Finding accurate information about this LFD stick is about as hard as finding the actual stick itself. I inquired at 3 cigar shops in 3 Tennessee cities and got nothing but questioning looks and "Do you mean the Factor Press?" No, I mean the Double Press, another special stick from Litto Gomez and his merry band of torcedores. I finally found it at Leaf and Ale in Knoxville, the 4th city (and 4th shop) I tried. As you might expect from a company with "Dominicana" in their name, the filler and binder here are Dominican. The wrapper has been a thing of controversy and confusion. It is an Ecuadorian Habano leaf which is the same varietal used for the Air Bender and Perfecto Habano, but not the same leaf used on the Salomon, Habano Corona and Small Batch, which is a Nicaraguan Habano. Since this stick came out near the end of last year, it may have served as a slight sneak-peak of the Air Bender...or maybe not. If the filler and binder blend is different, this application of the same leaf could be a totally different experience.
The Double Press is a great-looking chocolate bar of a cigar--top and sides are pressed flat with slightly rounded corners. It did remind me of a Factory Press, but not as sharp of corners. The wrapper had one flaw--a wart-like growth of a vein on the bottom just below the band; this was leaf anomaly that wouldn't be likely to occur in most cigars. Other than that it was slightly mottled but impeccably applied. From the wrapper I got some leather and barnyard notes; from the foot I got a little more barnyard along with some chocolate and sweet tobacco. The prelight draw was great and had a nice sweet chocolate flavor along with some hints of coffee and chili pepper.
Initial puffs gave up a heady, full-bodied smoke that had some nice chocolate along with some leather and licorice. There was a little bit of spice on the retrohale, but not too much. The first third of this Double Press shaped up to be remarkably smooth and featured a luxuriously oily, mouth-coating smoke that had the aforementioned chocolate as well as some dried fruit and coffee. Toward the end of the third I started to pick up some black pepper as well.
The second third was even more enjoyable than the first. A nice pepper spice was prevalent throughout along with a continuation of the chocolate and fruit flavors. There was also a nice earthy undertone and the smoke remained very full-bodied with a long finish. The burn line was almost perfectly straight and the ash held on for an inch or more most of the time.
The problem with a cigar like this is its limited nature. I enjoyed the Double Press from first sniff to last puff. It was creamy and smooth, full of body and flavor. The last third featured an increase of earth and coffee along with a decrease in the pepper, chocolate and fruit notes of earlier. It was a wonderful smoke that remained intriguing and challenging down to the nub. I would buy a box of these if I had the money today--and if they were readily available. But like any limited edition cigar, this one is destined to be but a very good memory unless Litto can be convinced to release them again. So...Litto, if you are reading this, consider this review to be a request to make more of these--they are simply one of the finest smokes you have produced! And to answer the question brought up earlier about this compared to the Air Bender...there are some similarities, but this one was even better.
Body: 10/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
Addendum: After posting this review I got a Tweet from @LFDcigars saying that the Double Press is indeed a regular production cigar. I got my wish before I even requested it. Thanks, Litto! Now if I could just find more stores that carried them...guess I'll just have to spring for a box later this year! :)
At a cigar event Litto Gomez himself chose this cigar to smoke. 'nuff said. This is a great smoke worth twice it's price.
ReplyDelete