Cigar of the Week: La Aurora Preferidos

From 1492 when Christopher Columbus’s first expedition encountered the Taino Indians to 1962, when the U.S. President John F. Kennedy signed the American trade embargo into law, Cuba was the center of the cigar industry. In fact, it essentially WAS the cigar industry.

In the Dominican Republic, a small factory called La Aurora opened in 1903 and thanks to the Cuban embargo, is today an important player in the U.S. cigar market. One of its most admired cigars is one which saluted its start, the Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition.

Introduced to tremendous acclaim in 1998, the Preferidos was designed as a limited-production series of then-rarely-seen perfecto cigars: fat in the middle, but tapered to a point at each end. This was the favored shape of the connoisseur at the beginning of the 20th Century, but fell out of favor during World War II and beyond. It’s hard to make and requires considerable skill on behalf of the torcedor (cigar roller).

But the Preferidos line offered an elegant, flavorful blend in two attractive shapes, the No. 1 – a 6-inch by 58-ring perfecto – and the No. 2, five inches by 54 ring. The line used a light brown Cameroon wrapper and the combination of the shape, size and workmanship was irresistible. The Preferidos was an enormous hit.

The popularity of the line naturally led to its expansion. Today, there are five styles of the Preferidos, but smartly offered in mostly the same size range in each:

>> The original Cameroon-wrapped style continues to be a favorite, with a medium-to-full-bodied taste thanks to its Dominican-grown binder and filler. It comes in the No. 1, the No. 2, the No. 3 (a 4-inch by 50-ring perfecto), a Robusto (5 x 50) and a "Platinum" tube series, using the No. 2 shape. It earned a grade of "A" in our CigarCyclopedia.com tasting way back in 2004 and continues to entertain us today.

>> The Brazilian maduro line, like all of the others except the Cameroon style, has a Dominican-grown binder and filler leaves from Brazil, Cameroon and the Dominican Republic. It was the first extension to the line, introduced in 2001 and is also medium-to-full in body. It’s offered in only the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and a tubed ("Ruby") version. This blend offers a taste of dark caramel and a spicy aroma and it was also awarded an "A" grade in our CigarCyclopedia.com tasting of the line in August 2007.

>> In 2003, a Dominican-grown Corojo-wrapped version was introduced in just three shapes: the No. 1, No. 2 and a tube ("Gold"). It’s creamy and smooth and earned an "A-" grade in our tasting.

>> A Connecticut-wrapped version showed up in 2004, also offered in the No. 1, No. 2 and a tube ("Sapphire"). It’s creamy with a caramelized note and a modestly-spiced finish that isn’t as bold as the others, but was of high quality and earned an "A-" grade.

>> An Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper was used on the last style to be introduced, in 2006. This is a lively blend with a taste of sweet caramel with a toasty aroma and a lightly-spiced finish. It’s offered in the No. 1, No. 2 and a tubed ("Emerald") shape, plus a Robusto which costs a little less and is worth trying. It received a grade of "A: Exceptional."

As you might expect, these are not value-priced cigars. The tubed cigars retail for $17.00 each with the No. 1 priced at $14.40 each, the No. 2 at $12.00, the No. 3 at $9.60 and the Robusto at $10.00, before any local sales or tobacco taxes.

But for a cigar that’s of the highest quality as well as being a piece of history, it’s worth the investment. If you want to try them all, La Aurora has a fabulous "Treasure" sampler with one each of all five tubed cigars that retails for $96.00, but is offered by some national retailers for as little as $68.00. It’s a great way to see which Preferido you prefer.

(Rich Perelman is editor-in-chief of CigarCyclopedia.com, offering comprehensive daily coverage of cigars, accessories, issues, people and prices at www.CigarCyclopedia.com.

Cigar Cyclopedia

12/3/07

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