Blind Cigar Review: La Aurora | 107 Maduro Lancero “Bow Tie”

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Lancero
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 40
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Factory: E. León Jimenes Tabacalera
Blender: Guillermo Leon
Number of reviewers: 5—–Ron (shuckins) Gregg (McGreggor57) Dave (mdwest) Jason (bigslowrock) Emmett (rhetorik)
Price: $7.40
Age: 5 Months
Release Date: December 2013
Contributed by: Miami Cigar & Co.

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 89

“It’s pretty decent looking for a lancero. It’s a bit lumpy, which is to be expected, and the wrapper color is a little uneven. The wrapper is a dark brown maduro color with a little tooth and some large veins.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

Aroma: 91

“Pre-light draw has a nice light sweetness with chocolate and tobacco. I’m also getting almost a very interesting citrus note off the aroma.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

First Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Big, bold, earthy tobacco greets me early with an intense pepper on the retro for the first half inch. Dark roast coffee grounds join the tobacco and creates a pleasant flavor profile for the remainder of the third.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“The first puff has a good amount of black pepper joined by a sweet woody flavor. The draw is a little bit tight, but there is a ton of smoke pouring off this thing, even just while resting. A little further in, the black pepper fades somewhat, giving way to a fresh tobacco taste. Towards the end of the third, the wood flavor becomes more defined as cedar, a nice finish.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

Second Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Still very woodsy tasting as the leather fades. The coffee flavor, along with a peppery allspice, combine to provide an entertaining kick as I smoke past the halfway point.” –Ron (shuckins)

“Baking spices (perhaps nutmeg?) start to become present about half way through the second third and the finish becomes very long and slightly sweet, with a particularly oily mouth feel. This stick has not been subtle at all in its profile transition. It’s been right up front about it. Very nice experience so far.” –Dave (mdwest)

Final Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Some leather is appearing for the first time and the chocolate is moving toward the front. There is still some coffee in the mix, but it’s fading. Not much else is happening during this third.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“The off putting flavor seems to finally lessen a bit. I’m getting sweetness and coffee.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 92

“Not bad, but fairly inconsistent. At times it was spot on, but there were also times it was too firm for my liking.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Burn: 89

“Pretty good burn, worry free, with no touch ups and a good looking ash left behind.” –Ron (shuckins)

Construction: 88

“The construction could have been better and needed to be improved in the burn and draw.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 86

“Although the flavors were not my favorites, it was still a fun cigar to smoke.” –Ron (shuckins)

“There wasn’t a lot of interest even though the middle third kept me anticipating the next draw. The flavors worked well together but never really seemed to wow me. This would probably be better paired with a flavorful drink.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“I’m anxious to see the reveal on this one. Overall, it was a very nice smoking experience with solid performance and a very nice blend of flavor, without being overly strong. I’ll certainly seek this stick out again.” –Dave (mdwest)

“Just a terrible experience from start to end. Unless I just had a super bad one out of the bunch, I would never smoke another one of these cigars again.” –Jason (bigslowrock)

“This one started out with some promise, but after the first third was a pretty big let down. Towards the end, all I was tasting was metallic and bitterness. Given the construction problems and offensive flavors in the second half, I cannot recommend this one.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 83

Total Score: 88 (Good)

Edit

Reviewer	Appea-rance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall
Ron	90	90	88	90	88	90	90	88	87
Gregg	88	90	90	90	88	88	95	90	87
Dave	90	90	92	92	90	95	88	90	92
Jason	83	92	83	80	83	95	90	80	75
Emmett	90	95	90	85	83	83	85	85	83
Overall	89	91	89	89	88	92	89	88	86

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: La Aurora | 107 Maduro Lancero “Bow Tie“