Sampling the Cigar of the Year, The Andalusian Bull

We are proud to announce The Andalusian Bull is here to join our portfolio of worldly cigars.

 Founder of La Flor Dominicana, Litto Gomez, created this cigar with absolute perfection in mind. It shines with distinction, yet hasn’t much market history as it only came out last year.

 As an outsider to the cigar industry, Gomez came onto the scene after being noted for his unusual cigar shapes and his attention to detail when creating these incredible bands.

 Every aspect of the Andalusian Bull’s band is steeped in hidden meanings; the writing is Pablo Picasso’s handwriting, the name itself is a nod to where Gomez was born. The Matador silhouette celebrates the history of bullfighting in Andalusia; the green shade is close to that found on the Andalusian flag, and the scroll work is that found on a bullfighter’s cape. Continuing this fashion of detail, the Andalusian Bull is a beautiful stogie visually, and we can tell you, a real pleasure to smoke.

 This cigar binder and filler is from the Dominican Republic and its wrapper from Ecuador, which is what gives it the stunning almost terracotta colouring. Due to its tapering shape, once in hand, it conveys a sense of power and means business. We advise lighting this one with a cedar spill to give it the respect it demands.

 A few puffs into the stogie and the palate is lavished by a glorious woody flavour, a spicy, almost cedar/hickory taste. The first third intrigues the palate with a mild black pepper finish. As we get stuck into the second third, the characteristics really start to change, and the cigar noticeably gets stronger. The spicy cedar lays down to a more leathery and earthy character. The taste of leather is often a difficult one to distinguish in a cigar, but La Flor Dominicana stogies never miss a beat when it comes to fulfilling that part of the taste spectrum.

 As expected, in the final third the leather and cedar break even perfectly with the black pepper as a finish. This stogie lives up to its title at No.1 as it is well balanced with delightful, earthy flavours.

 If we could sum the Andalusian Bull in one word, it would have to be illustrious. Construction is flawless which isn’t always the case with large ring gauged stogies with peculiar shapes. On drawing the cigar, it produces thick, silky plumes of silvery smoke that makes the entire experience complete.

 The stogie takes about two hours to enjoy so it would make a fantastic celebratory gift. As mentioned before, holding the cigar makes you feel like you have just conquered something, so enjoy it yourself as a celebration of achievement, even if that’s just getting through a day in the office. We advise pairing it with a good smoky Scotch or black coffee.