La Flor de Cano Eligados SUL FEB 23 (FEBW1)

[TacoSauce]

La Flor de Cano Eligados (-): First time trying anything from this Marca. And apparently there is only one choice available. I bought these in a 3-pack in order to sample some of the less expensive CCs and waited until a year had elapsed on the box code before sampling.

Pre-light aroma and cold draw both have the typical hay & grass profile of most CC. After lighting, the cigar opens with a mild body. I immediately get a little salt, some cuban twang, and a light leather flavor. This core profile stays the same throughout, except that the body ramps up to a mild-medium by the end. It doesn't like to be smoked fast. Smoking fast (aka "normal" for me) results in an astringent/bitter woodiness that reminds me of some Dominican cigars. On the other hand, in the first two thirds, if I have the patience to set the cigar down and wait a full 90 seconds before the next draw, I am rewarded with a really nice sweet bread and jam flavor. It was nice to get those flavors out of this cigar, but you really had to be disciplined to achieve that. Once I hit the last inch and a half, the astringent wood flavor became the main experience and so I ended it there.

Vegueros comes to mind as the only other "inexpensive" long-filler option in the Habanos catalog. I think Vegueros is a better tasting cigar at a cheaper price point. This cigar will cost you about $1.23/gram, whereas the similarly sized Vegueros Centrofinos will only cost you $1.03/gram. Or better yet get some HUHC at $1.09/gram.

[NSXCIGAR]

2 hours ago, TacoSauce said:

Vegueros comes to mind as the only other "inexpensive" long-filler option

Just to clarify the Elegidos and all other regular production LFDC are short filler. 

[TacoSauce]

6 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Just to clarify the Elegidos and all other regular production LFDC are short filler. 

My mistake. I had assumed based on how long the ash lasted before it fell. It was impressive for a short filler. But the fact that it is short filler certainly does explain the flakiness of the ash and the temperamental response to a quicker smoking pace.

With this new knowledge I guess I need to compare this to other short filler CCs. I've only had a couple of JLPs. JLPs have way more flavor and I certainly rank them higher than the Flor de Cano. Quintero would be the other comparator, but I've not yet tried one of those.

I also note that these Eligados are priced just about the same as Fonseca No.1s (Fonseca 1s coming in at $1.26/gram). I have no idea why anyone would ever buy these Flor de Canos more than once.

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I just noticed that these showed up on 24-24. Rob's notes are spot on having just smoked my first of these: "Typical La Flor De Cano floral profile with maybe a touch of fruitiness.   These are short filler. Don’t expect the world and you won’t be disappointed. The box costs more than the cigars. They really have zero idea."

[wjs]

38 minutes ago, TacoSauce said:

I just noticed that these showed up on 24-24. Rob's notes are spot on having just smoked my first of these: "Typical La Flor De Cano floral profile with maybe a touch of fruitiness.   These are short filler. Don’t expect the world and you won’t be disappointed. The box costs more than the cigars. They really have zero idea."

I saw this same note and was most intrigued by the very last line. They have zero idea bc the box costs more than the cigars or whoever blended these has no idea?

[TacoSauce]

14 minutes ago, wjs said:

I saw this same note and was most intrigued by the very last line. They have zero idea bc the box costs more than the cigars or whoever blended these has no idea?

I think he is just poking fun that Habanos SA so often seems to do things that make very little sense. These cigars probably deserve to be bundled up like Quinteros or JLP more so than they deserve to be put into nice wooden boxes of 10s.

[NSXCIGAR]

I've had a few of these and they're definitely yard 'gar territory. Pretty much on par with Favoritos. The price in Cuba is reasonable. World price terrible. 

[TacoSauce]

9 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I've had a few of these and they're definitely yard 'gar territory. Pretty much on par with Favoritos. The price in Cuba is reasonable. World price terrible. 

Out of curiosity, how much do these cost in Cuba?

[NSXCIGAR]

14 hours ago, TacoSauce said:

Out of curiosity, how much do these cost in Cuba?

Price until last week was $3.40/stick. 

 

On 2/6/2024 at 2:30 PM, TacoSauce said:

I've only had a couple of JLPs. JLPs have way more flavor and I certainly rank them higher than the Flor de Cano.

If you can find JLP Petit Cetros they're one of my favorites and I think the best JLP by a country mile. New ones taste the same as 10 year old ones. They can hold their own with cigars like RGPE and any of the Duty Free specials like the HU and Punch Tubos. 

[TacoSauce]

7 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

If you can find JLP Petit Cetros they're one of my favorites and I think the best JLP by a country mile. New ones taste the same as 10 year old ones. They can hold their own with cigars like RGPE and any of the Duty Free specials like the HU and Punch Tubos. 

The JLPS I've had were either the full or petit Cazadores and Caballeros. I'll keep my eye out for the Centros in the future. Thanks!

[TacoSauce]

On 2/5/2024 at 6:45 PM, TacoSauce said:

On the other hand, in the first two thirds, if I have the patience to set the cigar down and wait a full 90 seconds before the next draw, I am rewarded with a really nice sweet bread and jam flavor. It was nice to get those flavors out of this cigar, but you really had to be disciplined to achieve that. Once I hit the last inch and a half, the astringent wood flavor became the main experience and so I ended it there.

One year later, I had the second stick from this 3-pack. The Lizards' recent episode reminded me that I needed a revisit. This one was loosely packed and (surprising for a CC) had a draw that was too easy. There was also a sharp stem that had emerged from the filler, piercing both the binder and wrapper. Thankfully it was near the head of the cigar so I could just press my finger over it when drawing to stop the leakage. The overall experience was much milder than the first tasting (mildest CC experience so far), and the wide-open draw prevented any good flavor development until the final third. Part way into the final third, the flavor ramped up to a mild-medium level and I got a nice combo of twang, hay and fruit. This only lasted for approx. 3/4 inch before I reached the end of the cigar. Despite the short-filler, the ash held on impressively during this smoke. 

Overall, I'm still not impressed with the experience.

One more to go from the 3-pack. Maybe I will revisit in 1 year's time.