigars were. No one complained of excessive strength and most of these got pretty short, capping off a beautiful September evening.
All in all, a very enjoyable cigar which we highly recommend.
See you at the next herf, October 5th.
The Occidental Cigar Club
