La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel (6x54)

A word or apology right off the bat for two different items. First and foremost it has been since November since I last posted here and for that I am truly sorry. I have a bunch of posts I intend to get posted here in the next few weeks as I seek to resume what I find to be relaxing, smoking cigars and telling the stories that go along with them.

The second item for which I owe an apology is that early on in this blog I promised not to use stock photography for my posts, however in this case I must be honest and state that I got so caught up in the events of enjoying this cigar, I simply forgot to take a picture or two to remember the actual cigar by.

I trust you will find it in your hearts to forgive me.

OK, we now have that out of the way. For your consideration today I offer up what might possibly be the best cigar I will smoke this year. How you might ask could I possible make so bold a statement with only one month under our feet in 2011?

Well, for me I can answer that honestly and poignantly in stating that the subject of today's cigar story, the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel (LFDDLC) was a cigar I enjoyed with my son Ethan outside of our local cigar bar Stogies in Franklin TN. Alright, let's deal with the legal here for a minute. In the State of Tennessee no person under the age of 21 can be inside any establishment that allows smoking. I brought my son here (he is 4 1/2) and we sat on the outside patio and he enjoyed ice cream while I enjoyed the cigar.

Spending time like this with my son was AWESOME. Yes, we have sat around the patio at home and enjoyed a cigar while he played around, however on numerous occasions he has asked me to take him to Stogies and in fact one time argued with me stating that we had eaten lunch there together.

Sunday afternoon a week ago allowed us the opportunity and the weather to sit outside. We had elected to go out together for ice cream, he was insistent on Cold Stone, however when we arrived the store was closed with a sign in the window announcing the news. We then elected to head to a place called Nucci's for Italian Ice and Gelato and they were closed as well. We were now 2 for 2 so I suggested we go to a third ice cream place and instead of eating our ice cream there getting it to go and heading over to Stogies where I could enjoy a cigar while he enjoyed his ice cream.

He was excited at the proposition and the plan was firmed up.

Upon leaving the ice cream place he asked in excitement several times how long until we get to Stogies. It only took 5 minutes or so but I imagine in his 4-year old mind it must have seemed like hours. We arrived and promptly claimed a table by the door, I ducked inside for a moment to grab a cigar and a drink and returned to sit with him outside - him enjoying his ice cream and me the LFDDLC.

The chisel tip is a spectacular shape, I was able to get a pretty even cut across the head, and while I expected the draw to be firm it was in fact very easy and with a few puffs I had a great well lit foot generating a lot of smoke and flavor. While a double ligero is not for the faint of heart, this cigar was very smooth demonstrating no harsh edges and while full flavored, it never overpowered the palate.

The flavor profile really suggested a strong coffee, at times almost similar to biting into a freshly roasted coffee bean. The flavor definitely developed as you held the smoke in your mouth becoming more intense and rich. From time to time when I enjoy a cigar I will let my son blow through the cigar to create some smoke, and this cigar was no exception with his several times requesting to puff through the cigar. The only request I made of him was that he wipe his lips with his napkin as I didn't want the flavor from his strawberry ice cream to be transferred from his lips to my cigar, and he obliged me while enjoying creating smoke and "sharing" a cigar with his father.

The temperature outside started to fall as the patio became shrouded in shade, and the cigar certainly would not last forever, so with about an inch or so left I elected to retire the cigar to the ashtray. My son quickly grabbed the still smoking cigar and proceeded to puff through it 3 or 4 times before I was able to get it away from him.

He of course thought this was funny, and quite honestly so did I. If that makes me a bad parent, so be it, but what I do know is that the memories made that Sunday afternoon are ones that will last a lifetime. Ethan requests to go to Stogies almost every time we pass by it, and I have promised him as it warms up further we again will spend an afternoon on the patio there, just father and son enjoying the very things cigars do best, bringing people together to relax and just enjoy life.

As for the LFDDLC, I will without a doubt smoke this cigar again, most likely on my next visit to Stogies. For me it will define a moment in life that I will cherish for a longtime if not forever. Whether or not my son ever decides to smoke cigars, the time we had together that afternoon is one that I would not trade for anything in this world. Upon getting home I told my wife that Ethan and I needed more daddy son time, and the ability to sit, relax and just talk - even though it was topics important to a 4-year old, is time I truly enjoyed and can't wait to repeat. I know if you ask Ethan about the experience he will tell you how much fun he had at Stogies as well.

Until we smoke again...