Tag Archives: La Flor Dominicana

by | June 4, 2023 · 9:40 am

Smoking Some Tobacco Plaza Ltd. 50th Anniversary Cigars

I was talking to Danny Ditkowich of Tobacco Plaza in Great Neck, NY recently and the subject of the store’s 50th Anniversary and the special cigars that accompanied it came up. So I decided to smoke some and highlight them here.  I’ll get it out of the way, the links I put in this post will go to the store’s website, where you could purchase each of these cigars. Danny mentioned that the Tatuaje (along with the Tuxtla series) are 10% off while supplies last, and there’s free shipping fo the month of June.  All that out of the way, let’s talk about these three tasty cigars!  The first one I smoked was the Tatuaje TP DD 50th Exclusive.  If I recall, Danny worked with Pete on a DD for the 40th anniversary, and it was 6″x 58 torpedo, this one is a 6″ x 60 torpedo, with a beautiful Broadleaf wrapper, over Nicaraguan fillers and binder, rolled at the My Father factory. The original was based on the Fausto blend, and I’m not sure if this one is too, but it’s a pretty strong cigar!  It’s loaded with the coffee and spice that I enjoy, and it was a really great cigar. I may smoke another one today!  If you’re a fan of the Tatuaje Broadleaf, or Tatuaje cigars in general, this would be a great one to try.  Not a cheap date, but what is anymore?

 

I took a relatively early walk yesterday after doing a bee inspection with my wife, planting a tree and doing some trimming, all before 10am for some reason.  So I grabbed the Tobacco Plaza 50th Anniversary Quesada Keg.  I don’t think I ever had the original Keg, as I am not immediately drawn to things drink related, so I can’t compare.  This is another 6″ x 60, and if it’s just a size variation, it has a Dominican Corojo seed wrapper, with Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.  It’s presented in a 15 count box as opposed to a barrel. This is another cigar that I enjoyed quite a bit.  It had an interesting bready flavor, kind of a dark bread and it was on the medium bodied side. I know Danny has had a great relationship with Quesada as they make the Oceano brand in the La Sirena portfolio, another cigar I really enjoy.

 

The third and final cigar in Tobacco Plaza’s 50th anniversary series is the TPLFD Magnum Chisel Maduro.  This cigar is listed as 6″ x 58 box pressed, but it’s really 6½”. The chisel shape is cool, and one of the only, if not THE only, shape that’s legally protected by a patent. This is has a maduro wrapper, with the Tobacco Plaza logo applied to the cigar in a lighter leaf.  LFD has made a bit of a name for themselves with these artistic embellishments, I have one from the Ybor festival with a Rooster, and one from a dinner that Tobacco Plaza hosted in 2021 with an Iced Tea glass.  They are quite neat and must take a lot of effort to produce. Someone has to make a “cookie cutter” apparatus to punch the design out of a leaf.  It’s impressive. The cigar is impressive as well, it’s a great tasting smoke. I’ve been enjoying afternoons on my porch watching TV, the last few Saturday’s it’s been an Amazon show called “Clarkson’s Farm”, with Jeremy Clarkson, formerly of the British Top Gear and Amazon’s The Grand Tour (also hysterical).  This Magnum Chisel got me through the last two episodes, set aside 2 hours for this one.  It was rich with cocoa and spice.  Another winner.  I have to get up to Great Neck some time to visit Tobacco Plaza. 

 

That’s all I got for this week, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | October 23, 2022 · 9:48 am

La Flor Dominicana Solis, Gurkha Pure Evil and Founders Roosevelt Cigars

I smoked a few PCA show samples this week, some I was looking forward to, some not so much, maybe.  The first was the La Flor Dominicana Solis, the first cigar blended by Litto Gomez, Jr., who is in his early 20’s.  This 6½ x 50 cigar is a companion, of sorts, to the La Nox line, which his older brother, Tony, created a few years ago. La Nox = night, Solis = sun, or day.  Nice idea, same size cigars that are on the opposite ends of the flavor spectrum.  The Solis has a Sungrown Habano wrapper, Sumatra Binder, and a blend of Dominican tobaccos from La Flor Dominicana’s farm.  This cigar has nice, bright flavors and a sweet spice.  Much like the La Nox, I really enjoyed this cigar, it was well balanced and a really beautiful smoke. Thanks to Jon Carney for this cigar, easily the best cigar I smoked all week, and tied with the Cuevas Sangre Nueva for the best from the PCA show, interesting that both cigars were blended by young guys. 

 

I was listening to a podcast recently, and the host made some comments that surprised me. I listen to a lot of podcasts, and it riles me up when some mis-information is spewed. This particular one is kinda low in my rotation, I listen when I run out of other stuff, mostly for this reason, there always seems to be some erroneous information passed on be the host as fact.  In this instance, the host was saying how terrible the Guy Fieri Knuckle Buster was, and how it was made by Espinosa, which used to be Torańo.  He finally realized that the Knuckle Buster was a Punch (although I think he said it was a CAO), and Guy Fieri’s cigar was the Knuckle Sandwich.  If the listener is in the know,  the host sounds foolish, if the listener doesn’t know any better, this could, potentially, damage a brand.  I find that sort of thing irritating!

 

Also irritating is the name of the next cigar, the Gurkha Pure Evil.  I know hat Gurkha has an “Evil” in the line, and I guess this is an extension of that, but when tobacco is in the crosshairs of the government, perhaps helping them out by calling a cigar “Pure Evil” isn’t the best idea.  I was given a handful of samples at the Gurkha booth at the PCA show, and, so far, this is the only one I’ve smoked that’s worth writing about.  Name aside, this was a very good cigar. It was a 6″ x 54 Toro and has a Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers.  It starts boldly, with a strong pepper flavor, and mellows slightly throughout the smoke. Burn and draw were perfect, and it was a very satisfying cigar.  I’m sure there’s people who think it’s a cool name, however I still don’t think we need to give the people who already think tobacco is “pure evil” any ammunition. Good cigar, unfortunate name.

 

Yesterday  I smoked a Founders Cigar Co. Roosevelt robusto.  This is a very new company, dating way back to 2020!  They are veteran owned, and the theme of the line is prominent individuals in US history.  They are based in Minnesota, and I was racking my brain trying to remember who introduced me to them at the show, and the Minnesota thing connects some dots for me. I need to start writing everything down!  So this Roosevelt is the maduro in the portfolio (the Franklin is the Connecticut, the Douglas is the Habano and the Signature, with George Washington’s profile on the band, is a barber pole).  It has an Ecuador Maduro wrapper, Ecuador binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.  I dislike blend descriptions like this, the only have the country of origin of the leaf, not the varietal. I’m sure the ambiguity is a FDA, CYA thing.  I was expecting a routine maduro experience, some dark coffee and cocoa.  I was surprised by the uniqueness of the flavor, it had a savory, mouth coating flavor.  You know how licorice can be a bit cloying to the palate?  This was a little bit that way, but without the anise flavor.  I liked this cigar a lot. They seem to sell direct, and I’m not sure if they got in brick and mortar shops as a result of being at the show (why else be there?), but the cigars are good.  

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

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by | May 30, 2021 · 11:18 am

Black Lion Luxuries Cigar of the Month Club for April

Greetings from the coldest and rainiest Memorial Day weekend in my memory, perhaps in anyone’s in my area! I wanted to re-enclose my porch yesterday and get the propane heater out again, it was that uncomfortable. I suppose we can be a little uncomfortable as we remember what this holiday is about. I recently read something that brings the times we are living in into perspective. As people lament the “tragedy” of their high school seniors missing out due to the pandemic, look back 50 years and consider that many highschool “boys” were heading to Vietnam many never to return, and those who did return weren’t received well. Something to think about as we “celebrate” this weekend. On a lighter note, I am still catching up on the Black Lion Luxuries Cigar of the Month Club offerings. This week I smoked through the April pack. Once again, Ron and James have done a great job of selecting four nice cigars at a great value. Once again, I’m not going to give a paragraph to each cigar, but I am going to hit some highlights!

 

Since I had been heavy on La Flor Domincana already this week, it seemed only right to lead with the LFD 1994 Rumba. Honestly, this may be one of my favorites in the LFD range. I love the 6½” x 52 size, and the San Andrés wrapper over the La Canela DR fillers and binder make for a really nice smoke. It’s got great flavor but isn’t so strong as to be bothersome. This was the only cigar in the pack with which I had any prior experience. I’m sure nobody remembers, but my final post of the year listed my top ten cigars I hadn’t smoked last year. The Plasencia Alma Fuerte Sixto II marks the third one I’ve managed to tick off the list so far. This is an amazing cigar, so much so that I am actually tempted to go ahead spend the $21 on another one or two to smoke it again. Let’s forget the kitsch of the hexagonal press, which is pretty cool, that’s not what I like about it, nor does the 60 ring gauge impress me, although it doesn’t bother me in the least. This is just a damned delicious cigar. Let’s do a quick look at the financial impact: the COTM is $30 (+ shipping), the LFD is a $9 cigar and the Sixto is $21, and there are still two $8+ cigars left. see where I’m going here?

 

I smoked the last two cigars yesterday, like I said, the weather is atypical for the end of May. It was rainy and in the 40s. I was bundled on my screen porch with the La Galera Connecticut Tubo listening to some Podcasts. I find my friend Kaplowitz to be entertaining. I honestly can’t remember if I’ve smoked anything from La Galera before, I know I haven’t smoked the Connecticut, maybe I’ve smoked something but I don’t think so, which is actually pretty unusual. I just don’t know where I would have gotten one. This is one of the values of a COTMC such as this, the ability to not only try cigars that you don’t have access to, but also ones you might not pick out on your own. Like the Sixto, I am hard pressed to pry my wallet open that far for a cigar myself, and in the case of this La Galera, I don’t generally buy Connecticuts for myself. But, I do smoke  them when presented with the opportunity, and this was a good one! It has flavor and body and it was well made. If I had one nit to pick it would be that when I took the band off it lifted a large piece of wrapper off with it, but that was a small annoyance, and it I listened to Zino Davidoff (who is, no doubt, rolling in his grave over the treatment done to the brand with his first name on it), I would have been done with the cigar prior to reaching that point.  Good cigar. Finally, another cigar that I hadn’t tried before, the Warped Corto, a 4½” x 46 cigar that was ideal considering the weather conditions. Had it been a warm evening I would have wanted something longer, but this worked out well. This cigar is made at the TABSA (Aganorsa) factory, and is a hot little number. It starts with a blast of pepper and is rich and satisfying. I’m quite happy I had a chance to try this little guy. The only Warped cigar I’ve smoked is the Guardian of the Farm, once again, this isn’t a brand I regularly see around here. The April pack, like March’s, was excellent! 

 

Please take a moment to check out two new advertising partners on the right side, Blackbird Cigar Co. and Ortega Cigar Co. My advertising policy has always been to only display ads for companies whose products I like, and for people I like, and these two are no different. Heck, I’ve known Eddie Ortega for ten years I think! Point is, if you see the link on my page, you can trust the company as I do, they carry my seal of approval!  Anyway, my gratitude to those who’ve served, and those who’ve lost in service to their country. Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | May 26, 2021 · 9:05 pm

A Night Under The Stars with La Flor Dominicana Cigars and Tobacco Plaza

Last night we went up to Roslyn, NY on Long Island to the Swan Club for a cigar dinner put on by Tobacco Plaza in Great Neck.  The evening featured a meal cooked by Jonathan Carney, VP of sales of La Flor Dominicana, and one of the guys behind the Hacking Gourmet Series, who sponsored the event.  I suppose it’s valid to question how someone from Southeast PA ends up at a cigar dinner in Long Island. Well, of course, I’ve known Jon Carney for a long time, and he was kind enough to invite us when I was on the Smokin’ Tabacco show a few months ago. I also know Danny Ditknowitch, co-owner of Tobacco Plaza, as he is also a partner in the La Sirena brand, which has been a great supporter over the last several years, and remains one of my favorite brands. Another reason my wife and I went was that in person cigar events have been few and far between, and it was nice to get out, so it was worth the 3+ hour drive with the rush hour traffic around New Your City (unfortunate planning on my part). This was a very cool event, combining Mr. Carney’s Gourmet Smoke Sessions events with a cigar dinner. The event site, the Swan Club, was a beautiful spot, located on a harbor off of Hampstead Bay. There were 100 or so people there, I didn’t count, but Danny said that they were all customers of Tobacco Plaza. Everyone received La Flor Dominicana cigars and a lighter, and one of the cigars was an event only cigar called the Long Island Iced Tea, which had an iced tea glass in tobacco leaf applied to it. It’s hard to photograph, due to the curve of the cigar. I smoked one, and I found it to be very mild, perhaps I was expecting something different. It seemed to have more flavor on the retrohale. Perhaps I’ll let a second one rest a while and try again.

 

The food was amazing. I appreciated the fact that the menu was fairly simple as I’m not an adventurous eater (that’s a euphemism, I’m a picky eater). There were two Penne pastas, I had the one with the scallops, it was good, and the shrimp were also good. I skipped the chicken, although my wife enjoyed hers, and we both agreed that the filet mignon was amazing. There was also an open bar, which matters not to those of us who don’t drink. The coffee was good though, and I needed some of that for the ride home! I finished the night with a tasty LFD Double Ligero No 600. This cigar got me to the highway, but there’s challenges to driving a manual car in the dark, while trying to navigate unfamiliar roads and merge New York City traffic.  It ends up being more trouble than it’s worth. Fortunately it was about finished when I dropped it in the mobile Stinky ashcan. It was a good night, we met some nice folks, smoked some good cigars and had some great food. It was nice catching up with Jon and Danny too. I didn’t even miss wearing a mask, and I’ve been to events where the staff wore masks over the last 20-some years, so that didn’t phase me! Many thanks to Jon for the invite.

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

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by | October 21, 2018 · 10:32 am

A Bunch of Cigars, Another La Flor Dominicana Event, and a Joya Contest Extension

I’ve been a slug this week. I literally had to look at Instagram to recall what cigars I smoked.  One reason is because I still have a little bit of a cold, so I’m hesitant to smoke anything new or noteworthy, and another is my preoccupation with my search for a day job.  The latter seems to have taken a positive turn just in the nick of time, and I hope to be smoking something special in celebration in the near future, once this annoying sinus funk releases its grasp on me. So looking back through my IG feed, I did rather enjoy a Hoyo La Amistad Gold Robusto, which is 5″ x 54. This was one of the first big brand AJ Fernandez colabs, and continues to be a fantastic smoke. Of the three in the series, Gold, Silver and Black, oddly I think it’s my favorite (you’d expect the Black to be, and I love the Black, I find it very close to the Punch Diablo though, with the main difference being the binder – Broadleaf on the Diablo and San Andrés on the Black). Even with palate impairment, the rich, sweet flavors are quite enjoyable, a main reason I reached for this cigar.

 

In an effort to further promote the Joya contest that’s currently in progress, which I’m going to extend , by the way, I smoked a Joya Silver Toro again. I am going to give it another week because I want to get some more entries, and more exposure for Joya de Nicaragua and the Wooden Indian, especially their new online store!  I even posted on a Facebook group which always brags about their 30,000 members, and I got 3 entries (thanks!, I do appreciate them!). 10% would have been overwhelming, right?, but 3? Anyway, the Joya Silver Toro happened to be right on top of the humidor too, so it was a lazy selection, and I really love that cigar. I can the Cinco Decadas El General being on deck as one of the afore-mentioned celebration cigars coming up, and it shares some traits with the Silver. The Silver is a great medium bodied smoke with a great price.

 

An old friend stopped by this week and I shared a favorite cigar with him, Cornelius and Anthony Señor Esugars. Due to time constraints, and my inventory limitations, he had the robusto and I gad the Corona Gorda. This is a friend I’ve known since early in High School, we played drums together in band, and, to my delight, he loves cigars. I’ve observed the cigars he tends to likes and decided that the Señor Esugars would be a good fit for him, and I wanted to smoke one anyway, so it was a win-win. In the C&A line, I always seem to gravitate to the Toro, but I can’t complain about any vitola in this particular marque. As always, the San Andrés wrapper has that sweet, rich, earthy flavor I love. It’s great catching up with an old friend over a great cigar.

 

Finally, I happened to catch wind of a Flor Dominicana event at Old Havana Cigars on Friday evening, and, figuring I’d soon be having limits on my available free time again, why not go down and see Kyle and the folks down there and have a cigar. I had a La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro No. 5, the 5¾” x 60 Gordo. In an unusual move, I only bought the one to smoke, although I wish I had at least gotten another one or two to smoke when I had a better palate. I’ll go back for more later. It was a good smoke, although I had to relight a few times, maybe because I was chatting with friends (you’ll remember Nik from Episode 7 of the CigarCraig Podcast…) and other distractions. I have a hard time remembering a La Flor Dominicana cigar that I didn’t like, maybe I’ll grab a Chisel of some sort out of the humidor today!

 

That about does it for today. To recap, The contest for the Joya de Nicaragua goodies, travel humidor (filled!), hat and cutter, will be extended until mid-week, probably Wednesday, so go back to last Sunday’s post and enter if you haven’t already!  I’ll continue spamming….er….spreading the word , feel free to share it as well, at the risk of reducing your own odds of winning! Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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