La Flor Dominicana latest releases LFD A and Lancero.

There are many cigar sizes and shapes, and many of the famous cigar makers take a swing at some of the dimensions and have become well known for them. For example, most cigar smokers have heard of the Montecristo A vitola and even though the majority of cigar aficionados have never smoked one, they realize it is, for many reasons, a great cigar. But what few people realize is how hard is to create a blend for a Size A. 

Why is this? There are many explanations, but the main point is the size of the leaf that is required to wrap the cigar. The wrapper is usually the most expensive leaf in the manufacturing of a cigar. The cigar wrapper is the window to the eyes of the cigar consumer; it is the main attraction and the one that says "Smoke me, please". Wrapper leaves also are responsible for flavor, and they also need to have an attractive oily appearance. Manufactures can make two Robusto-sized cigars from one leaf, but only one Size A cigar. Often, only one of every four good wrappers is suitable for the Size A. This is one reason why the Size A tends to be expensive.

A Size A cigar has the ring gauge of a Churchill, while the length is at least 9". The next difficult part is to somehow make that smoke taste similar to the blend they use for other sizes. Here is where blenders use the rather inexact science of blending and navigating their pursuit of perfection by adding more or less ligero and seco, while also keeping in mind the flavor profile. The smoke from a Size A takes a long way to reach your taste buds, but in doing so, it also passes through a lot of tobacco. So, when you smoke a Size A, you will almost certainly get more flavor than with other cigar sizes. Or at least, a great cigar maker will achieve that.

A Size A Smoke is not just difficult to create and to find, but also to smoke. The cigar needs to be smoked as a single experience and takes a good two hours or more to finish. It can't be burned the same way you would smoke a Robusto or a Churchill without overheating the cigar.

Therefore, when a company decides to make a Size A smoke, it means they are putting themselves out there. It means that company is moving to the next level.

La Flor Dominicana has gotten a lot of attention over the past few years, especially after the Andalusian Bull was awarded the title of Best Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficionado back in 2016. This venerable company, which is also a tobacco grower and is well known for the Ligero and Double Ligero lines, has had a shortage of wrappers for the past two years. However, they have refused to compromise quality by accelerating the process, so everyone who follows LFD knows that if they find any of the limited production LFD Maduros, they must snap them up.

During the IPCPR 2018 trade show, they stated that this year they will only have two small limited releases:  La Flor Dominicana Ligero A and La Flor Dominicana Ligero Lancero. Both are formidable and rare smokes, and it is our pleasure to announce that they are now available at Cuenca Cigars.