13. La Aurora Puro Vintage 2006 111 Aniversario Preferidos
La Aurora
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: La Aurora Cigar Factory
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Havana
- Binder: Brazil
- Filler: Brazil, Dominican Republic (Ciabo Valley) and Nicaragua
- Size: 5 x 54
- MSRP: $18.62 (Boxes of 18, $335.16)
- Release Date: May 11, 2015
- Number of Cigars Released: 1,500 Boxes of 18 Cigars (27,000 Total Cigars)
- Original Score: 91
While we don’t have a “comeback company of the year” award, if we did, it might well go to La Aurora, and the Puro Vintage 2006 111 Aniversario Preferidos would be a good reason why.
La Aurora is a storied company, and for most cigar smokers of recent memory, hit high-water marks with the 100 Años and 107, while maintaining humidor standbys with its tubed Preferidos vitolas. And then it’s been a while. But over the summer, the Dominican cigar company released a cigar that helped reestablish itself as the hallmarks of Dominican cigars.
Debuting in 2008, the Puro Vintage series isn’t new, but with three vitolas released this year in an incredibly decorative box, La Aurora clearly wanted to make a statement. The cigar uses tobaccos from well beyond the island, with an Ecuadorian Havana wrapper, Brazilian binder and fillers from Brazil, the Dominican Republic. and Nicaragua. The result is a full-flavored and well-balanced cigar that overcomes a few burn issues thanks to some rich fruit sweetness that complements hearty notes of coffee, leather, black pepper at the start and finish, with lighter notes of almonds, toast and graham crackers in the middle portion. A solid cigar that did more than just offer a good smoke; it showed that La Aurora might just be back. — Patrick Lagreid.
