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| THE LION ROARS AGAIN! |
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Page 1 of 2  Plus: Tasting and grading six new blends from La AuroraLos Angeles, February 22 – The Fabrica de Tabacos La Aurora is justly revered for its well-known and much-respected brands such as La Aurora, Leon Jimenes and the Aurora Preferidos series. But the factory, under the direction of Guillermo Leon and master blender Jose Blanco, is not sitting on its laurels. In answer to the eternal question of “What have you done for me lately?,” a series of new blends has been introduced over the past year and we took the time to check them out. We liked a lot of what we found. Aurora Barrel Aged: [Dominican Republic: available in 4 sizes] This blend was introduced in 2007 and features a near-black, Dominican-grown, Corojo Oscuro wrapper that’s been aged in cedar barrels for four years. It has a spicy aroma and is very well constructed, making it a pleasure to smoke. The taste is dark and sweet, with just the right note of spice on the finish, making this an interesting and satisfying cigar to smoke. The balance of the dark caramelized flavor and the spiced elements is maintained throughout the cigar and its medium body means it never overpowers the smoker. It’s quite impressive. The samples we tried some minor burn problems, but it did not deter our enjoyment. If possible, this cigar should be aged for a year or more to let its full potential come through. At suggested retail prices of $6.16 to $9.06 per cigar, the Barrel Aged edition is accessible and the Robusto (5 inches by 50 ring) is a must-try at just $7.12 plus local tobacco and sales taxes. Overall grade: A-: Excellent. Aurora Preferidos – Ecuador wrapper: [Dominican Republic: available in 4 sizes] The famous Aurora Preferidos series added its fifth wrapper option in 2006 with the “Emerald” line. It features an Ecuadorian-grown wrapper around the interior blend with leaves from Brazil, Cameroon and the Dominican Republic. We found it just as enchanting as the other versions of the popular Preferidos brand. The Preferidos are primarily perfectos, but the Cameroon and Ecuador-wrapped lines have robusto shapes in them as well. We tried the Emerald Robusto and were greeted with a spicy and peppery aroma and a medium-to-full-bodied tone. The flavor is slightly sweet and quite rich – almost creamy – and very, very smooth. This isn’t a deeply-flavored cigar, but offers a balance of reserved pleasure with a spiced finish that you can feel on the tongue. It’s consistent from start to finish and the blend has subtleties that become apparent only when the smoker is attentive. Like all of the Preferidos, it isn’t cheap, with the Robusto retailing for $10.00 each, running up to $17.00 for the No. 1, a fat six-inch by 58-ring perfecto. You’ll enjoy it, though, right down to the end. Overall grade: A: Exceptional. Don Lino 1989 – Connecticut wrapper: [Dominican Republic: available in 3 sizes] Thanks to the popularity of the Aurora Preferidos and La Aurora lines, the Don Lino brand travels a little under the radar of many smokers. That’s a shame and could change with the 2007 re-introduction of the Don Lino 1989 line. This brand comes with a choice of wrappers: Connecticut or in maduro with leaves grown in Nicaragua. The natural-wrapped edition shows off a spicy aroma and offers a rich, caramelized flavor that easy to appreciate and has a long finish. Even with that richness in taste, this blend has an attractive lightness to it and the medium-to-full-bodied heft of the cigar at the start lessens a bit at halfway. Very well made, it burns evenly and smokes slowly. Consistent throughout, it becomes quite mellow in the second half and glides easily to the finish. It retails, depending on size, from $6.40 to $7.22 each. Overall grade: A-: Excellent. |
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Did you know?
“Cigars were introduced to the American Colonies by British Col. Israel Putnam on his return from Cuba in 1762.
