La Gloria Cubana Reserve Figurados were introduced by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo in 2004 as a limited edition cigar. Only two master rollers, hand picked by Ernesto for their superior skills, are assigned to the Reserve Figurados. The tobaccos for this line are aged for three months in specially designed cedar bins to impart an extra spiciness — and then they are aged for three months further in the box.

The line was expanded in 2005 to include two maduro wrapped cigars — the Regalias Perfectos, and the Felicias Maduro pictured above. These are the only two sizes wrapped in Connecticut broadleaf maduro, but they are also available in Ecuador grown Sumatra.

The size is 4 5/8 by 49, a small but beautiful figurado reminiscent of Fuente’s Hemingway Short Story. The wrapper on this cigar is rich with oil and smells good enough to eat. So good in fact that I think I’m going to give you a close up:

The name “Felicia” is a tribute to Ernesto’s mother. You know she has to be proud of her son. It’s a beautiful cigar, and a testament to the fine art of cigar rolling.

Like most LGCs this one is made in the Dominican Republic. The binder is Nicaraguan, and the filler is a Nicaraguan-Dominican blend. The prelight draw is tight due to the perfecto foot — once this burns off the draw is also perfecto.

The initial taste is peppery, sharp but not strong. There is a little bit of a bite. The aroma is of sweet wood — cedar, almost piney. A few minutes later there’s some sweetness from the maduro, and a bit later some sulfur. The aroma remains true to its cedary base.

I picked this cigar tonight because I wanted something fairly short. By 8:30 it had cooled down outside to about 107 degrees from the 114 during the day. It wasn’t a double corona kind of evening, by my standards anyway. Even so, this cigar lasted a good 45 minutes. My only gripe is that it burned a little hot toward the end, but by that time the coal was touching the band anyway and it was time to go in and cool off.

The aftertaste is rich and chocolatey — strangely similar to the scent of the cigar in a pre-lit state. So in this way it comes full circle. A very nice smoke. I’d really like to try the larger Regalias sometime, perhaps in the fall when the desert is a little more cigar friendly.

I received this smoke as part of a sampler trade on Club Stogie. Thanks Bonggoy!

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.

With the temperatures hovering in the 105 degree range after a weekend that was even hotter, I find myself gravitating toward smaller cigars. If I can manage to sneak out late at night, a larger cigar is still worth contemplating, but during the week that’s not so easy to accomplish. So I’ve been smoking the little guys, or the first half of cheaper cigars like the Pirate’s Gold that are only good for the first half anyway.

The London Club measures 5 x 40 and comes in an Ecuadoran grown wrapper in the EMS or a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro. The binder in both EMS and maduro is Connecticut broadleaf, and the filler is a combination of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican piloto cubano. Now how they get all that into a cigar with a 40 ring gauge (if in fact they do), I’m not sure.

A pretty cigar it is not — but good looks are not really a priority here. if you’re out on the town trying to impress the crowd with a $1.50 petite corona, you might want to reconsider your choice of cigar.

The roll on this stick is firm to the touch, and the prelight draw is a little tight. It lights up easily on a single match and opens with a strong taste of sweet rich maduro. There’s plenty of smoke here despite its diminutive stature. After a few puffs the taste becomes a little grassy with some earthy tones.

I sometimes find myself pulling a little hard and little too often on smaller cigars. The end result is a hot burn and an inferior taste. Smoked properly, puffing once or twice a minute, this cigar should last a good half hour and taste like it should. The foundation of earth and grass will become bitter and overly tannic if smoked too quickly.

The London Club is made in Cofradia, Honduras in the Honduras American Tobacco S.A. (HATSA/Villazon) factory, as are the other classic Villazon cigars like the Hoyo de Monterrey, Bolivar, et al.

This little guy has all the same flavor as its big brothers, and nearly as good construction. I’ve had a few in the past with very tight draws, but recently they’ve been much better. I prefer the maduro in this size, but both flavors are decent cigars, if just a little bit temperamental. Be kind to them, and they’ll be kind to you.