I liked the last La Flor Dominicana cigar that I reviewed so much that I picked up another one. The last one, the L-400 from the Ligero series, was a straight up no-holds-barred toro with a sweet and toasty personality. The next contender turns it up a notch. Even though it’s a much smaller size, at 5 by 44, it’s a powerhouse.

Like the L-400 the DL Chiselito is composed of Dominican filler and binder. The natural version has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, but the maduro is Connecticut broadleaf. The chisel is a pyramid, but rolled in a unique way so that the head is flat, like the bit on a clarinet. The preferred way to open a Chisel is with a punch applied to one side of the flat end . This kind of opening provides a conduit similar to the P-lip on some Peterson “system” pipes where the smoke is delivered directly to the palate instead of back into the throat. A fascinating innovation.

The leaves for the Double Ligero cigars are from the “sixth priming” of the plant, the ligero or medio tiempo leaves that are left to ripen and soak up all the nutrients after the lower primings have been picked clean. This must make one ugly looking field of tobacco, but it also makes one hell of a strong cigar.

The chiselito is a little too small for a punch cut, so I opted to simply shear off the tip.

Among refined cigar smokers there is a conventional nomenclature assigned to descriptions of strength. Among these gentlemen (and ladies) of taste it is proper to use the term “full body” or “medium body” but not “strong”. There is a good reason for this, actually, since a cigar may be relatively mild in body but pack a powerful nicotine punch, or vice versa. Such conventions may be thrown out the window with regard to the Double Ligero. This sucker is just strong.

The first taste is of maduro, a rich chocolate sweetness. The next puff brings a little bitterness with the chocolate. And then blammo! And more blammo! This little figurado is full flavored, full bodied, and strong. After the first third I am wondering how far I can go with this stick.

The construction is spot on. No problems whatsoever, which is a feat in and of itself with a shape this unusual. And it’s a little beauty of a cigar. The wrapper is an oily visual treat.

But this little treasure is a little too rich for me. I suspected it would be, even though I favor full bodied cigars. The flavor intensifies into a full bore inferno, super rich tobacco flavor, bittersweet chocolate, and a nice helping of gunpowder. But at last I am defeated. I ended up setting it to rest at the half way point as my stomach began to churn.

This is quite a cigar, but not for everyone. I really like this shape though, so I hope LFD uses it again, perhaps with a less thundering blend.