La Flor Dominicana Reserva Especial Toro 24

A blend that traces back to the 1990s, Reserva Especial proves that a Connecticut Shade wrapper doesn't have to mean a mild cigar. Underneath its light, waxy leaf sits a construction built specifically to deliver genuine LFD complexity and strength, just from a completely different direction than the brand's more famous ligero-forward lines.

The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper here is light brown with a subtle sheen, and on its own it might suggest an easygoing, creamy smoke. But Reserva Especial layers a Nicaraguan binder underneath that wrapper, chosen specifically for its rich, distinctive character, along with a Dominican Piloto Cubano long-filler grown on La Flor Dominicana's own farm. The combination produces a cigar that reviewers consistently describe as deceptively powerful: not a mellow, one-note Connecticut, but a medium to full-bodied smoke that builds in intensity and complexity as it progresses, all while staying genuinely smooth rather than harsh.

The flavor arc here is one of the more layered in the entire LFD portfolio. Pre-light, the aroma carries earth and spice. Once lit, the cigar opens with pepper, faint florals, cedar, and a distinct nuttiness, often compared to cashews, sitting alongside a caramel and molasses-like sweetness in the background. As the smoke progresses through the second third, woody and earthy notes take over with a continued but less pronounced nuttiness. By the final third, licorice becomes the dominant flavor, closing out on a woodsy, lengthening finish with a touch of nut still present. Cinnamon, cumin, toasted nuts, and cardamom have all been noted alongside a brief green apple fruitiness before the cigar settles into its bolder, full-bodied final character of pepper, minerals, and leather. At 6 x 54, this Toro gives that entire progression room to unfold properly across a full-length session.

Browse the full premium cigar selection at Smokenza or explore all tobacco products in the catalog.

Flavor progression:

1. Opening: pepper, faint florals, cedar, and cashew-like nuttiness, with caramel and molasses sweetness lingering in the background alongside notes of cinnamon and cardamom
2. Mid-smoke: woody and earthy notes take over, with a continued but less defined nuttiness and a brief green apple fruitiness
3. Close: licorice becomes dominant, giving way to bolder notes of pepper, minerals, and leather on a lengthening woodsy finish

Key Features

1. Brand: La Flor Dominicana
2. Line: Reserva Especial (original blend dates to the 1990s)
3. Master Blender: Litto Gomez
4. Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A., Santiago, Dominican Republic
5. Tobacco Farm: La Canela, Dominican Republic
6. Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
7. Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
8. Binder: Nicaragua
9. Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano (estate-grown)
10. Construction: Handmade, double-banded
11. Vitola: Toro
12. Size: 6 inches x 54 ring gauge
13. Strength: Medium to Full
14. Flavor Profile: Pepper, cedar, cashew, caramel, molasses, cinnamon, cardamom, licorice, wood, earth, leather, minerals
15. Box Count: 24 cigars
16. Price per Cigar: approximately $10.50