La Aurora 107 lancero

[danreeve]

I fell a little behind on my reviews last month, so by now I'm sure I'm close to last on reviewing the much talked about "Twitter cigar". Just in case you have been living under a rock and have not heard about this stick, the La Aurora 107 is a popular blend from Guillermo León (@GuillermoLeon_ on twitter) that had so many requests for it to be made in a lancero vitola, that "the dream became a reality". A lot of those requests came to Guillermo via twitter, so it only seems fitting that the name of this cigar is The "Twitter cigar".

OK, now that we have that out of the way, let's get on with the important part...the review.

Specifics
Vitola: Lancero
Length: 7 Ring Gauge: 40
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan
Price: $7.00
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://rediscoverlaaurora.com/

Pre-Light
My La Aurora 107 lancero was a great looking cigar. The wrapper was a nice oily, medium brown color with only one noticeable vein. For it's slender size, this cigar had some serious weight to it. I could tell by pinching the stick from head to foot that is was evenly packed, and packed about as full as it could be without bursting. The prelight aroma was interesting because, at first, all I could smell was earthy tobacco, but after a few whiffs I started to get a orange peel scent. The pigtailed head clipped easily and the cold draw tasted of clean tobacco. One thing to note for certain is, even with how packed this cigar was, the draw was exceptional and required no effort.to pull air through the stick.

First Third

I lit my La Aurora 107 lancero with a single torch and like in the pre-light, was impressed with just how easy the cigar was drawing. Lanceros, due to there size, can be a bit tight on the draw if not done by someone with some serious skill. It is obvious to me that La Aurora has some talented rollers. The cigar produced a lot of smoke and burned very well. The initial flavor was mostly earthy tobacco, but just on the front of each draw, there was a kick of black pepper. The ash of the cigar was typical of a small ring gauge and held on for just over half an inch before falling into my ash tray. The body started out in the medium range, but the flavor strength was very full.

Second Third

The second third of my La Aurora 107 Lancero really changed up the flavors on me. The slight black pepper kick is now completely gone and the earthy tobacco now took more of a clean richer tobacco flavor. To add to that change, the most noticeable difference was the flavor in the finish. After exhaling each puff, I could taste a very distinctive orange peel flavor that was not present in the first third. This sweet flavor mixed in with the rich tobacco, playing very well together to a created a very interesting and enjoyable smoke. Again, I have to rave about the effortless draw on this stick. I can't stand a cigar with a tight draw and this was definitely not one of them. The body was that same as the first third -- medium.

Final Third and Final Thoughts
The final third of my La Aurora 107 Lancero was very similar to the second. The flavors were maybe just a little less strong than they were before, but I would not call them weak in the slightest. I was still getting a nice rich clean tobacco taste on the front, with the sweet orange peel on the finish. The cigar never got hot and, even after the photo above was taken, I picked the stick back up and smoked it further to the nub.

My final thoughts on the La Aurora 107 Lancero? This is a nicely flavorful and expertly constructed cigar. The blend of natural tobacco tastes mixed in with the sweet orange peel notes made for a relaxing and almost palate-cooling smoke. The thing I can't say enough about this cigar is just how effortless it was to smoke. This is the easiest smoking lancero I have smoked in awhile, and maybe even ever. I could pull huge clouds of smoke out of this stick with just the slightest draw. To me, that really adds to the smoking experience.

Would I buy it again? At 7 bucks a stick, I would for sure buy this cigar again. I think this stick is worth more than that. If I can find more, I will definitely pick some up.

Would I buy a box? I don't think I could smoke this cigar everyday, but I do think it would be a great cigar to share with others. For that reason, I could see myself getting a box if they were available.

for more pictures please go to http://tinyurl.com/3x7vpnk

Dan

Thank you very much. Your review makes me want to hunt a few of these down and give them a try.

[danreeve]

thanks for reading!

Dan

[MarkinAZ]

Thanks for the great review (and the photos from your website) Dan regarding the 107 lancero. An old thread and one well worth reviving

Sweet review! I love lanceros.

[bscottskangum]

Nice review

[Ranger_B]

I just burned one of these tonight and I wish I had seen this review before. I think I had about the same experience. That citrus spice with the leather (earth) i thought was a killer combination.

[emopunker2004]

[jdawg]

Nice review!

I have one in the humi that is begging to be smoked.

[maverickdrinker]

I guess I am in the minority on this cigar. Here is my review.

La Aurora 107 Lancero
DATE REVIEWED: March 15, 2011

I picked up a couple of La Aurora 107 Lanceros to try. These are only available at brick & mortar stores. This is their way of saying thanks for the support that they receive from cigar stores nationally. The 107 line was produced to celebrate the 107th anniversary of the company. A robusto, toro and a belicoso round out the lineup.

The cigar is made with a Dominican binder, a combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers and finished with an Ecuadorian wrapper. It measures in at 6.875 inches and has a 40 ring gauge. There are only 300 boxes available.

An interesting fact about the cigar is that it was in response to various twitter requests for a lancero size to be made in the 107 blend. I am excited to smoke this cigar as I am a big fan of the lancero vitola.

Well, enough about that. Let’s get onto the review.

The cigar itself is very rustic. Lots of veins with some variation of color in the wrapper. Not a pretty looking cigar to say the least.

I give the cigar a quick squeeze. Feels a little underfilled to me. A little too squishy for me. A quick look at the foot tells me otherwise as it looks fairly packed. Might be a humidity issue. Will see how the ash develops over the course of the smoke.

Took a couple of cold draws and find it to be a very clean tobacco taste. The cigar itself radiates aromas of barnyard with a hint of cocoa. The draw itself is a little too loose for my liking. Hope that this doesn’t cause this thing to burn quickly. I decide that ice water would be the best pairing for this.

A quick clip of my Palio and a pop of flame from my Ronson lighter and we are off.

The cigar lights up pretty easy. Burn line starts off pretty straight. Billows of smoke is coming off this thing. There is a sweetness to the cigar that I cannot place right now. Maple syrup? Reminds me of a maduro cigar but more pronounced sweetness. A slight hint of earthiness, with some floral notes. The sweetness seems to have taken centre stage for now. So far, not my cup of tea.

The ash is an off white color and the draw is effortless. The sweetness is offputting. Gonna have to hunker down to finish this cigar. I hope that the flavors change dramatically in the 2nd third. So far, the cigar is quite mild.

A few more puffs and the cigar starts to reveal some cedar notes. The sweetness is still there to my chagrin though. Can’t seem to get rid of it. It’s starting to tone down and give way to more earthy characteristics.

A few more puffs and the maple syrup taste has taken a back seat to core earthy, and cedar flavors. I have to say that this cigar seems to be missing something. Just isn’t doing it for me.

Hints of spice start to appear to complement the earthiness tones. The ash is holding on well.

The 2nd third brings core flavors of earth, spice, cedar in muted tones. It doesn’t have that wow factor that I keep hearing about. Might be my bias towards cohiba lanceros coming through though.

The sweetness is back but on a different level. Reminds me of an orange peel? It has a zestiness after taste that I am unfamiliar with. I don’t’ know if I can last to see the final third. Maybe some champagne will help.

Off to the fridge I go to get some 2000 Pertois-Moriset Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Vintage Champagne. This small producer uses only grapes from the Le Mesnil Sur Oger region. This is the same region that produces Krug. This champagne only uses chardonnay grapes, hence the term Blanc de Blancs.

A couple of quick sips to get my palate re calibrated and we are off again.

I am really tasting the orange peel and spice now. More pronounced cedar tones as well. Some cocoa is starting to become part of the mix. An odd flavor profile to say the least.

A couple more puffs confirm that I cannot continue. This is 100% not my type of cigar. I could not recommend it with a straight face. Avoid like the plague. Spend the money on a Cohiba lancero or a Montecristo Especial no. 1. If anything, it confirmed my addiction to Cuban cigars. If only I brought another cohiba lancero to smoke….. I guess a Cohiba robusto will have to suffice.

[tedrodgerscpa]

Originally Posted by maverickdrinker

I guess I am in the minority on this cigar. Here is my review.

You are in my minority, then.

With a sample size of 1, I am simply NOT a fan, either.

I just don't get excited about cigars that aren't puros from Cuba, occasionally enjoying a Nic Puro.