Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the rectangle pressed La Flor Dominicana 30 Years is on the lighter side of medium brown and has some raised veins present. The seams are smooth and the chisel head is well finished. There are two bands, both with a brown and gold color combination. The primary is meant to look like two bands, with the top portion carrying a pink flower and the lower portion carrying the company logo. The foot band denotes the line name. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of cedar, hay and earth while the foot brings anise biscotti. The pre-light draw is a mix of anise biscotti and cedar.
Seth: I love the variation/modernization of the classic La Flor Dominicana band on the cigar. I love the Chisel too. It has always been a fun size. The bands look great against the La Flor Dominicana 30 Years, and the cigar sports a Colorado-Maduro wrapper. There are medium sized veins pressed with the wrapper, and the cigar has a lovely press as well. Dark tobacco coloring with aromas of rich earth, strong spices, tobacco, dark chocolate and leather. Subtle cherry notes as well.
John: The La Flor Dominicana 30 Years came in cellophane and had a UPC sticker with the cigar information that may have been from the retailer. There is a primary band in an upper and lower design, with the LFD logo on the lower design, as well as a secondary foot band indicating ’30 Years’. For artisanal complications, the cigar has a firm box pressed torpedo shape, along with a chisel tip cap. I weighed the cigar at 22.4 grams and measured the humidity to 62.2% with the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet, rich earth and tobacco with hints of wood underneath. Out of the foot, I could get the same components along with hay.

La Flor Dominicana 30 Years

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, black pepper and some earth. The retrohale brings toasted cedar and earth with some zingy black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the pepper and earth are now even, a bit behind the toasted cedar. At an inch in, some sandalwood joins the profile. The retrohale has gained the sandalwood as the black pepper loses the zinginess. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth and black pepper with the sandalwood just behind the middle of the profile. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third was great. Warm spices with a balance of sweet earth, cocoa, leather and tobacco. Soft stone fruit notes as well. Medium to medium-full in strength and body. Lovely beginning to the cigar. Great La Flor!
John: My initial flavor impressions are spicy tobacco at medium strength finishing with medium almost medium-full earth and a delayed red pepper flake at medium strength on the post draw. Some creaminess joins after a few puffs and intensifies as it progresses. Approaching the fifteen minute mark, the spices calm down to light-plus strength. As the cigar continues towards the halfway point, the spices move back up to medium-minus strength and linger through the finish.

La Flor Dominicana 30 Years

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper and earth move up to become even with the toasted cedar at the front of the profile. At a quarter inch in, a light creaminess joins the profile. At three quarters of an inch in, a light meatiness joins the profile. The retrohale is toasted cedar and earth, with some black pepper and light sandalwood and meatiness. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper mellows to the middle of the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with the black pepper and sandalwood in the middle and creaminess and meatiness in the background. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third was in line with the first, although the spices were on an increase and so were the leather and tobacco notes. More medium-full to full. Sweet earth, cocoa, leather and stone fruit notes are present as well. Touches of mocha.
John: The second third begins with creamy earth and tobacco at medium-minus strength with delayed medium strength pepper to finish. Some light-plus strength wood joins that pepper on the post draw. Bread notes are coming into the retrohale as the cigar settles in, adding some depth. After the re-light, there is a heavy earth on the finish and post draw. That earth recedes back to medium strength by the halfway point, but is still driving the post draw.

La Flor Dominicana 30 Years

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper has mellowed to the background. At a half inch in, the black pepper moves back to the middle of the profile. The retrohale remains toasted cedar and earth, with some black pepper and light sandalwood and meatiness. At an inch in, the earth takes a slight lead over the toasted cedar. As the cigar wraps up, the earth is just ahead of the toasted cedar, with the black pepper in the middle with the sandalwood, creaminess and meatiness in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third was right in line with the second. Sweet spices with strong tobacco notes. Medium-full to full. Maybe even full. Sweet earth, dark cocoa, leather and cherry notes on the finish. Some coffee qualities as well.
John: Creamy earth is my initial impression here with a mild acrid wood to finish and carry into the post draw. There is a burning paper note to the finish at light-plus strength as it progresses towards the halfway point. At the halfway point, sweet wood at medium-minus strength defines the center of the profile as medium strength earth makes up the post draw.

La Flor Dominicana 30 Years

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in two inch increments.
Seth: Burn was great from beginning to end.
John: I had numerous issues with the burn performance with unevenness at the start and a burn I could tell was stalling. The uneven burn continued into the second third where I performed a touch-up. The burn continued to be uneven, eventually going out, which required a re-light. The burn was uneven in the last third, requiring a second touch-up.

La Flor Dominicana 30 Years

Draw

Aaron: The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: Draw was perfect! Amazing level of resistance with the chisel finish.
John: The draw was perfect, right in the ideal zone between open and resistant.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, black pepper and some earth. Some sandalwood joined in a bit later. The second third saw some creaminess and meatiness join the profile. The final third saw the earth take a slight lead in the profile. The La Flor Dominicana 30 Years had a nice profile through the first two thirds, with the sandalwood, creaminess and meatiness providing nice accenting notes. The profile took a step down in the final third as the taped changed things up a bit with the earth taking a lead in the profile. This is a nice anniversary release. The price point is significant, so that would temper how often I might come back to it, but it is an enjoyable experience.
Seth: This La Flor Dominicana 30 Years was a really nice La Flor Dominicana. Probably the best I have had in a long time. When they put the time and tobacco into a blend, they do great things. They show so many wonderful qualities of Dominican tobacco, and some great body and strength with those flavors. It was not an overly complex cigar, but just good. I think it will age great. I would recommend taking a good bit of the chisel out to improve the draw, but you still have a lot of smoke ahead of you. I would age and then dry box these cigars before smoking. Really a nice experience and uplifting following current reviews.
John: The La Flor Dominicana 30 Years review was a bit disappointing for me. I have enjoyed many LFD cigars over the years and the 30 Years was a release I was looking forward to. A combination of lackluster flavors for two-thirds of the review, coupled with subpar burn performance didn’t live up to what I would expect out of a special release priced at $30. While the burn required two touch-ups and a re-light, the draw was perfect. At Developing Palates, we don’t score based on price point, but my decision not to revisit this cigar would be a combination of a premium price point, poor burn performance and a flavor delivery that I found to be less impressive than many of the regular market releases. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 48 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.57

Cost/Point

$4.57

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.32

Cost/Point

$4.10

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.70

Cost/Point

$5.26

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: La Flor Dominicana 30 Years