Bit of a “job lot” here, a selection of NC singles. The great thing about a job lot of singles is you get to try cigars you have not had before, and if you like them, buy more, if you dont , well you have not wasted a fortune!
I was luck enough to spend the week before Christmas in New York, I had a wonderful time, and was keen to use my duty free allowance to the full, as I was going with my partner that meant I could bring back up to 100 cigars. Bearing in mind how cheap (compared to the UK) cigars are in the USA, and the range of great cigars you cant get here in the UK this was an opportunity not to be missed.
Thanks to my great friend in the USA who sources cigars for me at US prices, I got some great sticks at amazing prices.
So as you can imagine the stock in my humidor has swelled since I came back and I thought I would put up a series of posts to show you what I brought back to enjoy.
First on the list is a box of 20 Flor de las Antillas Toro, I tried one of these a few months ago and really enjoyed it, and a box in the USA is so cheap compared to the experience on offer that I had to get some. The box is really nice too…
I have had a couple of My Father Cigars including the La Dueiia, My father, and My Father La Bijou 1922 ranges, however this is the first cigar I have had from the Flor De Las Antillas range. Having greatly enjoyed previous My Father cigars, especially the 1922, I was looking forward to this stick.
Appearance 9.0/10
I managed to get a pretty good photo of this cigar, and as you can see this is a very good looking stick. The wrapper only has small veins, it is a lovely medium dark brown, with a nice oily sheen. The band is of particular note, the detail is quite exceptional, and gives the cigar a very classy appearance.
Construction & Draw 8.5/10
There is not a lot to say about the construction that you cant deduce from the picture, the cap construction was excellent, there were no soft spots, the cigar was well packed with tobacco. Cutting the cap was easy and I got a very clean cut, the pre light draw had a strong tobacco taste and a slight sweetness. The draw on this cigar was far to easy for my liking, I was surprised it was this loose as the cigar was well packed, but at times if felt like sucking on air. Whilst this drops the rating in this area a little, it did not stop my enjoyment of this stick.
The burn line on the cigar was razor sharp for the entire length, and the stick produced a large volume of smoke.
Flavour 8.5/10
This first few draws had a slight peppery taste to them, this settled down into a subtle peppery spice, the cigar had a sweet note to it, and I could also detect some cocoa and a flowery component as I got further into the cigar. This to me is a medium strength cigar, and the best way to describe the flavour profile is rich and creamy.
The flavour profile did not change a lot during my time with this cigar, the peppery spice and general complexity increase slightly the further in I got. Towards the end of the last third the pepper note increased, I thought this might be due to the cigar burning hotter, so to avoid this, and to stop the cigar potentially getting bitter I slowed down a little . This did the trick and the cigar was delicious down to the nub.
Value 9.0/10
As a single these retail at around 6.90 USD, I think that at this price this cigar offers excellent vale for money, the construction if excellent, the flavours are rich and creamy, and I spend a very pleasurable one and a three quarter hours with this cigar.
Summary 8.5/10
I really enjoyed this cigar, it had a nice level of complexity, with some distinct and delicious flavours, it was rich without being overpowering, and would be a great cigar if you are looking to relax and chill out. The flavour profile does not change much during the cigar, but its such a nicely balance flavour that you don’t really care, the only reason this did not get a 9 is the draw.
I would absolutely get some more of these for my humidor, they would make an excellent cigar for those moments you need to relax.
UK Cigarnewbie 