Back in January, I reviewed the La Aurora 107 Puro Vintage, which at the time was a cigar that was only available at Buckhead Cigar Club’s tweet-up in December of 2011. However, Miami Cigar & Co. had just announced it would be making 1,000 boxes of the blend, which were released last month.

While the size and blend remained the same, there were a few differences. First, the name seems to now be referred to mostly as the “La Aurora 107 Salomon,” although the press release kept the “Puro Vintage” moniker while adding the vitola. Second—and more noticeably, the price increased from the originally planned $10.80 to $12.00.

Six months ago I said:

The first two thirds of the La Aurora Puro Vintage 107 were amped up versions of the popular blend. The last third was just disappointing. If it wasn’t for your viewing pleasure, both would have been ended a lot sooner. In my opinion, this cigar needs a few months before the extreme youth of the final third will be resolved, but that’s just me. I think this will ultimately be resolved with the actual launch, but the contrast between the first two thirds and the final was a bit aggravating. In current form, I’d still take the La Aurora 107 Corona and La Aurora 107 Lancero (in that order) over the La Aurora 107 Puro Vintage, but time could easily change this.

Given it’s been a bit of time since I last smoked one, and I recently acquired one from the new shipment—I thought it was time for a redux.


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And the particulars.

  • Cigar Reviewed: La Aurora Serie Aniversario 107 Puro Vintage Salomon
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: E. León Jimenes Tabacalera
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Sun Grown
  • Binder: Dominican Corojo
  • Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
  • Size: 7 1/4 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Salomon
  • MSRP: $10.80 (Boxes of 8, $87.60)
  • Release Date: December 9, 2011 (Prerelease)
  • Number of Cigars Released: 15 Boxes of 8 Cigars & 1,000 Boxes of 8 Cigars (8,120 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Redux: 1

With the exception of a bit less oil, I can’t say this looks that different than I recall. The wrapper is perhaps a bit lighter, still earth and coffee with that signature 107 aged note. Cold draw is shockingly Cuban with some up front white pepper and lots of sugar. Unfortunately, some tobacco fragments fall out of what appeared to be a clean cut.


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The 107 Salomon begins slightly sweet with cedar and a bit of creamy earth. Unfortunately, neither the sugar from the cold draw, nor the glorious dark roasted nuts from what I recall from its fresher state are present. Eventually a peculiar pecan note gets tucked away by the coffee, creaminess and earth. While there’s an occasional cocoa, red pepper and citrus notes—the cigar basically retains the same four core flavors and continues to shuffle them around throughout the two hours and 15 minutes it takes me to finish.

La Aurora 107 Salomon

One note, the wrapper cracked somewhere in the first third, it wasn’t my favorite thing, but the cigar burned great. Once again, the La Aurora 107 Salomon delivered massive chunks of ash, a great smoked production and a near perfect draw. One thing about all of the 107s is the amount of abuse they are willing to take. It’s a pretty significant amount, but once you’ve pushed the cigar too far with puff rates—there is no turning back.


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The Bottom Line: While the issues I had with the final third are now resolved, I much preferred the younger flavors I got back in January. Interestingly, I smoked one from the regular batch about two weeks ago, it tasted more akin to the 107 Corona than the 107s I was smoking in the winter. (For those wondering, my preference is Buckhead batch fresh, new batch, then the current state of the Buckhead batch.) If anything, I’d venture to guess the ones I smoked in December and January were a lot younger than the batch on the market when the debuted, but that’s just me. This is still easily one of the top three 107 blends on the market and if you like the shape—a must try for any La Aurora fans.



Original Score: 88
Redux Score: 87

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.