La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull CRA

📌 Brand: La Flor Dominicana
📌 Line: Andalusian Bull (CRA Edition)
📌 Size: Figurado (6 1/2" × 52/64)
📌 Weight: 25.8 g
📌 Age: 4 years
📌 Origin: Dominican Republic

Tasting Notes

• Black Pepper – Dominant and forceful

• Dark Cocoa – Present but inconsistent

• Mineral Earth – Chalky, drying mid-palate

• Charred Wood – Rises as balance slips

First Impressions

The dramatic figurado shape is beautifully presented with a dark, oily Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper. Pre-light aroma shows pepper, cocoa, and earth. Cold draw is fine at the foot, hinting at power rather than finesse.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Strong start with pepper and dark cocoa. Smoke is dense and flavorful. Burn initially behaves.

• Second Third – Problems begin halfway: burn line wavers, draw tightens unevenly, and the profile turns sharp. First correction needed.

• Final Third – Pepper spikes and charred wood take over. Flavors feel unbalanced and harsh. Requires multiple touch-ups to reach the finish.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Cognac Frapin Château Fontpinot XO - Concentrated dried fruit, rancio, and polished oak bring sweetness and structure to counter the cigar’s aggressive pepper and harsh edges.

• Tea – Nepal Panchthar Black Tea - Smooth, lightly fruity, and low in astringency — chosen to soften mineral dryness and reset the palate after corrections.

Music Pairing

“Rio Ancho” – Vicente Amigo
Precision and emotion offering contrast to the cigar’s imbalance.

Final Thoughts

The Andalusian Bull shows why it’s admired for power and presence, but this sample loses control halfway through. Burn instability, repeated corrections, and rising harshness derail what starts as a promising smoke.

Final Score: 6/10
Why not a 10?
Midpoint burn failure, multiple corrections, and an unbalanced, harsh final stretch prevented cohesion and refinement.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.