La Flor de Cano Elegidos Test

Elegidos is the name of the new La Flor de Cano format. It is a Robusto format and the brand is Cuban. This cigar is made from short filler and is rolled by hand. In my personal opinion, short-filler cigars from Cuba are fantastic. They are very affordable and have fantastic ageing potential. It's worth buying several of these Elegidos 10-count boxes and storing them for the next 3 years. The new line is presented here.

A cigar test is subjective

Note: How a cigar tastes is influenced by personal taste preferences, taste memories, the form of the day, what you have eaten or drunk beforehand. Even the lighting in the room has an influence on the flavour you experience. The notes described here therefore do not necessarily correspond to your own impressions.

The La Flor de Cano brand dates back to 1884, a company founded by the brothers José and Tomás Cano, whose history is relatively unknown. Over the decades, various formats have been launched and very quickly abandoned. On the vintage market, it is not uncommon for the Diademas box of 25, for example, to fetch prices of between £3,000 and £4,000. Yes, you read that right.

My recommendation: Buy several boxes of La Flor de Cano Elegidos. They are very favourably priced and, in my opinion, have very good ripening potential.

Fact Sheet La Flor de Cano Elegidos

• Format: Robusto (length: 127 mm / ring gauge: 50)
• Tobacco: Complete Cuba
• Boxing Date (BD): OCT 20
• Price: Status April 2021
  • CHF 4.50 / box of 10 CHF 45.00
  • EUR currently still unknown / box of 10 EUR currently still unknown
• Buy a cigar: Google Search >

Personal impressions of the flavour

First half

• Tongue, palate: Tart / lots of cocoa bittersweet / slightly astringent
• Retronasalpeppery
• R+ ZiZo vacuum technology: Incredible roasted flavours of wood and nuts
• Umami: Slightly astringent / „toasty“
• Strength 3/5

Second half

• She gets snappy. This is not a fault of the cigar. The boxing date is OCT 20 and the tasting took place in April 2021. The cigars will soon be in the sick phase and need a maturing period. Recommended: At least 3 years.

What is „retronasal“?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the flavour. What it is, why it works and how to do it please read here. Take a look at the ZiZo vacuum technology in particular. Incredible enhancement of cigar enjoyment!

What is the „R+ ZiZo vacuum technology“?

This is the consummate pleasure of a cigar. Hard to describe. I'll try. Here's an example: a baby sucking on a dummy. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke gets into the mouth. But it passes over the tongue and goes straight through the nose. I tried it with about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practising: the smoke hit the back of my larynx several times. That was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's a perfect technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means „savouriness“, „spicy“, „essence“, „meaty“. This mixture of taste sensations is perceived on the centre of the tongue. You can find a good article about this on Wikipedia. 

Acclimatisation recommendation: With the box in the humidor for at least 3 years.

Cuban cigars and the important ageing phase

Cuban cigars are super tasty for the first 1 - 3 months after rolling. After that, the cigar begins to mature. The tobacco used is not yet ready for tasting. Cuba has too few resources. The tobacco cannot mature as long as it should. The cigars are rolled and hardly have a resting phase. Depending on the brand and format, the maturing phase in the humidor at home takes between 2 and over 8 years (or even longer). Very important: this is not a fault of the cigar.

If you buy single copies

Place the cigar with the cellophane in the humidor. If your cigar does not have cellophane: Put them in tubos and then in the humidor. Or you can put the individual cigars in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda inside. You then seal it and place it in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavour very quickly. This is demonstrated in this article with experiments.

What is the boxing date of the cigar (BD)?

There is a stamp on the back of the box. There you can see when the cigars were placed in the box. From this point onwards, Cuban cigars are excellent for tasting within 1 - 3 months. If you have not bought a whole box, please ask your retailer for the boxing date.

Note: The boxing date can also be affixed in other places. E.g. on the outer carton.

Conclusion of the La Flor de Cano Elegidos

The cigar is already in the sick phase when tasted (April 21). Nevertheless, in the first half it showed the outstanding flavour nuances of the short filler tobacco. These cigars are very reasonably priced. I recommend buying several boxes of 10 and storing them for at least 3 years.