Back in April 2019, La Aurora Cigars announced the fourth installment of its Time Capsule Series with the release of the La Aurora 1985 Maduro. The La Aurora cigar factory was founded in 1903 and it is the oldest factory in the Dominican Republic. La Aurora Cigars often commemorates milestones in the history of the company and the Time Capsule Series is no exception. Each blend in the La Aurora Time Capsule series features a year in the name, and that name corresponds to the year the La Aurora factory first started working with a particular wrapper. In the case of the La Aurora 1985 Maduro, the year 1985 signifies the year a Brazilian Maduro wrapper was first introduced. Today we take a closer look at the La Aurora 1985 Maduro in the Maduro size.

In 2016, La Aurora 1962 Corojo and 1987 Connecticut were the first two installments released in the Time Capsule series. This was followed in 2017 by the La Aurora 1903 Cameroon. In addition to commemorating milestones, the La Aurora Time Capsule series is positioned as a value-priced line within the La Aurora portfolio. As with all La Aurora Cigars, the La Aurora Time Capsule Series is distributed in the United States by Miami Cigar and Company.

Without further ado, let’s break down the La Aurora 1985 Maduro Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the Brazilian Maduro wrapper, the La Aurora 1985 Maduro uses Nicaraguan tobaccos for the binder and filler.

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The La Aurora 1985 Maduro comes in four sizes. Each is packaged in 20-count boxes.

Robusto: 5 d 50
Toro: 5 1/2 x 54
Churchill: 7 x 47
Gran Toro: 6 x 58

Appearance

The Brazilian Maduro wrapper has a chocolate brown color to it. Upon close examination, there is some mottling visible on the surface. The wrapper itself has some oil on the surface. There were some visible veins and visible wrapper seams giving the wrapper a slightly rustic look to it.

There are two bands on the La Aurora 1985 Maduro. The primary band is common to all four installments of the Time Capsule Series. This is a white band with red and gold trim. On the center of the band is a yellow, orange, and red La Aurora lion logo. Above the logo is the text “LA AURORA” in red font arranged in a curved fashion. Below the logo are some red and gold adornments highlighted by a gold crown in the center. Below those adornments is the text “REPUBLICA DOMINICANA” in a smaller red font – also arranged in a curved fashion. The left and right side of the band each have two gold medallions. The far right of the band has the text “HECHO A MANO DESDE 1903” – arranged in landscape mode in red font.

The secondary band is unique to the 1985 Maduro. It has a pale yellow color with red and gold trim. On the center of the band is the text “MADURO” in red font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the La Aurora 1985 Maduro Robusto and kick off the cigar experience. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered a mix of chocolate, coffee, and baker’s spice. Sometimes when I get notes of chocolate and coffee, they are fused together creating a mocha note. This was not the case with the La Aurora 1985 Maduro. Overall this was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to light up the La Aurora 1985 Maduro and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The La Aurora 1985 Maduro Robusto started out with notes of chocolate, black coffee, earth, and black pepper. As the cigar moved through the first third, the chocolate and coffee notes moved into the forefront. Like on the pre-light draw, there was no fusion between the chocolate and coffee – both were separate and distinct notes. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced an additional layer of mixed pepper.

Later in the first third, some citrus notes developed in the background. As the La Aurora 1985 Maduro Robusto moved into the second third the coffee notes increased in intensity and displaced the chocolate notes in the forefront. The chocolate settled in the background with the citrus, earth, and black pepper notes.

Toward the latter part of the second third, the pepper notes increased in intensity and approached the forefront. As the 1985 Maduro Robusto entered the final third, the flavors seemed a bit muddled. The coffee notes still had the edge with the citrus and pepper notes close behind. There still were some notes of chocolate and earth present. This is the way the La Aurora Maduro Robusto came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn line for the La Aurora 1985 Maduro had a slight bit of unevenness, but for the most part, this was a cigar that did not have a lot of difficulty maintaining a straight burn path. The resulting ash was mostly silvery gray with some dark spots mixed in. There was some minor flaking of the ash along the way. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Draw

While I normally like a little resistance on the draw, the resistance on the La Aurora 1985 Maduro Robusto was a little more than I prefer. While the cigar never plugged or needed a re-light, I still found this cigar’s draw required more work than I prefer.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, the La Aurora 1985 Maduro Robusto is a cigar that was on the bolder side. This was a cigar that was medium to full in terms of both strength and body. There was a slight increase in the intensity levels of both attributes along the way, but in the end, the 1985 Maduro Robusto stayed in the medium to full range for strength and body for the duration of the cigar experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT