I have always found La Flor offerings to be on the sick to my stomach side of full flavored and I smoke nothing but strong cigars, so this cigar languished in my humidor for over a year before I could find an appropriate time to give it a run. The foot showed some damage, I am assuming because it had found it's way in and out of my travel humidor several times always hoping to be chosen, but never quite getting the call. Other than that damage, which does not bother me because I will smoke through it, the cigar presents well. This cigar has significantly less sheen than when I placed it in the humi all those months ago and the wrapper has taken on a mottled appearance where oils have soaked back into the wrapper. An inspection tells me that the cigar is well made and I do not detect any areas of concern. The pre light draw is smooth and shows notes of dark wood and rich tobacco character. The pre light aroma has some hints of dark fruit and heavy spice.
I light the cigar and begin with trepidation, I have always thought these cigars can be in very in your face, but I am surprised to find a very mellow opening with a core profile of dark wood, tobacco and light coffee flavors. At the back of the palate there is an earthy texture and flavor to the smoke and there are some further hints of dark fruit and some other flavors I can only describe as salty and meaty. This level of complexity and depth while not being overwhelming is running contrary to my customary experience with these cigars. The draw is nearly perfect and produces scads of smoke. The burn is a bit wonky, but that is due to the damage that is my fault so I will not deduct.
The first half of the cigar is a thing of beauty. The core profile continues to impress with a balanced and deep presentation of coffee, dark wood and rich tobacco flavors. The saltiness, that was noted at the back of the palate, has permeated the core profile and provides a very tasty counterpoint to the main flavors. The back of the palate maintains a steady presentation of earth with some fruity sweetness that shows in spurts. The draw remains excellent and after I pass the damaged area of the foot the burn evens out and performs very well.
The final half of the cigar loses some complexity and balance, but it is still acceptable. The core profile shows some thin wisps of wood and tobacco, but has taken on a slightly vegetal quality. At the back of the palate there are still some nice notes of earth, but not much else is going on. It is a shame because this smoke was on it's way to becoming a near classic experience for me. The burn and draw remain excellent throughout.
The finish was touch short and showed some vegetal notes.
Appearance- 87 a box pressed presentation seldom does anything for me
Taste- 89 the first half gets a 95, the second half an 83, I split the difference
Construction- 94 a fine smoking experience in this area
Strength- 91 a surprising and pleasing medium
Overall- 90.75 still an excellent smoke, but it could have been so much more
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