Summary
Characteristics
Origin: Nicaragua;
Smoking time: about 75 minutes;
Packaging: single, pack of three, a box of twenty;
Price: $7.5 per stick, $24.55 per pack, $156.60 per box.
Wrapper: Sun Grown Nicaraguan;
Blinder: Nicaraguan;
Filler: Nicaraguan;
Size: 6×52;
Vitola: Toro;
Wrapper Color: Colorado;
Construction: Even, Inconsistent between different cigars;
Handmade: Yes.
Strength: Medium-Full;
Body: Medium-Full;
Aroma: Graham cracker with a subtle sweetness;
Initial taste: Wood, Honey;
First third: Light cedar, Nuts, Honey, Toasty finish;
Second third: Earth, Nuts, Brown sugar sweetness, Lemon zest, Toast;
Final third: Earth, Nuts, Brown sugar sweetness, lemon zest.
Smoking Hub Rating: 4.0;
Awards and Ranking: Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of 2012.
Draw: Ideal;
Burn: Cool;
Smoke: Rich, Smooth;
Ash: Silvery white, A little flaky.
A cigar with an unmistakably beautiful band. Satisfying smoke with lots of cedar, nuts, and sweetness in it. Suitable for morning or after-lunch, afternoon smoking sessions.
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Origin, Blend, and Vitolas
Flor de las Antillas was introduced in 2012 and received a 96-point rating and Cigar Aficionado’s “#1 Desired Cigar of the Year ” that same year. Flor de las Antillas represents Cuba, which is the largest island in the Antillas region. The handmade blend by father-and-son cigar makers Pepin and Jaime Garcia has a smooth character from start to finish that produces beauteous white ash. Industry critics describe it as “Delicious from the first puff, with notes of nutmeg, white pepper, and just enough strength without being overpowering. They are hard to put down.”
The blend features all Nicaraguan tobacco with sun-grown wrapper tobacco.
The available vitolas are Belicoso, Robusto, Toro, Toro Gordo, Toro Grande, and Tubo.
We smoked 6×52 Toro for this Flor de las Antillas review to see if they are great cigars.
On the market
The cigars are available in 5-pack, boxes of 20, and single sticks.
Appearance
Flor de las Antillas can be recognized by its oily, reddish-brown wrapper made from Nicaraguan tobacco. The wrapper color is Colorado, also known as EMS (English Market Selection). These cigars are soft box pressed. Famous for their magnificent ornate band and burgundy foot band.
Pre-Light Draw, Aroma, Taste
The smell of the Flor de las Antillas before lighting is graham cracker with a subtle sweetness. We cut about 2/8 inches off the head of the cigar. The draw before lighting is ideal.
First Third
The first puff after lighting the cigar is light cedar without bitter notes. The taste is a bit lighter than usual for My Father’s cigars. On retrohale, you taste spice and a lot of creaminess.
As the first third progress, a light cedar flavor dominates with some dark wood, nut, and honey notes. There is a pronounced toast finish. There is a peppery spice with lots of sweet notes on the retrohale. The peppery kick weakens a bit towards the end of the first third.
Second Third
In the second third, the flavor changes completely. Here it’s soft earthy flavors, nuts, the sweetness of brown sugar, and some lemon zest. On the retrohale, you get spices, but not as peppery as in the first third. While smoking, there are issues with the smoke on some cigars. It becomes difficult to pull the smoke out of the cigar. To solve this problem, it helps to relight the cigar.
Final Third
Between the second and the final third, there is no change in flavors and aromas. The same woody and spicy notes. This consistency is not bad or boring. The profile of the cigars is well balanced, making this a pleasant cigar. It took about an hour and a quarter to finish smoking.
Ash
The silvery white ash is holding to about an inch. The ash is a little flaky.
Burn
The burn is wavy and uneven on some of the cigars we smoked, but it corrects itself as we smoke. There are some inconsistencies in the construction of the cigars. Some tend to burn down faster than others. During the second third, the burn becomes hotter.
Smoke
The smoke is rich and smooth. With some cigars, there is a problem with drawing smoke out of the cigars. This is again due to the constriction of the cigar.
What Drink and Food Pairs Well with the Flor de las Antillas
You should know that almost any cigar goes well with coffee, including this one. Among alcoholic options, beer like Guinness is a good choice.
Cigar Smoked for This Review and Tasting Methodology
We smoked 9 cigars Flor de las Antillas, Toro, 6×52 for this review. Each of us smoked three cigars for three days. You know, one cigar per day. For the test, we paired the cigar with water so as not to affect the flavors. Two out of nine cigars had problems burning. And that’s why our team needed a third round of this blend to pass judgment on the construction of Flor de las Antillas.
Final Verdict
Like the other sticks from My Father’s cigars, this one is a wonderful cigar that you will be impatient to light up. It features a band that is like out of an art gallery, absolute fine art.
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