Blind Cigar Review: Hoja de Flores | Autentico Maduro Torpedo

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 6.25″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Corojo 2006 Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera Carbonell
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5 —– Sandeep (Djangos) Dave (mdwest) Gregg (McGreggor57) Ron (shuckins) Brian (B-daddy)
Price: $12.00
Age: 2 Months Rest
Release Date: July 2013
Contributed by: La Hoja Cigar Co.

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 94

“A very nice looking torpedo. Fairly smooth with a medium amount of tooth. Consistent medium brown color and a well applied cap.” –Dave (mdwest)

Aroma: 93

“A rich sweetness and hay aroma. Some soapiness to it too. The sweetness is distinctly of birch beer. Haven’t smelled that scent in years.” –Brian (B-daddy)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The cigar starts off with a blast of black and red pepper that ramps up quickly over the next half inch. The pepper is so strong in a few puffs that it drowns a lot of the other flavors. Over the next half inch or so the pepper begins to die down some and then the flavors of leather and tobacco become more apparent. There are not many sweet flavors to be had in this first third. The burn and draw are almost perfect throughout the length of the third. The ash is white grey and holds for about an inch before falling off. The smoke is slightly wispy to start off with but quickly becomes more creamy and voluminous. The cigar is promising except I would have preferred a little less pepper that would not drown out the rest of the flavors.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“Strong black roasted coffee with leather begin this cigar with a mild toast spice on the retrohale. Wet hay tones down the coffee a bit and smooths out the leather. A hint of allspice has entered the picture. About an inch in, the little bit of spice on the retro has disappeared. A solid flavorful tobacco makes up the background of this third. These mild flavors are working well together.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Second Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Cedar, nutmeg and some allspice have changed the initial flavor profile of the cigar. The draw is a bit loose and smoke production down. I’m hesitant to draw too hard for fear of pulling in some harshness. An occasional buttery leather is a welcome addition, keeping the brighter spice flavors in check. Light coffee begins to show through at the halfway mark blending with the spices creating somewhat of a holiday bouquet of flavors.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“The pepper toned down a little more, although the cedar is still spicy tasting. The coffee flavor is more up front and has been joined by a touch of leather. The tobacco has a musty after taste that reminds me of old hay.” –Ron (shuckins)

Final Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The further I get into this stick, the stronger it continues to grow. As I start the final third, it has fully entered the “strong” range in strength. A pretty one dimensional stick flavor wise. I have not detected any changes or the entry of any new flavors since the first third.” –Dave (mdwest)

“Well, after a complete relight, this cigar has made a little bit of a recovery. Some sweet, albeit mild, tobacco flavors coming through in the final third. A little baking spice in there too. I’m getting a little bit of a strength kick, which is surprising given the light body and intermittently sparse smoke output. Gets mushy and hot pretty early.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 92

“A bit loose but not so much that the flavors were hidden.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Burn: 88

“This stick took a good while to burn. No touch ups were required and the burn line stayed relatively straight the entire smoke. Nice performance.” –Dave (mdwest)

Construction: 94

“Obviously well built, this stick was firm and consistently packed from end to end. The cap was expertly placed, and the wrapper appeared to be seamless.” –Dave (mdwest)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Overall Experience: 88

“Had it not been for the one dimensional flavor profile, the cigar would have scored much higher than this. The harshness that I experienced in the second and final thirds was also quite unpleasant. The strength was a welcome feature. Unfortunately not something that I would go seeking for.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“A bit one dimensional for such a long smoke. It took a little under 2 hours to complete this stick. With no changes in profile it got a little bit boring for me after a while. It wasnt a bad cigar at all. The flavors presented were nice, and the smoke was smooth and creamy. It just didnt do a whole lot to keep my attention along the way.” –Dave (mdwest)

“I really enjoyed this mild, but flavorful cigar. There were a lot of nuances that kept it interesting with some much appreciated subtle flavor changes. Nothing was overpowering and all of the flavors worked in harmony.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“A very interesting cigar that started off a bit rustic, but ended on a powerful note.” –Ron (shuckins)

“Some interesting and unique (bordering on weird) flavors in this one. Just not a lot of flavor to this cigar. Also suffered from performance problems (inconsistent burn) throughout. I don’t think I’ll smoke this again.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 82

Total Score: 90 (Very Good)

Edit

Reviewer	Appea-rance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall
Sandeep	95	93	90	88	88	97	97	95	88
Dave	93	88	90	90	90	90	92	93	90
Gregg	97	95	95	95	95	90	88	95	95
Ron	95	93	88	88	88	95	85	93	88
Brian	88	93	90	85	88	92	80	88	83
Overall	94	93	90	88	88	92	88	94	88

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Hoja de Flores | Autentico Maduro Torpedo