Back in November, I purchased the 5-pack "Los Perfectos Sampler" from La Flor Dominicana, which featured special 5.625 x 54 ring gauge samples of 5 cigars in a special perfecto shape, not normally made by LFD. Included were the Ligero Cabinet, Coronado, 2 Undisclosed "Mystery" blends and this Double Ligero, which is the last one I have from the set. Since this is most likely the one and only time in my life that I will get the opportunity to smoke this, I thought I should record it, if only for my own benefit. I later struggled with whether or not to post this as a regular cigar review in the Tuesday/Friday rotation, for reasons I will explain later; in the end I decided it should be recorded, but as an extra "special" review not in the regular rotation.Prelight, the aroma was mostly cedar, probably owing to the long time spent in the custom-made box it came in as well as the time it spent outside that box in my humidor; these shipped without a cello wrapper, so they would absorb that aroma even more than usual. The appearance is very similar to what you get in one of the regular-release Double Ligero cigars: veins that can be seen more than felt, a little oiliness and a little toothiness. In my hand I thought I could feel that the perfecto was "perfectly" round and rolling it on my desk confirmed that suspicion. Not terribly important overall, but interesting--an imperfect perfecto. The prelight draw was easy and had flavors of coffee with some spiciness.
The cigar lit easily for a Double Ligero, no doubt due mostly to the smaller surface area that needed to be lit. After lighting, it displayed the familiar full body of an LFD DL stick with flavors of coffee and roasted nuts, along with a considerable amount of spice on the finish. I decided to enjoy this cigar with some Russell's Reserve bourbon and, as usual, enjoyed the pairing. The sweetness of the whiskey enhanced those underlying sweet notes in the cigar and the spiciness of the cigar went well with the alcohol "bite."
One thing I've come to expect from the DL line of cigars is full-body and power and this cigar did not disappoint on either count. It does seem to display more spice than the DL-Chisel, although the strength is probably lower than that cigar, but this could be simply the presence of less tobacco overall. After close to half the cigar the coffee flavors held up well and some cocoa notes popped up from time to time. It was a great cigar...but...
To be honest, the flavor profile is not so different from other sticks in the LFD DL line. I paid over $50 for this set of 5 cigars, which puts this stick above $10, and I'm just not sure it would be worth that price if it were not part of a special-size and shape sampler pack that was a one-time-only release. That fact gives it some exclusivity, which is kind of fun, but I can't see buying more than one of these packs because the same flavors are available every day for a buck or two per stick less at your local B&M. The bottom line is I loved the flavor, but that's normal for LFD DL cigars; I have no regrets about buying this sampler pack, but I would not purchase a second one.
Body: 9/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 9/10
Not for lightweights I suspect, but an old pro like me could handle it:)
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