La Flor Dominicana Factory Press IV

This week's review is of the new LFD Factory Press IV. This edition of the Factory Press measures in at 6 1/2 x60 and features a San Andreas wrapper, Ecuadorian binder and Dominican filler. These come in a large cabinet of 120 cigars with the cigars being layed out in trays of 12. The vitola of the Factory Press is really unique, being a very flat and extremely box pressed cigar. 

The appearance and feel of this cigar is really unique with its odd flat shape. Overall it looks to be a well constructed cigar with a dark and silky wrapper. The aroma at the foot is of strait musty aged tobacco. Once clipped, the Factory Press IV has a great draw with some sweet flavors and some of that mustyness I smelled at the foot. Even at a 60 ring gauge this isn't an uncomfortable cigar because of the way it is pressed. Once lit this starts off very smooth with a small amount of black pepper, some sweetness and some great chocolate and woody flavors. This seems lighter on the palate than your average LFD but still very full flavored. There is just a little bit of a floral character around the edges as well that really round out the profile nicely. The burn has been even and I dropped the ash at just over an inch, though it probably would have held on longer. The floral flavor has disappeared and cocoa and some cedar are dominiating the profile now. 

At the halfway point the strength has moved into the medium/full range and the flavor profile has stayed consistent and tasty. The retrohale is pretty powerful, making me sneeze. I won't be doing that again with this cigar. As I reach the band I am getting a little of a flavor I pull out of a lot of LFDs, that great dried fruit/raisin flavor. The whole profile has actually gotten much sweeter. Getting into the final third the sweetness has backed off and the profile has shifted again, this time to a darker and more leathery flavor with some of that raisin sticking around to balance it out. The strength is in the full range but isn't as strong as something like the LFD Double Ligero series. The burn has been great all the way through, never burning uneven or going out on me. At the very end it has gotten a little squishy though. 

I enjoyed the LFD Factory Press IV. It is a really unique cigar due to the format and it delivers plenty of flavor! Any fan of LFD should enjoy these when they have the time for something this large. These sell for around $13 and at that price I will probably pick up one or two more to have around and to see what a little time in the humidor does to the blend. 

La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro

This week's review is of the new LFD Colorado Oscuro! This semi-limited cigar comes in cabinet style boxes of 50 and is composed of an Ecuadorian Ligero Sumatra wrapper, Dominican Sumatra binder and a Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. I am smoking the no.4, which measures in at 5 1/4x54. 

The Colorado Oscuro is a nice oily cigar, not quite as dark as the Cabinet Oscuro line but more of a milk chocolate color. This is a very firm cigar when squeezed and seems to be very well constructed with a very flat cap. The aroma coming off the foot is light, much lighter than some of the other LFDs. All I am getting is a light cedar aroma. The prelight draw shows a perfect draw with some great barnyard flavors. Once lit this starts out with a rich woody flavor, a little spice and some bitter chocolate. There is a sweet component here as well, which balances out the woody characteristic and bitter chocolate. This doesn't seem to have the strength that some of the other LFDs do, which I am thankful for because I am smoking this right after a light breakfast. After the first inch the spice has disappeared and the woody flavor is still present but toned down. The bitter chocolate has turned into more of a mocha flavor now and the sweeetness has taken on a burnt sugar flavor. The construction on this cigar is amazing, the snowy white ash holds on strong and fell off at just over an inch and a half. The burnline has been razor sharp. 

At the halfway point I am really enjoying this cigar. As of right now I would put this as a solid medium bodied/strength cigar. The flavor profile really stands apart from the other LFDs. You know you are smoking an LFD product but this one seems to offer up some more complexity. I am almost at the band and suddenly a really tasty hazelnut flavor has joined the party. As the Colorado Oscuro winds down, the flavor is still quite tasty and the burn has been strait all the way through. The strength never climbed above medium. 

The La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro was great! I have smoked two of these now and they are probably one of my favorite releases from LFD. If I remember correctly, these are going to be released twice a year and I recommend tracking them down! The no.4 will cost you between $7.50 and $8 and is worth every penny.