La Flor Dominicana

History
La Flor Dominicana is made by the Tabacalera La Flor S.A., a company which was founded in Santiago, Dominican Republic in 1996. The owner and founder of the company, Litto Gomez Gomez, has been called by Cigar Aficianado “the most innovative mind int eh cigar business.” This compliment was well earned by Litto’s ability to change misfortune into great fortune. He was once a jeweler with a store in Miami. His store was robbed at gunpoint, and he lost almost ½ a million dollars in jewels. Gomez moved to the Dominican Republic, bought a 120 acre farm, and founded Tabacalera La Flor S.A. There, he began to make cigars under the brand name Los Libertadores. Gomez says it took him about 15 to 20 years to perfect the brand and make it what it is today.

Originally, Gomez’s company grew only binder and filler. However, in 2002 a second 40 acre farm was purchased to produce Corojo and Sumatra sun shade tobacco for wrappers. The company is expected to produce 4 million cigars in the near future.

Process
Gomez insists on quality. Plants are cleaned of the suckers that grow between the leaves and the stems. This is done four times for all one million plants on the farm before they are harvested. When the plants flower, workers strip off the flowers to ensure that the leaves fully develop. Another thing that Tabacalera La Flor S.A. does is to put more space between plants in order to make sure they get more wind and sun on their leaves. This gives the leaves more muscle and a thicker leaf.

Obviously, such measures do limit production of tobacco quantity. But then again, this is about quality, not quantity. This limitation has actually become a strength for La Flor Dominicana. Other tobaccos from other regions have been combined with Gomez’s tobaccos to produce some of the most satisfying blends in the world. La Flor Dominicana cigars are also aged a great deal longer than other premium cigar brands. This brings out complex flavors in the cigars. Like many premium brands, all La Flor Dominicana cigars are hand-rolled and go through a very thorough inspection that guarantees the very best premium cigar quality.

Reputation
Because these are considered a very high quality, fine cigar, La Flor Dominicana is not a brand you find just anywhere. Gomez is selective about his retailers. The balance between availability and reputation, however, has not inflated the price. You can enjoy one of the best cigars in the world at an affordable investment. They are never as much as some of the so-called super premium brands on the market that can cost a small fortune for a single smoke.