Back in April of 2019, Miami Cigar & Company announced the La Aurora 1985 Maduro. This new release is part of their Time Capsule line, which includes the 1987 Connecticut, 1903 Cameroon, and 1962 Corojo. The 1985 is described as a full-bodied every day cigar.
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 blend uses a Brazilian Maduro wrapper with Dominican and Nicaraguan binders and fillers. It comes in 4 sizes: Robusto, Toro, Churchill, and Gran Toro and prices range from $5.75 to $6.50. It comes in boxes of 20 and is regular production.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto Length: 5″ Ring Gauge: 50 Country of Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Brazil Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua Factory: La Aurora Cigar Factory Blender: Manuel Inoa Number of reviewers: 4 – Eric (smalls29) Alan(Eulogy) Randy B.(randobush) Steve (ThaGreatWazoo) Price: $5.75 Age: 6 Months Release Date: April 2019 Contributed by: Miami Cigar & Co.
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 91
“Dark chocolate brown wrapper with no blemishes and a uniform color. There are a few large veins running the length of the wrapper and the large double cap seems a little bunched.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Aroma: 92
“Sweet cedar, tobacco, and mild baking spice on the foot with little in terms of aroma on the wrapper. The pre-draw is a much more robust baking spice that leaves a slight tingle on the tongue but is far less sweet than the foot. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
First Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The aroma prior to lighting this cigar was a leathery smell. However, the flavors are more of a cinnamon and nutmeg flavor. They are nicely balanced with a peppery after taste. There is a nice tingle in the after-taste on the tongue and roof of my mouth.” –Eric (smalls29)
“Starts off very creamy with a lot of rich tobacco and red pepper notes. Leather and cedar start to develop with a peppery tingle that stays on the lips. After about half an inch the tobacco notes start to drop back just a bit with a very vegetal note developing.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Second Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“The flavors are bit more subdued this third. There’s still notes of tobacco, cedar, and baking spice but the vegetal note is much stronger this third with a slight chocolate note on the finish.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Cayenne is gone replaced by salt, hint of caramel, and hay. Baking spices dominate ” –Randy B. (randobush)
Final Third
Flavor: 88 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“I am sad because the nice mellow flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg have given eay to a black licorice taste. The nice thing is the spices are still in the background, and leaving a nice tingle on the palate.” –Eric (smalls29)
“The final third finished up quite nicely. Just a couple slight touchups were needed once the ash started falling apart. This brought on a little bit of charness, but the salt and pepper settled and the sweet and fruity finish came back. It was a good finish to the cigar, but definitely had me wanting more from the cigar throughout. ” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 89
“Just a bit too tight but it smoked great. ” –Alan (Eulogy)
Burn: 95
“The burn was sharp and the ash held nicely. This was a plus and possibly happened because it was a little tight. ” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Construction: 89
“I like the build of this cigar and the look it had with it. I was a little worried in the beginning because near the foot some of the wrapper started cracking off. But, this did not have any effect on the cigar experience.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 88
“Any cigar that does not become bitter near the end is a good one. The spices for most of the time were a nice blend of cinnamon and nutmeg with a great spice tingle. Towards the end the black licorice came in but was not over bearing. All in all this is one that will pair well with a single malt scotch. It would be a nice addition to my humidor.” –Eric (smalls29)
“If you’re a fan of creamy smoke and vegetal flavors this is a real winner. I found it a tad monotone over the entire experience due to the lack of profile changes but it did remain consistent and would be a strong yardgar contender.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“This cigar was a treat with nice transitions between each third. I would recommend this cigar.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“In all, this cigar has a nice build and look to it. The profile was decent and with a little rest or a little less tightness to it, I think the flavors will produce more and come through more. The cigar itself has a lot of growth and potential to it. I wish I could grab a couple more and give this thing another shot.” –Steve (ThaGreatWazoo)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: La Aurora | 1985 Maduro Robusto
Overall Score – 90 – Very Good
Blind Cigar Review: La Aurora | 1985 Maduro Robusto
Summary
"Any cigar that does not become bitter near the end is a good one. The spices for most of the time were a nice blend of cinnamon and nutmeg with a great spice tingle. Towards the end the black licorice came in but was not over bearing. All in all this is one that will pair well with a single malt scotch. It would be a nice addition to my humidor." -Eric (smalls29)
