I’ve been wanting to try this cigar since it was released in the middle of last year. I’m a La Aurora fanboy, and as they hadn’t released anything major since 2000, I knew I needed to get my hands on some. Unfortunately, I never got around to buying any, as I had other sticks that were on my list. Plus, at $15-$17 per stick, I was going to wait because there are ALWAYS sales.
And sure enough, the venerable Katman announced a deal that CigarPage.com held last week. A 20-ct pack for $89 compared to the $286.20 they normally charge for a box of 20. Pack or box, I don’t care. If it’s the same product, who cares what kind of packaging it arrives in? Well, after reading Katman’s post, I put my order in last week, and amazingly enough, it arrived on my doorstep this morning, right before I was headed to the lounge to work. So, its arrival was fortuitous!
Now normally, I’d let my new arrivals sit for at least a week before giving one a try, and honestly, I let them sit for longer. But two things compelled me to try one ROTT. First, as I mentioned above, La Aurora hasn’t released a new blend for a few years. And second, I’m such a fanboy that my excitement outweighed my better judgment.
But I did give the stick I pulled a sniff to make sure it didn’t smell like ammonia. I sighed with relief when I smelled the foot, and got some barnyard and a distinctly sweet, floral scent. It immediately went into my little travel case to smoke at the lounge.
Since I knew this stick was ROTT, I didn’t expect much from it. I figured the profile would be tight, or there might be burn issues. The former was true. With some lay-down time, the profile will definitely open up and reveal itself. But the latter was false. I only had to make one correction the entire smoke, and that was only to burn off a loose piece of wrapper that had lifted away from the cherry.
I won’t go into great depth about the profile other than to say that it exhibits a classic, rich Dominican profile, redolent with cedar, sweet cream, baking spices, nuts, and roasted cacao. But if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was smoking another brand, not La Aurora, simply because this was so much bolder than what I’ve ever smoked from them.
To me, La Aurora cigars have deep ties to their history and tradition. And that is reflected in every cigar I’ve had of theirs. But this? While that traditional refinement and structure are present, I believe this cigar was purpose-built to embrace the future and shepherd the brand forward.
For instance, the San Andrés wrapper moves the brand into dark-sweet territory. And while the Dominican filler provides aromatic brightness and textural balance, the Nicaraguan binder and filler along with the PA Broadleaf provide richness, depth, grit, and strength. This is a real departure from the standard – and expected – La Aurora profile which tends to be much more nuanced and refined.
The question is, “But does it work?” Even at this early stage, I can give a resounding “Yes!” I personally tend to lean towards that darker modern profile. I want structure and refinement, but I also want depth and strength. And this cigar gives me all that.
As far as complexity is concerned, I know it’s there. Because I smoked this so early upon arrival, I didn’t get a lot of complexity until the final third. But the whole time I smoked it, I could sense an underlying complexity to this cigar that just needed some time to develop. I’m looking forward to trying this in the coming months.
Is it worth the price? For some, the regular price tag might discourage them, especially if they haven’t tried one. I must admit that before I tried it, I was a bit discouraged. But after smoking it, even though early, I’d say it’s worth every penny. But to be fair, when I do a full review in a few months, we’ll see, because that will really determine if it lives up to its price.
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