Litto Gomez Diez Lusitano

[Ringo]

This is a VERY good cigar. In fact I can say without hesitation that it is one of the best cigars that I have ever smoked. A few years ago I posted somewhere on CW about the state of domestic cigars, and I predicted that within five years they will have caught up to the Cuban cigars. And after that there would no longer be the Cuban vs. non-Cuban issue and cigars of many countries would compete in a world cigar market. Of course this is only an issue with for smokers in the USA. Nobody else in the world would keep a 50+ year embargo going against a country that can't afford toilet paper; and long after the Soviet Union collapsed. But, as much as cigar smokers in the US had to smoke garbage for decades, the embargo proved to be a great thing for smokers in the long run. Because if it were not for the embargo there would not be cigars like the Litto Gomez Diez Lusitano. We in the USA are finally getting our day as far as great cigars go, because most of the great non-Cubans are made primarily for the US market. With the result being that "our" cigars are in higher demand in Europe and the rest of the world than Cuban cigars are here! We can get a Monte# 2 or AR Robaina easier than they can get something like the cigar that I am reviewing. Where it used to be something like four or five domestics for one Cuban, people overseas are now willing to send us multiple Cubans cigar for one of ours. I still wish for the embargo to end; first so the people who live in Cuba to have better lives, and second for what it will do to the cigar world. It can only make it better. Imagine the blends!

Until that day comes, though, we can be very happy with cigars like this Litto Gomez Diez Lusitano. Last week I reviewed the Macanudo 1968 line and said that is tastes more like a Cuban cigar than any domestic cigar I have ever had. And it did. That lasted about a week, because this Litto Gomez out-Cubans the Cubans. It is a veritable Cuban candy bar. It's all there - sweet perfumy citrus in the first half turning to giant gobs of chewy caramel that keep increasing until you have to sadly bid farewell. I've said it before and I'll say it again - being like a Cuban cigar is not a goal in and of itself. A great cigar does not have to be anything at all like a Cuban cigar. Many of my favorite domestics have their own flavors and they do not taste like Cuban cigars. Which is a good thing imo. The more variations in great cigars the better. And when we do compare a cigar to a Cuban it's not just any Cuban but the best of them. As much as I like Quintero Brevas I am not using them as a benchmark. No, I am thinking of the best of the best and if you've had them then you know what they are like. I personally have found it most consistently in the HdM Epicure #2. And that is what this Litto Gomez cigar reminds me of.

Physically this cigar looks a lot like another Dominican puro, the Opus x. It's smooth, shiny, and somewhat rosado looking wrapper is just as inviting as any Opus. But that is where the similarities end. I love an aged Opus X. They do not taste like Cuban cigars and that is fine by me. The Litto Gomez does however, and that is fine too. As far as construction, my LG burned flawlessly. It was razor straight all the way to the end. The head was strong and did not crack or split when punched, nor did it get squishy. This was a very easy cigar to smoke - just light it up and enjoy the next hour of your life.

I would recommend this cigar to anyone who knows what a good cigar tastes like and can handle it. There are nuances in here that the newbie might not pick up on; and it is very strong. By the time I was almost finished with it I was ready to lie down, and I have been smoking for 20 years. This type of strength is almost exclusive to Cuban cigars, so if you have only smoked domestics so far then just be aware. You mayt not want to have this one while driving!

Rating: 93/100