Today, we delve into the tasting experience of the La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet No. 3, a puro that demonstrates that even smaller formats can provide a memorable smoking experience. La Flor Dominicana is best known for ball-busting, full-bodied smokes like the Double Ligero, Airbender, and The Digger. The Cameroon Cabinet blend was introduced in 2007 and has slowly expanded since.
The first thing that stands out is its box-pressed shape and that aged Cameroon wrapper, with a rich, oily sheen and deep colorado hue. But getting beyond the very superficial, this unpretentious cigar isn’t the smooth beauty that some cigars are. It sports a rustic, leafy appearance, with prominent veins that remind you of the cigars natural origins.
In the hand, it feels firm and well-rolled. I’ve also noted that the smart money is on finding minor wrapper discolorations on these cigars. This cigar also felt a bit softer to the touch than I’d normally prefer, though this feel was consistent throughout the stick. Given the relative softness of the cigar, the cap was surprisingly difficult to clip.
Bring it to the nose before lighting, and you’re hit with notes of leather, sweet spices, a hint of earthiness, and some toasted nuts. But the extra effort paid off with a very even, photogenic cut. I decided to put a new toy to work in lighting up this cigar. At the Alec Bradley booth at RTDA/IPCPR, I discovered what is basically a butane Bunsen burner for cigars.
The Cameroon Cabinet isn’t very easy to come by, as only 500,000 of them will be made. Other Sizes: No. 1 (6 1/2 x 44) and No.
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The Lounge #49 - La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet No. 3
Initial Impressions and Flavors
As soon as you light it, the La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet No. 3 kicks off with power: black pepper, dark cocoa, wood, and a base of toasted nuts that brings balance. After an initial earthy, roasted nut flavor that resulted from the lighting, the cigar opened up with a great sour-sweet tart flavor. It’s a flavor I had to really think about, but I believe it’s a combination of citrus, sharp cedar and a little pine that creates the flavor.
The smoke is thick, creamy, and fully enveloping. You couldn’t ask for a better burn than I’ve had with this cigar. The burn line was nearly perfect the entire length of the cigar. The draw is perfect-effortless-and the burn is even from the start. And while the ash didn’t achieve noteworthy length before dropping, it didn’t ash prematurely either. The ash itself was was solid and darker gray in color. (The final picture may indicate a crumbly ash, but that’s only because I missed the ashtray once.
This combination of flavors modified a bit throughout the cigar, but that tart flavor was almost always present.
Evolving Complexity
We move into more complex territory. The pepper notes ease off, making room for sweeter flavors: caramel, soft spices, and a moist earthy foundation that keeps the tobacco’s soul intact. In the second third it became a little peppery at points and finally a bit leathery and earthy in the final third. I was well pleased with that effect.
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Hints of coffee, wood, and a bitter edge of cocoa come through on the retrohale. Its burn is ok. Ashes alright with only a little bit of flake (and almost all due to the binder). My complaint comes from the somewhat uneven burn. Some sections would burn almost too well, zipping through them with lots of smoke.
The body remains firm without ever becoming aggressive. Then it would get to the next section and barely burn at all. I had to relight it three times to get the first two-thirds smoked. It relit well and quick each time but then it went out a third time and I had about a third to go (maybe less) and figured I would call it a night.
Overall feel and pre-light aesthetic is alright, a slightly darker cigar with a mid-tone smell. Doesn't feel like it would take much of a tumble, but not shoddily made. The smoking flavor starts out kind of an earthy sweet, maybe a hint of oak. Not a strong, dominant flavor. As it burns down, though, the flavor keeps shifting into an increasingly peppery blend and its strength picks up.
The sweetness of the wrapper remains but it intensifies, at least through the first two-thirds (and I'll get to that). This is a common trait of most long-form tobacco, the way that the heat and char play off the more natural elements to create subtle hues and aftertastes, and one of the things I tend to look for in tobacco. It felt more developed here than most, almost like two cigars back to back.
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Final Stretch and Overall Experience
In the final stretch, the strength picks up slightly. White pepper returns, along with deeper earthy tones, leather, and nuts. The intensity stays balanced and walks with you to the final puff without ever losing control.
No touch-ups, no relights. Everything flows naturally. Because it’s a small cigar with a giant soul. It offers evolution, flavor, and quality without requiring a full hour of your time. It’s not flat, not predictable. It proves that compact cigars can be complex too.
Additional Insights and Recommendations
Personally, I love keeping it in the humidor for late mornings, post-lunch sessions, or whenever I want a serious cigar that doesn’t take forever to smoke. Then don’t overthink it. Catch you between puffs.
La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet Lancero is a very limited cigar because LFD only uses aged Ligero Cameroon wrappers. Most master cigar makers agree that Cameroon wrappers are amongst their favorites to blend with. LFD's dark and oily Cameroon Ligero wrapper contains carefully selected estate-aged Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. Litto Gomez considers this full-body cigar his favorite.
Moreover, not only is the LFD Lancero Cameroon cigar one of the most enjoyable Cameroon cigars, but its full flavor strikes a perfect balance of richness and strength that is captivating. From start to finish, the consistent flavors and smooth smoke really showcase the quality craftsmanship that went into creating the LFD Lancero Cameroon cigar. The fact that the owner and son puff on these ALL day should be enough to make anyone want to give these a try. Do not hesitate to get your hands on La Flor Dominicana Lancero Cameroon; this cigar is a must-try!
Key Attributes
- LFD Lancero Cameroon Cabinet is a full-bodied LFD handmade cigar with a Cameroon wrapper.
- Litto & Antonio Gomez smoke these all day!
- To see more rare LFD options please visit La Flor Dominicana Limited Edition.
- On the other hand, to see all blends by this brand, please visit La Flor Dominicana Cigars.
Nevertheless, for a bigger cigar option check out La Volcada. Lastly, you may try other rare cigars or return to the homepage.
The Cameroon Cabinet features a pale-ish brown Cameroon wrapper with only a few veins and a slight shine. Once lit the Cameroon-wrapped torpedo reveals medium-bodied flavors in perfect balance. The only fault with this cigar is in its construction. The fragile wrapper is, I suspect, a tradeoff for the flavors provided by the Cameroon wrapper. Ultimately, while I think I slightly prefer the No.
At $10 each ($480 for a box of 50) it’s a cigar that delivers. I paid about $10 for it at Vintage Wine & Cigars in Huntsville, AL's Bridge Street. Prices online look to be about the $8-$10 range. Box buyers make note that it seems to only come in a 50-count box, and those will run you in the $400-$500 price bracket.
I really like this cigar, and am not at all bothered by its blemishes. As I mentioned before, it was one of the few cigars that really stood out in the high volume smoking days of RTDA. That’s really saying something. And I have a good feeling that it’s a cigar that will improve with age, even though the Cameroon wrapper is already four years old. That is, if you can keep yourself from smoking it!
Of the available sizes in the Cameroon Cabinet line, I think I actually prefer the No. 1 (6 1/2 x 44) to this one. The No. 1 gives the wrapper more of an opportunity to shine, which makes for an even better smoke. But either way, you just can’t go wrong here.
I liked the smoke, but factoring in its price would rank it somewhere around Good (+0.8) at best with the changing taste, from something like a Virginia sweetness to a more spiced tobacco, being my favorite bit. I have no intention of saddling myself down with 50 of them, though, and would maybe pick up one or two more before they are gone (and they are limited edition).
The wedge-shaped head that makes the Chisel unique comes from the busy mind of Litto Gomez (see interview page 149), the cigarmaker behind the La Flor Dominicana brand. He was inspired to make the shape while chomping on a torpedo one day during his drive to work in the Dominican Republic. After a while, he found himself enamored with the new, flattened head that his jaws had created, and he instructed one of his top rollers to recreate the size. Gomez now has Chisels in a variety of forms, and a number of rollers who can make the unusual cigar with ease.
In July 2007, La Flor Dominicana produced 100 boxes of 20 cigars in their Double Ligero blend, but wrapped in a Cameroon wrapper instead of the normal Ecuadorian wrapper. The cigars were sold exclusively by Puff ‘N’ Stuff Cigars in Decatur, Ga, and each box was individually numbered and signed by brand owner Litto Gomez. These are here and I’m smoking one. I thought I would tell you guys about it. Litto hasn’t told me much about this cigar, so it was a surprise when it arrived today, It is a Double Ligero Cameroon. Holy shit! This thing is awesome!
Over the years, Puff ‘N’ Stuff Cigars has had four different Limited Edition cigars produced for them, from two different manufactures.
La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Cameroon Lancero
The La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Cameroon Lancero is a wonderful looking cigar, with a rustic medium brown wrapper that has some tooth when touched. It is appropriately spongy when squeezed for a lancero, and there are a few minuscule veins running up and down its length. The cap has a small, cute pigtail that is glued down, and there is a noticeable box-press to the foot.
Starting the second third of the La Flor Dominicana Lancero, the profile has shifted noticeably to a more creamy and woody with other notes of milk chocolate, nuts, bitter espresso and earth. The chocolate chip cookie sweetness has changed as well, into a great sweet citrus, almost like an orange. There is less spice on the tongue, but the black pepper on the retrohale has not decreased at all.
The first third of the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Cameroon Lancero starts off with flavors of leather, oak, earth and espresso, along with just a little bit of spice on the tongue. I can taste the chocolate chip cookie sweetness distinctly as well, especially on the finish, and there is a massive amount of black pepper on the retrohale that does not seem to be calming down anytime soon. The smoke production is astounding, although it is a bit thin body wise, and the draw and burn are perfect.
The final third of the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Cameroon Lancero sees yet another shift, turning more earthy with notes of bitter espresso, nuts, dark chocolate and a little bit of licorice. The citrus note has neither increased nor decreased, which is a good thing for the profile. Smoke production has picked up noticeably, and the black pepper has increase just a bit as well. These were quite a bit stronger when they were first released, as I recall, well into the full category.
Interestingly, a friend of mine searched out a box of these after smoking one from my box and loving it, and we smoked one of his to compare. Honestly, it was not even close to the cigars in that came out of my box, flavor-wise. I can’t say enough about the construction on these cigars. Not only were the burn and draw phenomenal, but on all three of the samples I smoked, I only had to ash three times, and each section of ash stayed fully formed in the ashtray. For some reason, the box has a label on the front that says “Cameroom” with an M, instead of Cameroon with an N, as you can see in the box photo above.
If these Cameroon wrapped cigars did not come in a box with the aforementioned label and that were signed and numbered, there would be no way to tell them apart from the Ecuadorian wrapped lanceros, as the wrappers look almost identical.
As I mentioned in my review of the Mystery, I find quite a few of Gomez's blends to be overwhelmingly strong, and that strength tends to drown out some of the nuances and balance that I know are in the cigars. After six years of age, this blend is the exact opposite of that: extremely complex, extremely balanced, extremely smooth and with absolutely phenomenal construction. They have aged very well, and in my opinion, there needs to be more made, post haste.
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