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Stogie Reviews: Coronado by La Flor Corona Especial Maduro

15 Sep 2009

Litto Gomez’s Coronado by La Flor made quite a splash when it was introduced. The full-flavored smoke earned many accolades, including a five-stogie rating and the number two spot on Cigar Aficionado‘s 2006 list of Top 25 Cigars.

Coronado by La Flor MaduroLitto, known for innovations like the chisel shape, is constantly experimenting with limited edition smokes. This maduro-wrapped edition of the Coronado is the result of one such experiment. According to the shops that carry it, only 83 boxes of 24 will ever be made—making the two cigars I sampled for this review more than 1/1,000th of the total run.

The cigars come in only one size: a 5 and 7/8 inch by 47 ring gauge Corona Especial. They retail for $10 each and are only available at a handful of shops. In fact, I’ve only seen them at two B&Ms: Jack Schwarz and Arnold’s.

The Dominican-made smokes feature an Ecuadorian maduro wrapper. The wrapper is dark, slightly reddish, and rustic with a many visible veins. Underneath is the same Dominican filler and Dominican corojo binder from the normal Coronado line. Pre-light, the cigar gives off a fantastic cherry aroma.

The Corona Especial starts with a burst strength. There are chocolate, nut,  and warm tobacco flavors, resulting in an intense full-bodied smoke. By the midway point it mellowed slightly with some nutty notes emerging. Later, it picks up again when a strong peppery spice comes to the forefront.

Even though they’re both flavorful cigars, the maduro version is not as balanced or nuanced as its natural counterpart. This blend does, however, give off a pleasant aroma of licorice and cherries.

Then there were the construction issues (notably uncharacteristic of Litto Gomez smokes) that just shouldn’t happen  in a $10 cigar. One sample had a straight burn but required multiple re-lights. The other sample needed multiple touch-ups to fix persistent canoeing.

All in all, the Coronado Maduro is quite a mixed bag. It has a unique and interesting combination of deep, intense flavors, yet serious construction issues and an occasional lack of  balance. That’s why the Coronado by La Flor Corona Especial Maduro earns three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

2 Responses to “Stogie Reviews: Coronado by La Flor Corona Especial Maduro”

  1. Cigar Palace Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 1:15 pm #

    About the re lights it happened with me when I smoked a chisel maduro I purchased recently.

    It maybe an issue in the maduros line.

    Nice review

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