Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the La Aurora 100 Años in the Belicoso size. This is a cigar we have assessed previously back in June 2015 in the Preferidos size.

Wrapper: Dominican Corojo
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora SA
Belicoso: 6 1/4 x 52

The La Aurora Cigar factory is the oldest one in the Dominican Republic. In 2003, the factory celebrated its 100th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, La Aurora produced a commemorative cigar known as the La Aurora 100 Años, which would actually hit the market in 2004. The cigar had a large, limited production of 400,000 cigars and it quickly earned La Aurora both critical and commercial acclaim. In 2012, La Aurora made the decision to bring back the 100 Años. Since then the cigar has seen ongoing limited production. Today we take a look at the La Aurora 100 Años in the Belicoso size.

In terms of the blend, the La Aurora, the 100 Años features 100% Dominican tobaccos. This is highlighted by a Dominican Corojo wrapper. The Belicoso size measures 6 1/4 x 52. There have been several limited sizes and offshoots of the 100 Años, but the Belicoso size has been an ongoing staple since the line has been launched.

The 100 Años Belicoso opens with notes of natural tobacco, classic wood, cedar, nut, floral, and a subtle citrus note. There was a slight amount of red pepper on the retro-hale. As the cigar moved through the first third, the natural tobacco and classic wood notes moved to the forefront. These were balanced by the floral, citrus, and cedar notes. At the same time, the nut flavors dissipated. The second third saw a mix of black and red pepper on the tongue emerge. By the midway point, the wood notes took over as the primary note. While there was a decrease in the overall sweetness, and an increase in the spice, there was still a nice balance in the flavor profile right until the end.

In terms of strength, the 100 Años Belicoso started medium before progressing to medium to full. As for the body, it started out on the upper end of medium and had a moderate increase in intensity – going to medium to full in the second third and full-bodied past the midway point. This was a cigar where the body had the edge over the strength.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The La Aurora 100 Años made its debut in 2004, and one thing I give La Aurora a lot of credit for is that this cigar has maintained its consistency throughout the years. This is a cigar that delivers very nice flavor and enough complexity to keep me interested from start to finish. Until this round of assessments, I had never smoked the Belicoso, and I was quite pleased with this format. This is a cigar I would steer to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast, but if a novice is looking to graduate to that medium plus/full level, this is a cigar I would recommend. As for myself, it’s a cigar I would smoke again – and buy multiples of.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Wood, Lemon, Natural Tobacco, Red Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (2nd Third), Full (Second Half)
Finish: Very Good