Size

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Dominican

Origin: La Canela, Dominican Republic

Age: fresh from humidor, but tobacco is from 2004 crop!

It seems like it’s been years since the last Small Batch release but it’s now here, the Litto Gomez Diez Small Batch No. 3!  The first two Small Batch releases were some of the strongest and most flavorful cigars I have ever smoked.  Litto Gomez does small batch cigars very well, so I was very eager to try this one!

This cigar has a beautifully oily sheen to it (thanks to selenium I hear).  The wrapper is dark brown with reddish hues.  It looks and feels like a leather cigar!

Guess what.  It tastes like one too.  :)  The first few puffs are rich with leather and coffee, with a hint of cedar on the finish.

I can tell this will be a strong cigar, but maybe not one that gives you a brain hemorrhage.  Absent is that strong pepper quality in the first two releases.  I can tell this cigar is going to be more refined than its predecessors.

The wrapper is super thick and burns very slowly, and with each puff I pick up different nuances.  There is some anise and chocolate that show up every now and then.

The smoke is so thick I can chew on it, the flavors coat the inside of my mouth leaving me yearning for the next puff.

There is not a harsh moment, the slow burn keeps the tobacco relatively cool, delivering puff after puff of leathery goodness.

The last third is decadent – a mocha, heavy on the espresso with some licorice notes on the finish.  I loved every minute of it!

I had high hopes, and this special release did not disappoint.  Another winner from La Flor and Litto!

Rating: 94 (A)

Vitola: Robusto

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Origin: The DR

Age: Fresh

Woo-hoo! The newest creation from Litto Gomez was on my must try list.  The name Air Bender has two meanings according to Litto, the first is due to his affinity for Kung Fu movies and the other is that smoke appears to be bending air as it dissipates.  Kinda poetic, no?  My shop, Empire Cigars, just got the whole line in and I couldn’t be more excited.

My hope is that this has everything that was so good about the LFD Salomones at a fraction of the price.

I had the robusto and it began like others wish they finished. Cherry (a Litto specialty) and cocoa and leather without the dryness.

There was a subtle nose spice that picked up now and then.

This is the Zen cigar for sure- a great balance between flavor and strength, complex and gives you that mouthful of flavor that you get in the “sweet spot” in most other cigars.

This, however, is not the strongest cigar in the LFD stable, but makes up for it in flavor tenfold.

The last half amped up the cocoa, and threw in some espresso with a touch of Habano musk!

If every 8 dollar cigar was this good…  My only real complaint was that the draw was pretty tight, and that’s what kept it from an “A” rating.

Rating: 89 (B+)

Vitola: Lancero in the Culebra format

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra, Cameroon & Oscuro Ecuadorian Sumatra

Origin: Dominican Republic

Age: Infancy

What a lucky guy I am.  The La Flor Dominicana Culebra Lanceros are some of the hardest cigars to find.  The Double Ligero Lanceros by LFD are themselves a tough find.  But every once in a while Litto Gomez produces the Culebra Lanceros in super small batches, and Empire Cigars was lucky enough to get a whole bunch of them in recently.

The packaging is simple and elegant: cedar coffins housing the culebra in shrink wrap.  After removing the shrink wrap it was evident that the culebra goes into the coffin just so, do not get in the habit of pulling these in and out as you will damage the cigars!

Before I get to the actual review, I should point out another thing that makes the Culebra Lancero such a special cigar.  Unlike other culebras, this format features three different wrappers: a Natural, Oscuro and Cameroon!  I will review each of the wrappers individually and pick my favorite of the three at the end.

Natural

You really can’t judge a culebra on appearance as the wrappers are generally twisted and often overlap.  The cigar drew well, but I was worried after the first puff that this was going to be a very mild cigar.  Too mild even.  However, that soon faded and the cigar opened up a bit leaving wood and a little bit of leather on the tongue.

There was some creaminess and some slight coffee flavors but that was about it.  I was looking for some of the spice that is in the Double Ligero Lanceros, but did not find any here.  It was just a good unassuming cigar that would probably disappoint the fans of some of Litto’s stronger smokes.

Cameroon

Now this is where I got excited.  I’m a huge fan of Cameroon wrapper, and Litto’s Cameroon Cabinet is one of my favorite smokes out there.

The Cameroon Double Ligero Lancero is also one of the best cigars I have smoked in a while (but super hard to find).   But I digress… This particular cigar was easy to identify from the other two as it has the unmistakable tooth of the Cameroon leaf.

The flavors, like the Natural were milder than I expected but the slight spiciness and sweet flavors from the Cameroon were still present.  There was a little more coffee and wood present with a longer finish.  Like the Natural it was not that complex or spicy but still a good cigar.

Oscuro

The darkest of the three, this also had the roughest looking wrapper. But this also had the most flavor and strength.

Slightly spicier than the Natural and Cameroon the Oscuro had stronger coffee flavors and a little pepper spice on the finish, but not much.  This actually developed a little complexity as I smoked it, yielding more and more cocoa notes as I got closer to the end.  It was also slightly dry.

Now, little is known about the Culebra Lanceros but one thing is for sure, these do not taste like the same lanceros in the Double Ligero line.  These are more on the medium side without all of the pepper and spice.

So my favorite?  It had to be the Cameroon (I’m a Cameroon guy!), with the Oscuro a close second.  I think these are too mild to have any real aging potential, so if you are lucky enough to find these (or just give Empire Cigars a call), go ahead and smoke it.

Natural Rating: 85 (B)

Cameroon Rating: 86 (B)

Oscuro Rating: 86 (B)

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Origin: Dominican Republic

Age: fresh

This big bad boy is one of Litto’s fresh batch of Limited Edition Releases for 2009.  The other releases have given my stomach fits before, they have a history of being quite strong. The jet black wrapper in front of me does nothing curb my fear.

LFD Factory Press III

It starts out very spicy, lots of pepper and hot cinnamon, especially in the sinuses.  As I smoke further it does sweeten up a bit, giving you that classic Broadleaf flavor profile.

The burn is even enough for this beefy smoke, and the smoke volume is more than adequate.

As I get to the halfway point, this cigar becomes a “palate killer”.  What I mean by that is that there is so much going on in this cigar it nearly overwhelms your senses.  It is rich and robust with flavors of leather, coffee, pepper and wood coming in and out in various quantities.  Woof!

As I finish it becomes a little dry with a woody finish and I begin to pick up a distinct Cafe Mocha-ness that is carried through to the end.

This cigar sets you reeling, but it is very enjoyable and quite unique!

Rating: 88 (B+)

Vitola: Pyramid (Cheroot style)

Wrapper: I’m assuming Ecuadorian…

Origin: Dominican Republic

Age: 2 months or so

I’m taking a break from my break (?) to write this review (what a trooper).

The Cheroot is a very special cigar. Other than flying to the Dominican Republic and knocking on the Gomez’ front door, you can find this cigar at only one place – Empire Cigars in Raleigh, North Carolina.

This is a special looking cigar in that it is so unassuming. It looks like something Clint Eastwood would be chewing on in “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” or in any of those other Spaghetti Westerns. It basically looks like a dime store cigar. A-ha! And that’s where this cigar fools you.

This super-limited cigar is made in small batches and features 100% ligero in the filler (I am assuming the wrapper is not ligero, but I will check to make sure). Remember this is not just any ligero, but Gomez brand ligero. That’s right, Double Ligero ligero! LG Diez ligero! Too me, this is some of the strongest, butt whooping-est tobacco out there. This little fellah is a stick of dynamite waiting for its fuse to be lit.

This cigar is not going to win any model of the year award for pretty looking cigars, but come on! It’s a cheroot! The dark brown somewhat veiny wrapper hides inside a powerful blend of ligero that you can even taste in the pre-light draw. The draw is nice and easy, you do not need to clip the cigar to smoke it, but Hal recommends it.

Now a lot of you are thinking, how is 100% ligero going to taste anything but harsh and horrible? Well, I present you with Exhibit A – the Cheroot. The flavor from the first puff is very nice: there is a core spicy note (obviously) but also a unique woody flavor. Much like a oak barrel-aged kind of woodiness. There are also notes of Dutch-processed cocoa which do wonders to help calm your palate down for the impending onslaught it is about to receive.

Surprisingly the strength is much more subtle than you would expect off the bat. It’s not the same typical pepper-like strength you get in Corojos like Tatuajes, DPGs and Camachos. To get a real feel for the strength, try blowing it out through your nose. Your sinuses would feel a lot like they do when you get water up your nose. The best way that I can describe it is the strength of the LG Diez Small Batch #2 compressed and concentrated into a little cheroot. Woof!

The cigar burns great with a nice even burn and no hot spots. The salt and pepper ash hangs for a while and you get plumes of smoke with each draw. These cigars aren’t cheap, but you get your moneys worth with construction for sure.

The finish somewhat short, but this is not surprising since it is all ligero. But in the finish there is a bit of nuttiness present.

As I finish the cigar, I do notice a nice background sweetness that intensifies as you get to the nub.

So in conclusion, I will answer a few of my own questions:

Is this cigar for everyone?

No!! Unlike what the Edge claims to be but is not, this cigar is truly for the seasoned smoker and one that loves full strength in-your-face cigars.

Is this cigar complex? Will it get better with age?

This cigar is made with 100% ligero. It was made for Hal because Hal likes knock-you-on-your-butt sticks. It is what it is. I don’t see it changing much with time.  But I’ll grab one and put it away and I do this again in a year or so.

Should I try one?

Is the Pope Catholic?

Seriously, this is a great cigar that you can only find at one place – Empire Cigars. Give Hal and the gang a call if you are interested in giving this little dynamo and try, you won’t be disappointed!

Rating: 90 (A)

Size:  6 1/2″ x 54

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Origin: Dominican Republic

This cigar is different from the other Factory Press II cigar as it has a CBL wrapper instean of a Nicaraguan Sun Grown.

The draw was nice for a punch, it has a tight box press  but was slightly spongy to the touch.

I picked up a strong pepper flvor at first that developed into burning wood (like the smell of hardwood charcoal).

Halfway through notes of  chocolate and espresso were present every now and then.

This beefy cigar had a crooked burn which led to tons of relights and affected the enjoyment of the cigar for me.  I also did not taste any of the sweetness I expected from a CBL-wrapped cigar.

Rating: 83 (B-)

Vitola: Petite Corona

Wrapper:  Dominican

Origin: Dominican Republic

Ok, before I begin the review, let me explain this cigar.  At the La Flor Dominicana event at Empire Cigars the other week, I saw a bunch of LG Diez cigars in different boxes.  I saw on the box (which has a marbled look to it), it said “2008″ next to the size.  I asked the rep what this was all about.  He explained to me that beginning in 2008, each LG Diez box will carry a Vintage label on it.  I asked if this was just similar to a box date you see on Cuban cigars, and he said no, that Litto is making a new blend for the Diez each year.  Now what this means to all of those other LG boxes and cigars still out there, is that when they are gone, they are gone forever. 

I thought this was pretty cool actually, but the only drawback is that there is nothing on the cigar that indicates the year it was made.  The only difference is in the boxes.  Maybe Litto will employ a second band in the future…

Now my skeptical side finds this a bit peculiar as typically ALL cigar blends differ year to year naturally.  But we’ll see when I light this puppy up!

Visibly, there does not appear to be any difference, the wrapper has a Rosado color and a lot of tooth, similar to the Opus X.

When I take my first puff, I notice a difference right off the bat.  I remember a heavy pepper flavor in the “old” LGs, while the 08 has significantly less.

In fact, overall the new 08 blend is much smoother than the “old” blend.  I pick up lots of leather and wood and a bit of coffee and pepper notes.

It burns dead even and gives off tons of smoke for such a little cigar.  But don’t think because I said this cigar was smoother, that I meant milder.  This is still one very strong cigar.  

Rating: 89 (B+)

Size:  9″ x 47

Vitola:  Giant

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra           

Origin: Dominican Republic

This is one huge ass cigar.  It’s actually a little frightening as it is nine inches of Litto Gomez Ligero.  This is a special release cigar that I picked up at Capital City Cigars.

It has unbelievably shiny wrapper, and after I punched it and took a draw I found it nice and even, no easy task for a giant cigar like this.

Here’s the cool part… it wasn’t as spicy as I feared.  It actually was smooth and refined for the first 6 inches or so.  Traces of coffee and leather were dominated by a smooth woodiness and a core of spice.  But this wasn’t so spicy to turn you green… until the last three inches. 

The last third of the cigar was very strong, and due to al; of the ligero near the head, it started to burn funky and then it extinguished itself and after multiple relights I had to give up on it.  But, the first two thirds of this cigar was really good, so can’t really give it a bad score, but I need to ding it for the construction at the end.

Rating: 84 (B)

Size: 7″ x 54 

Vitola: Perfecto 

Wrapper: Oscuro w/ Ecuadorian tips 

Origin: Dominican Republic

Now this is a fun looking cigar.  It is a long thin perfecto with a cool wrapped pig-tail head and a Ecuadorian foot.  The rest of the cigar is comprised of a oily shiny Oscuro wrapper.

I’m always a little nervous when I smoke one of Litto’s cigars as some La Flor Dominicana cigars pack a major wallop (Chisel, LG Diez).

That said, the cigar surprised me as it started out nice and easy.  The draw was great and the Ecuadorian tip was smooth and leathery.  As I moved to the Oscuro portion, the spice amped up a bit and a subtle sweetness was present along with espresso and nuts.

The burn was nice and even, no soft spots in the cigar, and the ash was gray and tight.

The further I went down the cigar, the more the spice softened and licorice and espresso flavors became more prominent.

A very enjoyable cigar from start to finish, a little bit pricey, but I think I may grab another for a deep sleep.

Rating: 89 (B+)