Meet the LFD Reserva Especial Maduro No.2 - that dark, dense figurado shaking up the maduro game since 1997. This 6.5" vitola with its dramatic 32/52 ring gauge taper comes stacked 24 to a box at $198.72. Beneath that oily San Andrés wrapper lies Dominican tobacco grown on LFD's own La Canela farm, delivering that signature sweet-bitter dance Lito Gomez perfected over two decades.
Cold draw delivers raisin sweetness. Initial puffs burst with black coffee grounds and bitter chocolate. Smoke output surprises - thick plumes despite tight draw. Ash holds firm through first inch.
Transition to burnt caramel and walnut skin. Pepper creeps in at nasal passage. Draw opens up revealing LFD's trademark mineral edge. Watch that nicotine buildup - this is where it starts whispering "slow down".
Leather and charred oak take center stage. Sweetness fades to baking spice bitterness. Smoke turns warmer - retrohale triggers pleasant tingling. Construction holds but tar accumulation needs purging around nub.
The magic happens in Dominican Republic's Cibao Valley soils. Piloto Cubano binder gives pepper backbone, paired with Olor seco leaves for sweetness. That signature San Andrés maduro wrapper undergoes 18-month fermentation under pressure - hence the patent leather shine.
• Dry box for 48hrs - helps open tight roll • Pair with espresso martini to cut through intensity • Smoke slow - combustion issues surface when rushed
