O Canada! We know these words, having heard them at international sporting events when our Northern friends win a medal, at the start of a Montreal Canadians Hockey game, or even at a Toronto Blue Jays games. “O Canada” is Canada’s national anthem. Originally called “Chant national,” and first performed on 24 June 1880. Seven years later, in 1887 the Canadian cigar brand Flor De Claro was born. In fact, the Flor De Claro was rolled in Canada with imported tobacco from Cuba and it is said to be one of Canada’s first national cigar brands. Sadly the brand went defunct after decades as a result of the influx of Cuban cigars.
Enter Canadian native, Mr Steve Ricker, owner of Dominion Cigar Canada founded in 2014. Steve has made it his mission to bring some of the best cigars to the Canadian market and now to the US market. From the company’s website:
Over 100 years since the Flor De Claro’s original launch, Dominion Cigar Canada has brought back this legendary Canadian cigar brand, and is celebrating the part Flor De Claro played, in the early growth of Canada’s rich tobacco industry.
Dominion Cigar owner Steve Ricker, wanted to come up with a blend that would best exemplify this classic cigar brand. Ricker was also very fortunate to have the opportunity to licence the original box art from the McCord Museum in Montreal.
Steve turned to the Placensia cigar factory in Esteli Nicaragua for the production of the Flor De Claro using tobacco from the best regions of the country including Jalapa, Condega and Esteli. To make it even better, Steve chose to cross the border to Honduras for the Connecticut seed wrapper. Steve noted that the Flor De Claro is one of the only cigar brands using this smaller batch wrapper in the market to date.
The Dominion Cigars Flor De Claro is available in 3 vitolas:
- Corona 5.5 x 42
- Robusto/Grande 5 x 54
- Toro 6 x 50
You can view our interview with Steve Ricker at this years IPCPR here
For this review I sampled the Dominion Cigars Flor De Claro Toro
Cigar Review Notes
- The band is reminiscent of the original Flor De Claro brand
- Spicy sweet barrel
- Sweet floral foot
- Smooth medium tan wrapper
- Cold draw is nicely restricted hint of red pepper and earth
- 1st light offers pepper burn on the palate
- Nutty note enter once the pepper recedes
- Medium grey ash
- Thin char line
- Dry fruit and a bitter coffee bean enter with a hint of honey end of first third
- Ash holds for a good inch plus between falls
- Burn cone is fairly centered
- Bitter morphs into a sweeter coffee note with an envelope of spice
- Aroma is nutty
- Smoke volume is full
- Dry Leather note end of second third
- Cedar enters into the final third
- Medium Strength
Overall, the Dominion Cigars Flor De Claro is a welcome introduction to the company’s lineup. For a Connecticut wrapped cigar it offered a terrific flavor profile and the burn was mostly spot on offering no issues through the experience. This is a medium strength cigar that can be enjoyed anytime of the day and would pair very well with a sweet creamy coffee or a nice honey liqueur such as an Irish Mist. I would say this is one of the best Connecticut wrapped cigars I have enjoyed.
Dominion Cigars Flor De Claro