Cigar of the Week: La Aurora 1495

One of the themes of the inaugural ProCigar Festival held in Santiago, Dominican Republic, March 5-7, was the unique approach of the leading Dominican cigar makers in the way they create blends and then manufacture cigars.

"One-dimensional cigars are boring," said Jose Blanco, the marketing chief for La Aurora cigars during one of his tours of the La Aurora factory, the first one founded in the Dominican Republic, way back in 1903.

Blanco is always looking for complexity, and he credits the creation of the La Aurora 1495 cigar as the one that opened his eyes and others to the possibilities for complexity in a cigar. Introduced to mark the 510th anniversary of the founding of the city of Santiago in 1495, it has six different leaves in it from four different countries: an Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican Corojo binder and filler leaves from the Dominican Republic (two types), Nicaragua and Peru.

The result is a cigar that has a core of sweetness with rich, caramelized tones, but also exhibits a spicy, energizing aroma. There is a light chaser of spice on the finish, which serves to give the cigar a nice balance. It’s certainly not one-dimensional, but with a medium-to-full body, it entertains the mouth and is constantly tickling the smoker.

The spicy elements recede a bit in the second half, but all aspects of the cigar remain in balance, which becomes its most attractive feature. There is flavor, but there is also finesse, and that’s the complexity that Blanco was looking for in this unique blend. We agree and the 1495 series earned a CigarCyclopedia.com grade of "A: Exceptional."

"It’s all there, but changing," Blanco noted, and he’s right. Offered in five sizes, the cigars aren’t a value selection, but are accessible at $6-12 each.

The 1495 is a quality cigar for any smoker to enjoy, but if you are looking to continue your cigar education, this blend will help you get your M.I.T. degree: Master in Taste!

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

Rich Perelman

3/10/08

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