The La Flor Dominicana Mysterio comes in a natural and an oscuro version. Essentially the natural has Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper with oscuro tips while the Oscuro line has the same wrapper but this time, it has gone through the oscuro process. Both versions come in very appealing gift boxes of 5, making them relatively affordable as a box purchase. I have smoked a few of both wrappers before with varying amounts of age/rest on them however, the review is based on a recent purchase of the Mysterio Oscuro version. In case you have not seen how an Oscuro wrapper is made, here’s an informal 30 second video of Litto Gomez showing LFD cigars reps in Dominican Republic. (Special thanks goes out to John Carney from LFD; you can follow him on twitter @lfdcarney.)
Above: Picture of Mysterio courtesy of LFD going through the different stages of the bunching process.
4/23/2012
La Flor Dominicana Mysterio Oscuro
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro
Binder/Filler: Dominican
Size: 7 x 54
Vitola: Perfecto
MSRP: $15-16.50
Smoke Time: 2hr 15min
Drink: Water
Days In Humidor: 14 days
Location: Tasty Tobacco Shop
Construction/Appearance:
The Mysterio Oscuro has a beautiful wrapper that varies somewhat in color but is very shiny and rich dark chocolatey. The pigtail on the cigar is one of the best I have ever seen especially when you see how tightly wrapped and firm it is on the head. The wrapper itself is fairly toothy with a few spots that lined up going around the cigar. Nothing that might influence the performance of the cigar and you expect some of this on a perfecto vitola . The Mysterio Oscuro has solid weight behind it thought it felt slightly unbalanced as it sat on the ash tray. The LFD Ligero band came off without any issues at all probably because it doesn’t conform to the cigar. That might bother other people but as long as the band doesn’t damage the cigar and still looks right, I don’t have a problem. All in all, the La Flor Dominicana Mysterio Oscuro is one of the most appealing cigars that I have ever seen from the Oscuro wrapper to the almost impeccable construction.
Burn/Draw:
It took me about a minute or so of deciding where to make the cut across the head. As you can see from the pictures, it is very narrow and yet you don’t want to take too much off for fear of damaging the wrapper. The cold draw was tight which I expected on a perfecto vitola but lighting the cigar was very easy to cover the entire foot. The burn on the cigar started out initially wavy but soon corrected itself in the first inch and stayed consistent all the way through. The draw was semi tight and never completely opened up though I don’t believe it affected the flavors of the cigar. The Mysterio Oscuro gave off a large amount of smoke considering the size and the ash was firm for sometimes up to 2 inches. I didn’t notice any flaking and it had a nice salt/pepper color.
Flavor/Aroma:
The aroma from the wrapper has a mix of cedar and floral notes while the foot is different, reminding me of chocolate and nuts. The cold draw is chocolaty and the initial draw has a leathery and spicy combination. The flavors feel fresh or sharp though this transitions well into the first third. The first section has notes of leather and earth with a smooth buttery sensation in between. I noticed this on almost all of the draws in the first half. The strength feels like a medium bodied and essentially sits there at least for the most part of the cigar experience.
In the second third, the Mysterio Oscuro feels a bit more smooth. There is a sweetness interjecting itself in the flavor profile similar to chocolate milk and then switching to dark chocolate. The leather and earthy notes are still there, albeit more balanced. As I approached the last part, the earthy notes faded a bit while there was more of roasted nuts and leather. With about 2 inches to go in the cigar, spice returns to the flavor profile but it is not overwhelming or dominating.
Final Thoughts:
- The LFD Mysterio Oscuro is a very impressive cigar in terms of the construction, appearance, burn, and draw criteria. I didn’t have any issues at all and it exceeded my expectations when basing it off of a perfecto vitola. I rarely have any problems with the limited production cigars from La Flor Dominicana.
- The flavor profile is enjoyable and while I think it’s solid, the Mysterio Oscuro will improve by a few points over the next 2 years by allowing them to rest. The cigars for this review didn’t feel as smooth as the other Mysterios that I have smoked with a year + of rest on them.
- The cigar is a medium to medium plus in terms of body for me with an above average flavor complexity. At $15 + per cigar, while you may expect more, this cigar excels in every other category. I think a year of rest will smooth out the overall flavor profile.
- I still enjoy the Small Batch Series from LFD more than this, however, when you purchase the Mysterio, you are buying an experience. In saying that, I would find it really difficult to beat the presentation of the Mysterio Oscuro
- I would recommend trying both the Mysterio Oscuro and Mysterio Natural and see which flavor profile you enjoy more. For me, it’s the Mysterio Oscuro. Once you know, this is easily a box worthy purchase.
- This cigar is available for purchase from Tasty Tobacco Shop. Let Rick know Traveling Stogie sent you!
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