Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano by La Flor Dominicana | Cigar Review

Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 5 X 50 “Robusto-Cubano”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $11.20 MSRP

Photo courtesy of La Flor Dominicana:

Today we take a look at the Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano by La Flor Dominicana.
Thanks to the folks at LFD for the samples.

DESCRIPTION:
There is a rustic appearance. Lots of veins. Big ones. Seams are nearly invisible.
The wrapper is the color of a caramel brown with a substantial amount of oil. The wrapper feels silky smooth.
The triple cap is inconsistent. One of the two has a flat triple top. The other is a typically round cap. But very sloppy. The flat cap is expertly achieved.
The cigar is fully packed. Not a single soft spot.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Oriental: 4.875 x 38 $8.80 MSRP
Americano 5.75 x 46 $11.20 MSRP
Cubano: 5 x 50 $11.20 MSRP
Chisel Puro: 5.5 x 54 $12.20 MSRP
Lusitano: 6 x 52 $12.80 MSRP

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell cinnamon, graham cracker, chocolate, butter rum Lifesavers, peanuts, espresso, and cedar.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong roasted peanuts, spice, chocolate, butter rum, maple syrup, cinnamon graham crackers, coffee, and cedar.
The cold draw presents flavors of clove, allspice, cinnamon, red pepper, chocolate, maple syrup, cedar, and coffee.

FIRST THIRD:
The draw is a bit tight.
I try to use my cigar awl but hear cracking noises so immediately put a halt to this.

Wonderful starting flavors: Creaminess, peanuts, chocolate, espresso, black pepper, and graham cracker crust (with lots of butter).
Simple, but elegant.

The toasting of the foot showed some imperfections which would lead me to believe I will have some burn issues at some point. But 3/8” in, so far so good.
Strength is medium body.
A touch of complexity settles in. Creaminess and peanuts run the show.

And then the malts show up: Chocolate Rye Malt, Coffee Malt, Maris Otter Malt, Peated Malt, and Toasted Malt. (See Malt Chart).

The balance is only so so. And the finish is moderately long.
I’m surprised the power isn’t stronger. I did notice that many of the sticks that LFD came in yellowed cellos. But I can’t remember if the Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano was even in a cello. Damn brain.

We had a tough night sleeping. We must have gotten 30-40mph winds. The old, decrepit storm windows in the bedroom clattered and banged all night long…which is more than I can say about Charlotte and me.
As soon as I got up, I followed a simple recipe to steam, not boil, my portion of the giant 4oz shrimp…4-5 per lb. I pulled it off perfectly. Finishing by steaming for 3 minutes and then tossing them in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking on their own.
I found a good shrimp scampi recipe for Charlotte’s five nuclear power plant raised shrimp.

The Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano needs its first major char line tune up.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is a little over 20 minutes.
There is a small plug behind the cigar band so I use my cigar awl to go through the foot this time and successfully clear it. The cigar had gone out while I took the dog out and then fed her. But I did cause a crack in the wrapper from the cigar band to the foot. Damn.

Flavors expand exponentially. Strength hits a weak medium/full.
Here they are in a more gorgeous state of consciousness: Creamy, malts, peanuts, chocolate, graham cracker, maple syrup, floral notes, espresso, generic sweetness, spice, and cedar.

I wish the Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano was spicier.
This blend is not behaving like an $11 cigar. More like a $7 cigar…at best.
This review should end my relationship with LFD when they read this.

I quickly check other reviews. There are only a small handful. I’ve found scores of 87, 91, and 89. And that’s all folks. Only three reviews of this blend.
Flavors are nice but the cigar is only on the cusp of complexity. And the number of char line touch ups is uncalled for in an $11 stick.

I want to give a shout out to Fred. He is the husband of Charlotte’s boss. He is very ill. But he is making the most of it. He is a chain smoking, cigar lovin’ fool like me. All the best Fred. You hang tough. That’s an order from your Cousin Katman. (Fred is older than me so I can’t be his uncle).

And then…bang! The flavors come into their own.
Complexity kicks in. OK. I reviewed it too soon.
Flavors are bold yet have lots of nuance and subtlety.

Halfway point. Smoke time is 30 minutes.
I’ve found that LFD tends to be old school. In that, their cigars need a lot of humidor time. But then came along the LFD La Nox…and changed all that.
I guess I was lured into a false sense of know it all mentality and ended up misjudging the humidor time.

Yet when I read the other reviews by the Big Guys. I don’t recollect them saying how long they allowed for humidor time. None of them do.

But they tasted the same things I do. And that wouldn’t happen if the cigar wasn’t ready to go. I don’t know. Confusion and chaos reigns.
The Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano is an extremely flavorful blend. It just doesn’t have that “It” factor of a great cigar.

If I were reviewing a $6 cigar, I couldn’t help but rave over it. But for me, the price point is a critical part of the process. If you charge double digits for a single cigar, it better knock my socks off.
Flavorful but stagnant. No transitions. Nicht gut, nicht gut.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is 45 minutes.
You wanna know something I just thought about? The Big Guys rarely show a litany of progress photos like I do. At best, they show 2, maybe 3 photos.

So when they say that their cigar has a perfect char line, they provide no proof. Two of the three reviews say they had near perfect char lines. One was honest and said that the burn line was a “minor” issue.

They also had mixed reactions to the strength. Like me, I expected more strength. One or two said they were medium/full from the start and ended full bodied.

My Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano started out at a weak medium body and is now just barely medium/full.
I am very disappointed in the Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano. It needed to be more aggressive. It should have pushed the boundaries more.

I have no idea if extensive humidor time will fix the issues I experienced.
The last 1-1/2” flares. Strength becomes full body. Just like that.
Transitions occur fast and furious. Flavors are now exciting.
The black pepper has returned just how I like it.
Oy vay.

The Litto Gomez Diez 2015 Cubano finishes nicely. The problem was inconsistency. No transitions til the end. A lack of complexity. Nice flavors but nothing to rave about.

Over $11.00 for this cigar. I found a few online stores and they are selling all of the sizes for MSRP.
I hate to bite the hand that feeds me but I just cannot recommend this cigar. For the most part due to the price point.
Final smoke time is one hour.

RATING: 86