La Aurora Cigars is a company that loves to celebrate milestones, and in 2018 the company would commemorate 115 years of operation of its factory with a new cigar series. The series would be called the La Aurora 115th Anniversary. There would be two components to this line – two limited edition cigars and a regular production line. The series was first unveiled at InterTabac 2018. In 2019 the La Aurora 115th Anniversary Series would make its debut. First, the two limited edition cigars were released and then following the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, the regular production series would make their debut. Today, we take a look at one of the regular production La Aurora 115th Anniversary Cigars in the Robusto size.

The past 15 years have seen many of these commemorative milestone releases. The notable releases include: the company’s 100th anniversary (La Aurora Cien Años), 107th anniversary (La Aurora 107), 110th anniversary (La Aurora Cameroon and Corojo 110th Anniversary Releases), 111th anniversary ( La Aurora Puro Vintage 2006 Edición Limitada 111 Aniversario), and the La Aurora 115th Anniversary. The company has also had other milestone releases, most recently its Time Capsule Series which commemorates years the La Aurora factory first started working with a particular wrapper).

In the U.S. market, La Aurora is exclusively distributed by Miami Cigar & Company. Without further ado, let’s break down the La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

One important note is the two La Aurora 115th Limited Edition cigars are different than the regular production blend. Below are the blend components used for the La Aurora 115th regular production blend. This blend consists of an Ecuadorian wrapper over a Brazilian binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Brazil.

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

Vitolas Offered

The La Aurora 115th Anniversary is available in four sizes. Each is presented in 20-count boxes.

Robusto 5 x 50
Toro: 5 3/4 x 54
Belicoso: 6 1/4 x 52
Gran Toro: 6 x 58

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper of the La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto was medium brown with a strong rosado tint. There was some oil on the surface of the wrapper. At the same time, this was a wrapper with a sandy texture to it. This wasn’t an overly bumpy wrapper as any visible veins and visible wrapper seams were on the thin side.

The primary band of the La Aurora 115th Anniversary had a black background on the upper portion of the band. There is a gold trim also on the upper portion of the band. The upper portion of the band has a gold lion emblematic as a symbol of La Aurora. Below the lion is the text “LA AURORA” in gold font. On the center of the band is a large “115” with the years “1903” and “2018” flanking it on the left and right respectively – all in gold font. The left and right side of the band contain gold font sketches representing the La Aurora factory. Meanwhile, the lower portion of the band is gold with gold medallions on it. Toward the bottom is a red stripe with the text “A COMMEMORATIVE COLLECTION MASTERFULLY HAND CRAFTED”.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was successfully removed, it was time for the pre-light draw ritual. The dry draw delivered notes of wood, cedar, earth, and citrus. While not the most exciting pre-light draw, it still wasn’t a negative experience. At this point, it was time to light up the La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto started out with notes of wood, black pepper, cherry, and earth. Early on there was a slight edge to the wood notes. The cherry, earth, and black pepper notes were in the background. Of these background notes, the cherry was most prominent on the tongue. On the retro-hale, the black pepper notes were most prominent.

As the 115th Anniversary Robusto moved into the second third, the woody notes remained grounded in the forefront. There was a slight char quality that developed on the woody notes. Meanwhile, the cherry sweetness diminished and the black pepper decreased with the earth notes in the most distant background.

By the last third, the black pepper had closed in on the wood and char notes at the forefront. There still were hints of earth and cherry present, but they didn’t play a significant role. This is the way the La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto maintained an excellent burn. The cigar followed a straight burn path and had a relatively straight burn line. Some touch-ups were needed along the way, but in no way was it excessive. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

Draw

The draw to the La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto also performed quite well. This was a burn that had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I consider a positive. This was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

Sometimes La Aurora is overlooked for delivering a cigar with a punch. The La Aurora 115th Anniversary Robusto is one that falls into that category. This is a cigar that started medium to full in strength and body. There was a slight increase in strength along the way, but the cigar still remained in the medium to full range. The intensity of the body of the 115th Anniversary Robusto stayed relatively constant.

In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely for the first two-thirds. By the final third, the strength took a slight edge.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted