Salomon, 7.25" x 52 ring gauge / Approx. $20
Another tip of the hat to Keith for sending me this rare cigar for my birthday. The La Aurora Puro Vintage was released in 2008 and only 12,000 total cigars were rolled, using filler and binder from the Dominican Republic and wrapper from Ecuador...all from the 2003 harvest. The leaf was aged with cedar for five years prior to rolling. The look was stunning and impressive, with an oily wrapper and bold, oversized band. The aroma from the wrapper was a mixture of leather, straight tobacco and molasses sweetness, while the foot was faintly earthy. The cold draw was easy, but didn't have as much flavor as I would have expected...a little natural tobacco, a little sweetness.
I was surprised again when the initial light up did not feature a burst of flavor, but the Puro Vintage 2003 started out subtle and almost unassuming. The flavor of natural tobacco was nice, but nothing that was overly special. It took about 10 minutes of smoking before I started to pick up on nicer notes of hay, earth and molasses. By the time the first third was pretty well reduced to ash, the flavor had turned almost chewy, with a thick, oily smoke and flavors of earth, wood, and molasses standing out. Such a drastic evolution from the first few puffs!
By the final third, the Puro Vintage 2003 was a symphony of flavor from leather and earth, to caramel and hay, all wrapped up in a creamy, abundant smoke. I expected big things from this cigar and while it started off slow, it kept ramping up the intensity throughout, proving that if you just review the first inch of a cigar, you will never be able to tell the full story. Sadly, this cigar is very hard to find these days, but there is a newer Puro Vintage slated to be released soon (perhaps by the time you read this). Will it be as delicious as this one? There is no way to know until you smoke one...and I plan to.
Another tip of the hat to Keith for sending me this rare cigar for my birthday. The La Aurora Puro Vintage was released in 2008 and only 12,000 total cigars were rolled, using filler and binder from the Dominican Republic and wrapper from Ecuador...all from the 2003 harvest. The leaf was aged with cedar for five years prior to rolling. The look was stunning and impressive, with an oily wrapper and bold, oversized band. The aroma from the wrapper was a mixture of leather, straight tobacco and molasses sweetness, while the foot was faintly earthy. The cold draw was easy, but didn't have as much flavor as I would have expected...a little natural tobacco, a little sweetness.
I was surprised again when the initial light up did not feature a burst of flavor, but the Puro Vintage 2003 started out subtle and almost unassuming. The flavor of natural tobacco was nice, but nothing that was overly special. It took about 10 minutes of smoking before I started to pick up on nicer notes of hay, earth and molasses. By the time the first third was pretty well reduced to ash, the flavor had turned almost chewy, with a thick, oily smoke and flavors of earth, wood, and molasses standing out. Such a drastic evolution from the first few puffs!
By the final third, the Puro Vintage 2003 was a symphony of flavor from leather and earth, to caramel and hay, all wrapped up in a creamy, abundant smoke. I expected big things from this cigar and while it started off slow, it kept ramping up the intensity throughout, proving that if you just review the first inch of a cigar, you will never be able to tell the full story. Sadly, this cigar is very hard to find these days, but there is a newer Puro Vintage slated to be released soon (perhaps by the time you read this). Will it be as delicious as this one? There is no way to know until you smoke one...and I plan to.
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