La Flor Dominicana Coronado Double Corona

Todays review is of the LFD Coronado Double Corona, which measures in at 7X50. I smoked one from the box this one is from (out of my buddy Carlos's humidor) when i was out in Jersey and was given another to take home with me to review. The Coronado has a Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper, which is very oily, supple and has a wonderfully spicey aroma to it. The filler is a blend of Dominican Sumatra and Piloto Cubano and the binder is a Dominican Corojo.(taken from the La Flor Dominicana website) The only negative thing i can see as far as construction goes, is that when i clipped off the cap, there is a fairly large stem present in the filler. (This ended up not being a big deal and didn't have any impact on how the cigar smoked) You can see the stem in the picture below, in the upper right hand side of the head (lighter color).

The predraw flavors show a dank, earthy flavor (this isnt a bad thing!) with a bit of leather and spice i expect from this cigar. Upon lighting, the predraw flavors are what im getting. This cigar has a ton of earthy, leathery spicy flavor, but is really smooth from the start. This is a very full bodied cigar, but is sneaky. It doesn't seem that powerful, until about halfway through when you suddenly realize that its probably a good idea to stay sitting down. After about an inch, there is a definite cinnamon note mixed in with the other flavors of this cigar. You can definitely taste the Nicaraguan wrapper on this cigar, as Nicaraguan tobacco has a very different taste than the rest of the Dominican tobacco this is made with. The burn started off a little uneven, but after about an inch it evened out nicely.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable, very full bodied cigar. This is one of those cigars that you definitely need to smoke after a nice big meal. If you don't eat before smoking this one, there is a very good chance it could have you feeling a bit green. This is not a cigar for beginners, and is something you need to work your way up to. For those of you that enjoy a full flavored, full bodied cigar though, this is definitely one to try. A lot of strong cigars like this one have the reputation of being harsh, but this is definitely not case with the Coronado. Litto Gomez from La Flor Dominicana certainly knew what he was doing when he blended these! I would say these are my favorite of all of Lito's cigars.

cubao no.6

Ok, now that im back from my trip, its time to get back to reviewing cigars! Between what I bought and what I got from friends out east, I have a ton of new stuff to review. Todays review is of the Cubao no.6, which measures in at 5.5 inches by 52 ring gauge. This is yet again another cigar blended and rolled by Don Pepin Garcia, but this one is released by United Tobacco, who are known for their 601 line (another Pepin cigar). This cigar has an Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro wrapper (wow, thats a mouthful) and had a Nicaraguan binder and filler. The wrapper is very oily and thick, with a rustic and slightly veiny appearance. This is a chunky cigar and is very heavy in the hand, but not overfilled. The cap on this particular cigar looks a bit sloppy, especially for something coming out of Pepin's factory in Nicaragua. I really like the presentation for this cigar, with its simple brown band. The box these come in looks great as well, with a very rustic, worn look to it. I didnt get a box of these though, just a single at a shop in New Jersey.

The predraw is very nice, with flavors of earthy, clean Nicaraguan tobacco. Upon lighting, you are assaulted with tons of earth, leather, a bit of spice, and a slightly oakey finish. I started smoking this one outside,but it suddenly got really windy and the burn started going all over the place, so i ran inside quick to finish up this review. I can't take any points (not that i rate cigars by points) off for the ragged burn since they were caused by the wind, but it seems to be evening out now that im inside. After about an inch, this cigar settled down to a nice oakey, leathery medium to full bodied smoke. At the tail end of this cigar, a cocoa flavor make an appearance, but it was subtle.

Overall, i think anyone who is a fan of the cigars Pepin makes for United Tobacco, or just a fan of Pepin's cigars in general will like this cigar. I paid $9.25 for this cigar, but i think that the shop i picked it up at had them marked up quite a bit. Ive seen these go for around $7 a piece online, and at that price, you really can't go wrong. This is one of those cigars that you definitely want a beverage handy for, as the smoke really coats your mouth. This cigar is strong enough that you could really pair it up with just about anything as far as drinks go, i had a Pepsi and that seemed to work fine. Next time i smoke one of these im going to go with a Brown Ale, Porter, or even a glass of rum. For those of you who are scotch drinkers, I think you would find that a nice single malt would really bring out the oakey flavor in this cigar even more.

Massachusetts

This was the 2nd part of my trip and i figured i would do a little write up on it as well, even though its not cigar related, haha.

Friday after leaving Carlos's house, i headed north to my Aunt and Uncles house in Massachusetts for the weekend. Saturday we were invited to a friend of my Uncles beach House. This house was in Road Island, and was insane. This was probably a 5 million dollar house, no joke. Theater room, Elevator, you name it, this house had it.

We arrived and were told that lunch was ready, and to go get our lobster and start eating! I couldnt believe it. They had probably 30 2lb lobsters for all the guests, i was in heaven. We spent the day boogie boarding in the ocean and just lounging on the beach. I could live like that!
My cousin Reed, me and my Uncle Rick
The rest of the time with my family was spent hanging around the house with my 3 cousins, playing ping pong and just relaxing. Monday i drove to Ohio and am here until wednesday, and then its time to get back to reality. Overall this was a great trip!
my cousin Emily and I

Trip part 2

Tuesday-
We started off with a Cuban Fonseca Cosacos tuesday morning before our friend Rich showed up for a short visit. Once he arrived we headed to a cigar shop where we all smoked the new Alec Bradley SCR Robusto, which turned out to be a pretty decent cigar. For lunch we went to this little Cuban restaurant for Cuban sandwiches, which was a first for me (and hopefully not the last!) Rich left a little bit after lunch and Carlos and i decided to head down to his office for a cigar since it was a bit hot out. I had the 601 Habano Robusto (another great cigar by Pepin). For dinner we went to Rio 22, a Brazlilian style steak house, where i think i ate more than any person should ever eat. To finish off the day we lit up 6 year old Fuente Opus X Super Belicosos. The age really rounded this cigar out and was great after a heavy meal.


Wednesday-
Rich and I at Holts
We left around 9am and headed down towards Philly to meeet up with Rich again(had an El Rey De Los Habanos for the drive). We looked through his amazing humidor (aristocrat) and he sent me off with a fantastic array of cigars. After hanging out at his house for a while, we headed to Holts to do some cigar shopping and of course, have another cigar!(Tatuaje Verocu no.9) Our friend Steve was able to meet up with us at Holts (didnt get a chance to get a pic with him) and then since we were in Philly, we had to get Cheesesteaks! Steve brought me a few fantastic cigars as well. We parted ways and headed back to Jersey, Oliva V being the cigar for the drive this time. We ended a cigar filled day with 2 year old Tatuaje Unicos. Carlos had been holding onto this box for a while now and was waiting for the right time to crack it open, which apparently was me visiting!
Tatuaje verocu no.9 (holts Exclusive)
Thursday-
We started thursday afternoon with a nicely aged Hoyo De Monterrey Du Prince while grlling HUGE steaks for a late lunch. We then headed back to the cigar shop for a few cigars we had been waiting for them to get in all week. This was the Illusione mj12, the newest addition to the line. Of course then i had to try one and wasnt let down. For dinner we went back for more sushi, and then ended our week of insane cigar smoking with a La Flor Coronado. I took off friday morning for Massachusetts, but not before Carlos handed me a bag of cigars (because apparently he hadnt provided enough that week...) and a really nice bottle of port!
Illusione mj12

I cant thank Carlos and Eva enough for letting me stay with them for the week. I had a great time hanging out with them and their kids. Also, thanks again to Rich and Steve for the cigars!

Carlos and I enjoying a Coronado.