BACKGROUND: The La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel is one of the most unique and recognizable cigars in the market today. Its one-of-kind chiseled head distinguishes it from all other figurados. Instead of tapering to a sharp point like a typical torpedo or perfecto, the Chisel flattens so that its shape is almost a rectangular box-press at the tip of the head.

This shape was designed to make the cigar more comfortable in the mouth and to move the smoke across the palate in a different way. In the La Flor Dominicana Chisel, ligero tobacco (from the upper part of the plant) is used for both the binder and the filler; thus the Double Ligero in the name. The wrapper is Sumatran seed, Ecuadorian with the binder and filler tobaccos coming from the Dominican Republic. This cigar is available in natural and maduro and was released into the market in 2003.

TASTING NOTES: The samples I smoked for my second review were nearly flawless in appearance. The dark chocolate brown (almost black) wrapper combined with the beautifully constructed, one-of-a-kind chisel shape make this cigar an incredible sight indeed! My one pre-light complaint is that the band is too close to the head of the cigar and thus has to be removed before lighting up (it is affixed too tightly to slide). Despite being very careful when removing the band I tore the wrapper slightly on one of my samples. Based on my experiences in my first review, I decided to cut this cigar rather than using the recommended method of punching the top and bottom of the chisel head.

The flavors in this batch of the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro have improved greatly with age. This cigar is much more balanced now as the strong pepper overwhelmed the other flavors for only the first ” (if at all) before it settled into a nice combination of red pepper, chocolate, leather and rich earth. The flavors are rich and bold throughout the cigar. During the second third I also picked up some nice tangy/acidic fruit flavors that reminded me of tomato.

The one remaining relatively minor weakness I found with the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro is the burn. The burn line is fairly crooked and wandering – it typically requires a couple of touch-ups before the cigar is done but I am fairly impatient in waiting for burns to correct themselves. This is not that big of deal however, since the cigar puts out a ton of smoke and has what I consider to be the perfect resistance on the draw. And I have to reiterate that the unique shape of the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel makes it one of the most comfortable cigars to smoke. I personally like to hold cigars in my mouth 90% of time while smoking and with the chisel shape I don’t need to be constantly attending to the pressure I am putting on the cigar, it just naturally fits between my teeth and lips.

I will be right up front about it: I like strong cigars and the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro is one of my personal favorites! Like many of the hot sauces I use on food, this cigar has a lot of raw strength that joyfully stimulates my pain receptors but without sacrificing flavor. Particularly as it continues to become more-balanced with age, this cigar perfectly combines spice and pepper with rich earthy and tangy fruit flavors. Overall, I think the maduro has more of a full-body than the natural version. It is definitely not a cigar for the uninitiated BOTL, but I highly recommend it for those that can handle its power.

~Rob