From United Cigar Retailers comes a cigar that has a striking resemblance to another cigar in the industry. The Fleur de Reine is available in both a natural and maduro wrapper in 4 different sizes. The cigars can be found on site sponsor 2guyscigars.com as well as other authorized United Cigar Retailers.
According to United Cigar Retailers,
Bold and rich with spicy, full flavor, Fleur de la Reine is made up of a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos surrounded by a Dominican binder, but the wrapper is what separates the flavors between the Natural or Maduro versions. Ecuadorian Sumatra is highlighted on the Natural and it’s U.S.A. Connecticut Broadleaf on the Maduro version.
Cigar: Fleur de la Reine
Size: 5.5 x 54 (Cinq)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Strength: Medium Plus
The Look: Starting with the band, the lovely lady that adorns this band instantly reminds you of another whose band is also graced by a beauty. Beyond the band, the Fleur de la Reine features an aged looking Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that has a slight marble appearance to it in color. The vein structure is what one would expect from a Broadleaf and under the fingers it feels like velvet. There is an abundance of oils on the wrapper, tooth in the form of magnesium bumps and a nice weight to it with no soft spots. The well packed foot shows off some ligero in the filler tobaccos.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Fleur de la Reine has a nice sweetness to it that reminds me of caramel and a touch of earth. On the foot of the cigar the notes are reversed with earth and a touch of caramel sweetness. Despite the noticeable ligero on the foot I was surprised by the lack of spice. Once the cigar is lit, there are notes of cocoa that is incredibly defined and its easy to get lost in the intoxicating taste.
Utilizing my Vertigo lighter I toast the cigar and the Fleur de la Reine beings with some notes of leather. Working our way deeper into the cigar the flavors began to develop some complexity with an addition of cocoa and cedar. Through the nose some anise is present and a subtle sweetness remains on the finish.
The second third of the Fleur de la Reine transitions greatly as the base note becomes the previously experienced anise and the cocoa which was dominant at the start of the second half but begins to pull to fade away. At the mid way point, the cocoa has left the building and coffee takes over as the primary taste. The cigar begins to turn up in strength slightly as well and some pepper makes an appearance on the retrohale.
The final third continues with notes of coffee and anise which is consistent with the previous third, but there is an addition of caramel that was experienced on the pre-light draw that became the dominant note as we smoke this cigar to the nub.
The Burn: I’ve often wanted to just write one word for this section on various cigars. If I did for the Fleur de la Raine it would be perfect. The draw offered just enough resistance to be perfect. The light color ash held on for a third of the cigar at a time, perfect. The thin combustion line that was razor-sharp, perfect. In one word, simply put but difficult to achieve, perfect.
Overall: There are some cigars that should be the staple of any humidor and the Fleur de la Reine falls into that category. Medium plus in strength with decisively enjoyable notes and a certain familiarity about it, this is a stick that won’t break the bank, but smokes like it. Box worthy to say the least, the Fleur de la Reine is one of my favorite smokes as of late.
Score: 94
Price: $6.49
Fleur de la Reine Maduro
Fleur de la Reine Maduro Foot
Fleur de la Reine Maduro Burn
