Today, we are reviewing the 2025 edition of the La Flor Dominicana Suave Natural Gobernador, which is a Gordo-sized vitola. When Litto and Ines Gomez entered the cigar business in 1994, they introduced a Dominican cigar with a Connecticut Shade wrapper called Premium. The line was eventually renamed Suave and became a core offering in the LFD portfolio. The Suave line was later expanded to include a Maduro variety.
In 2025, La Flor Dominicana decided to revamp the Suave line, which would feature two completely new blends. The first blend is a Natural offering with an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper, while the second is a Maduro featuring a San Andres wrapper. When the new Suave line was announced, founder Litto Gomez explained that they asked themselves a crucial question: if they could go back to day one with all the knowledge they have now, what would that cigar look like? That question guided the transformation of the Suave line.
The word “Gobernador” translates to “Governor” in Spanish. Now, let’s explore the Suave Natural Gobernador and discover what this cigar offers.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
As mentioned, the blend has been completely revamped for the Suave Natural. It features an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper over a San Andres binder and all-Dominican fillers. This is very different than the previous iteration of the Suave Natural, which used an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper over Dominican tobaccos. As with all La Flor Dominicana cigars, the company produces this at its Tabacalera La Flor facility in the Dominican Republic.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
- Binder: San Andres Mexican
- Filler: Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tabacalera La Flor
Vitolas Available
The Suave Natural blend is available in three sizes. The three sizes came from the previous iteration of the La Flor Dominicana Suave Natural. Each comes in 20-count boxes.
- Maceo: 48 x 5
- Maximo: 54 x 6
- Gobernador: 60 x 6 1/4
Appearance (*)
The Suave Natural Gobernador’s Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper has a butterscotch color with a touch of rosado. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on the surface. The wrapper had slight mottling. The wrapper had prominent visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were minimal. This was also a well-packed Gordo-sized cigar, but it was not overpacked with tobacco.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting the Suave Natural Gobernador, I used a straight cutter to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered a mix of natural tobacco, earth, and stone fruit sweetness. The natural tobacco note leaned slightly bitter, but the stone fruit sweetness balanced it out nicely. This resulted in a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the Suave Natural Gobernador and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Tasting Notes
The Suave Natural Gobernador opened up with notes of natural tobacco, earth, cream, stone fruit, and cedar. As the cigar moved through the first third, the natural tobacco, cream, and stone fruit became primary. Meanwhile, the cedar and earth notes settled into the background. Toward the latter part of the first third, some black pepper notes also surfaced in the background. Meanwhile, the retrohale produced a layer of black pepper with touches of stone fruit.
As the Suave Natural Gobernador moved through the second third, the stone fruit and cream notes diminished. By the midway point, the natural tobacco took over as the primary note. The stone fruit and cream joined the pepper, earth, and cedar notes in the background. The cream notes were completely gone as the cigar moved into the second third. Meanwhile, the black pepper slowly increased once the cigar was past the midway point.
The final third kept the natural tobacco as the primary note. Some bitters were present, balancing the natural tobacco’s sweetness. Meanwhile, the pepper, earth, stone fruit, and cedar rounded things out. By this point, pepper appeared in the retrohale. This is the way the Suave Natural Gobernador came to a close. The cigar finished with a cool and firm nub.
Burn
The Suave Natural Gobernador is one of the best constructed out there. This cigar maintained a straight burn path and a relatively straight burn line. At the same time, this cigar did not require frequent touchups. The resulting ash was a near concrete/light gray color. This wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose or flaky either. The burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.
Draw
Meanwhile, the draw performed equally well on the Suave Natural Gobernador. The cigar had a touch of resistance, which I like. Sometimes a little resistance on a draw could hurt a large cigar like the Suave Natural Gobernador, but in this case, no issues with the draw.
Strength and Body
I’ve heard many say the Suave Natural Gobernador was mild to medium in profile, but for me this cigar came in at a solid medium. There wasn’t much variance in the intensity levels of the strength and body. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other, with neither overshadowing the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
As I have mentioned, I am a fan of this packaging. First up, I love the paper wrap boxes. Second, I love the red and gold colors on the box. Finally, I love the story that is told on the box itself. The band is also beautiful – gold font on a red background. I love the horse silhouette on the band. Overall, a home run for me, packaging-wise.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
I mentioned this expression on the podcast “Gordos are Vitolas Too”: “When a Gordo is done right, it is a thing of beauty.” The Suave Natural Gobernador exemplifies this perfectly. It is a well-constructed cigar that offers excellent flavors from start to finish, with just the right amount of complexity to keep you engaged. Yes, this cigar is like a long dinner, but it is also a long, delicious one. It’s a cigar I’d recommend not only to any cigar enthusiast, but also to someone who might not normally smoke Gordos. Plus, this cigar earns box-worthy consideration when it comes to buying. Coming in at 90 points, it earns the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cream, Stone Fruit, Earth, Cedar, Pepper
- Burn: Excellent
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium
- Finish: Excellent
Rating
Value: Box Worthy Consideration
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
References
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
