La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales

The La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales is part of a limited production run of 5 1/2 x 42 corona sized cigars made in the six blends of the La Aurora Preferidos series.  The Preferidos Diamond was introduced back in 2012 by La Aurora at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show in the company’s signature perfecto-shaped Preferidos tubo.  The Preferidos Diamond is the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper blend in the Preferidos line.  It quickly became one of the more popular offerings in the series.  This Corona Especiales size now becomes the fourth size offered in the Diamond line.  Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond in the 5 1/2 x 42 Corona Especiales size.  Overall I found this format to be a great offering for this blend, and is definitely worth checking out.

In addition to the Connecticut Broadleaf Preferidos Diamond in the Corona Especiales size, there are five other blends being offered in this format.  The others in the series include the Preferidos Gold (Dominican Corojo wrapper), Preferidos Platinum (Cameroon wrapper),  Preferidos Ruby (Brazilian Maduro),  Preferidos Sapphire (Connecticut Shade), and Preferidos Emerald (Ecuadorian Sungrown).  The Corona Especiales series is offered to retailers in trays consisting of 150 cigars – 25 per blend.  The Corona Especiales has been released regionally in the Mid-Atlantic.  It is also being released at select events including Havana Cigar Club’s Blending Seminar with La Aurora blend Manuel Inoa being held December 6th being (broadcast on Stogie Geeks).

The La Aurora Preferidos Corona Especiales Series Includes (Left to Right): Preferidos Gold, Preferidos Platinum, Preferidos Ruby, Preferidos Sapphire, Preferidos Emerald and Preferidos Diamond

Without further ado, let’s break down the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The blend for the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales is the same as the rest of the Preferidos Diamond blend.  In addition to the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, the rest of the blend is Dominican – including a Dominican Maduro binder.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Maduro
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (La Aurora S.A.)

Vitolas Available

The Corona Especiales becomes the fourth size in the Preferidos Diamond line.  In addition to the Preferidos Tubo, the other three vitolas are released in

Corona Especiales: 5 1/2 x 42
Michael’s Exclusive Double Figuardo: 6 x 58 (Limited Shop Exclusive to Michael’s Tobacco)
Chicho’s Choice: 6 x 58 (Limited Regional – Mid Atlantic)
Preferidos Tubo: 5 x 54

Appearance

The wrapper of the Preferidos Diamond Corona is similar in color and complexion to the original perfecto. It features a dark espresso colored Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The wrapper itself is somewhat oily.  The surface is slightly bumpy. Despite the dark color, there are visible veins and visible wrapper seams.

The band of the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales is the same as the core perfecto Diamond. It features a lion at the center of the band on a background consisting of yellow, brown, green, and gold coloring.  Above the lion is the text “LA AURORA” on a faded silver background.  Below the lion is the text “BROADLEAF” on a silver ribbon in black font.  Below that ribbon is the text “HECHO A MANO – CASA FONDADA 1903” in small light colored font font.  Toward the right around the back is the text “REPUBLICA DOMINICANA” in black font on a silver background. The remainder of the band is silver and black design.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Before I lit up the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales, I went with my usual choice of a straight cut.  Once the cap was successfully clipped, I moved on to the pre-light draw.  The cold draw provided a mix of earth and pepper.  There was an underlying tobacco sweetness present.  Overall I considered the pre-light draw of the Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales to be very good.  At this point I was ready to light up this cigar and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales continued where the pre-light draw left off.  I got a mix of black pepper and earth notes.  I also picked up a secondary espresso note.  There was plenty of spice on the retro-hale as I detected notes of black pepper and cedar.

As the Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales moved through the first third, the espresso and earth notes became primary.  The pepper notes moved into the background, but were also still prominent on the retro-hale.

Toward the start of the second third, the espresso notes took on some more chocolate qualities and transformed to a mocha-like flavor.  There was now an underlying sweetness to the chocolate notes.  Meanwhile there was a slight increase in the pepper qualities.  The pepper now lingered more on the tongue on the after-draw.  The earth notes remained secondary

By the later part of the second third, the mocha notes now had a little more of cocoa-powder quality. These notes remained primary, but now the pepper spice was quite prominent as well. There still were some earthy notes at the end. This is the way the flavor profile remained until the end. There was a spicy kick at the end, but it was not harsh. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn and draw both score quite well on the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales. The burn line remained on the straight path from start to finish. There was a minor curvature to the burn line and it did require some minor touch-ups. The resulting ash was a bright white color. The ash itself was quite firm and it came off the cigar in nice clean chunks. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales

The draw had a touch of resistance to it – which as I’ve been on the record many times is something that I like. For a draw with a slight snugness to it, the Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales produced quite a bit of smoke.

Strength and Body

Make no bones about it.  The La Aurora Preferidos Diamond is a bold and powerful blend. I assessed this as a full strength and full-bodied blend.  I’ve now smoked the Preferido Tubo, Chicho’s Choice, and Corona Especiales.  Of the three, I found Chicho’s Choice to be the strongest (and one of the most powerful smokes I had in 2014). I don’t have the strength level of the Corona Especiales at that same level, but it still is stronger than the Preferido Tubo in my book. The body of the Corona Especiales is pretty much on par  (full) with the line. I still found a slight advantage of strength over body with the Corona Especiales.

Final Thoughts

Overall I have never found the Preferidos Diamond blend to be the most overly complex blend. It also isn’t a blend that is going to throw a lot of different flavors at you. However there are still some subtle flavor transitions (espresso -> mocha -> cocoa) and was just enough to keep things interesting. However the most important thing here is that the flavors delivered are quite good – and work very well in the 5 1/2 x 42 format. As I mentioned this is a powerful cigar, and it’s one that I would only recommend to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast who can handle something quite full. As for myself, I found the Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales to be a cigar I would reach for again. It is one that is definitely worth a box split.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excelent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Full
Body: Full
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 3.5 – Box Split
Score: 91


References


News: n/a
Price: $7.20
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 114, Episode 121
Stogie Feed: La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Corona Especiales