Winter is officially here in New Hampshire, as it snowed yesterday and temperatures got down into the 20’s overnight where I live on the New Hampshire/Massachusetts border. We only had a dusting, however, where the director of sales for La Flor Dominicana Jon Carney currently lives he had close to a foot of snow and temperatures into the teens.
Driving into work, with the cold air preventing me from lighting up in the car as I didn’t have the cajones to light up and open the window I began to think about what I want. The answer was simple, LG by Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana. In 1999, La Flor Dominicana challenged themselves to produce a cigar that made entirely of tobacco grown on their own farms. It was a risk for the company, and the process of fermentation took longer then expected. 4 Years after the challenge was issued, the challenge was accepted. Since then the tobacco used in every LG release is aged for a minimum of 4 years.
Cigar: LG by Litto Gomez (2012)
Size: 6 x 54 (Lusitano)
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium-Full
The Look: The LG by Litto Gomez features a wrapper that is loaded with oils and is a rich golden brown in color. The cigar has a network of veins at the foot of the cigar and in typical La Flor Dominican fashion the wrapper has a brindle like appearance. The band of the cigar feels very roman with leaves in gold foil as well as the text, over a background of shades of red. The center of the band denotes LG in the center with Diez over the top, and Litto Gomez on the bottom. In the hand the cigar is firm with an average weight and the dark swirls of tobacco make me think of the Seinfeld marble rye episode.
The Notes: One of my favorite notes on the cold draw is a reach brown sugar molasses, the note while experienced from time to time on other smokers is best noted on an Opus X and the LG by Litto Gomez. When I cut the cap off this cigar, I often spend a lot of time enjoying the cold draw before bring a flame to the foot which has notes of molasses that are slightly muted in comparison to the cold draw. Once the cigar is lit there is notes of brown sugar, and spice.
The first third of the cigar has some underlying notes of molasses and cocoa with hints of cedar. The cigar is abundantly sweet, but there is a strength as well that grows with intensity as we move to the middle portion of the cigar.
As we start the second third of the LG by Litto Gomez, there is some spice through the nose over continued notes of molasses although they begin to fade around the half-way point. The cedar begins to develop more, and some wisps of cinnamon. As the second third comes to a close the cedar notes begin to take on more of a maple note which helps brings the molasses back to the forefront.
The last third the cigar becomes hearty with added spice through the nose, and a nice floral aroma which only heightens the sweetness that continues to deliver right down to the nub.
The Burn: The LG by Litto Gomez is an exquisitely rolled cigar that is virtually seamless with a perfectly placed cap. The wrapper burns even, but the burn line is a little bit thicker then I would like at times. The light-colored ash hold for a third at a time. Lastly, the draw of the cigar is iconic with just the right amount of resistance that fits perfectly in my wheelhouse.
The Finish: The LG by Litto Gomez is the poor man’s Opus X. I don’t mean just by price either, as for me the Opus X and the LG are both fathered by Dominican tobacco. The flavor profiles are similar, and the LG is readily available. The LG remains one of my favorite cigars, and it’s been a strong year for La Flor Dominicana with the 1994 and Capitulo Dos as their new releases. Not to mention the Beer Stein due in early December. This to me is a desert island cigar.
Score: 93
Price: $11.99 Singles / $254.99 Box
LG by Litto Gomez
LG by Litto Gomez Foot
LG by Litto Gomez Burn
