Cigar Info
La Aurora celebrated their 120 year Anniversary in 2023 with a brand new cigar: La Aurora 120 Anniversary. The company was founded in 1903 and has the claim of being the Dominican Republic‘s oldest cigar factory still in business today.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The La Aurora 120 Anniversary was first shown off at the Procigar festival in the Dominican Republic and the 2023 PCA trade show in July, and started shipping last month. The blend uses a Dominican Habana 92-seed wrapper, a Olor dominicano binder from the Cibao Valley, and Piloto Cubano from the Cibao Valley, Rep. Dom, Olor dominicano from the Cibao Valley, and Dominican Corojo fillers. The cigars come in four vitolas: Robusto (5×50), Toro (5 ½ x 54), Gran Toro (6×58) and Churchill (7×47). MSRP Ranges from $14.00 – $16.80.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Republic Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora S.A.
Blender: Manuel Inoa
Number of reviewers: 5 – John A. (Bostoneo) Alan (Eulogy) Mickey T. (irratebass) Quinn (quinnpins269) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Price: $14.00
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: September 2023
Contributed by: La Aurora Cigars
Initial Impressions – La Aurora 120 Anniversary Robusto
Appearance: 88
“This looks like a short corona or maybe a smaller robusto. A bit of a toothy wrapper on this cigar with both visible veins and seams.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Aroma: 91
“The wrapper aroma is slightly sweet and smoky while the foot is more earthy and has a bit of compost.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“On the cold draw, I get dry must, hay, nutmeg, and dried leaves???? Lots of black pepper, baking spice, and cream to really throw my palate off. This cigar is a medium plus in strength, there are some earth notes but they are not overpowering the cigar. I get a nice blast of white pepper on the retro.”-Mickey T. (irratebass)
“The flavors start out big and bold with a perfect draw. Notes of baking spice, grain, red pepper, leather, and anise. Amazing start that really demands your attention.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Second Third
Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The middle portion has settled down considerably with the heavy pepper mostly leaving my palate and letting the earthy mushroom really shine. This profile is really shining for me right now!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“The strength up ticked a bit for me in the second third to a medium plus. The mineral notes continued to be at the forefront of the profile. I did notice the smoke became very dry and began to dry my mouth out as well.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
Final Third
Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The last third starts out simply complex and amazing. This flavorful portion includes tasty notes of wood, leather, honey, malt, and a slight floral accent. Flavors intensify a little bit in strength moving near the end of the cigar while the flavor profile keeps steady all the way.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“Into the final portion the flavor has changed completely and has just hint of white pepper on the tongue. The earthy flavors have left as well and now I’m just getting plain clean tobacco.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Overall Impressions – La Aurora 120 Anniversary Robusto
Draw: 89
“The draw on this sample was just about where I like it…some resistance but plenty of airflow for smoke.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Burn: 93
“Burned razor sharp from beginning to end. I never needed to reach for a lighter the entire time.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Construction: 92
“I have to say this cigar had EXCELLENT construction, plenty of ash as well and the cigar didn’t heat up until the end when I had to set it down with a 1/4 of an inch to go.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 93
“I really enjoyed this medium-bodied cigar. I’d probably buy more, maybe in a slightly larger ring gauge to see if the draw was a tad looser for perfection. Its wonderful and ever-changing flavors ranging from chocolate to wood notes kept me on my toes wondering what may be next. Pick this one and try it, it will not disappoint!” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“This is the total package. The flavors were big and bold with such a diverse profile. It just does everything right with an amazing draw, chewy smoke, and perfect burn. I’d smoke this every evening and be a very happy man.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“This was an excellent cigar with a lot of flavors offered. I got coffee, cream, black & white pepper, cinnamon and some earth. This was a very rounded cigar that gave me a new flavor sensation with almost every sip. I would definitely smoke this again and dare I say maybe even buy a box……don’t sleep on this cigar.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“I felt it was an okay overall smoke. The heavy amount of mineral notes coupled with the mouth drying smoke were a draw back for me. I would still consider trying this cigar again to see if I have a similar experience.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)
“This was a cigar that had me worried at first when it hit me full throttle at the first puff. Fortunately, it settled into a very serviceable smoke. The profile in the first and middle portions was very good with the mushroom notes but the final portion was underwhelming and left me wanting more. I’d like it again but after the better cigars were gone.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 75
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| John A. | 90 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 95 | 90 | 93 |
| Alan | 92 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| Mickey T. | 87 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 90 | 95 | 95 |
| Quinn | 85 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 92 | 90 | 88 |
| Jason H. | 87 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.