Cigar Info
La Aurora announced the Hors d’Age at the 2018 Procigar Festival in the Dominican Republic. The name translates in French to “Beyond Time”. All of the tobacco used in this blend comes from 2006. It was originally supposed to be released in 2017, which is why that date is on the bands, but the company felt it needed more rest. It was officially released at the 2018 IPCPR but didn’t ship until December 2018. Production of this limited edition is 6,000 boxes of 15.
La Aurora Hors d’Age Toro Details:
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: La Aurora
- Wrapper: Ecuador
- Binder: Ecuador
- Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Columbia
- Size: 6 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 54
- Vitola: Toro
- MSRP: $20
- Date Released: September 2018
- Cigars Released: 6,000 Boxes of 15 Cigars (90,000 Total Cigars)
Pre-light
Honestly, this feels like a really big cigar for a Toro. The wrapper has a lot of medium sized veins running the length and is far from seams less. The cap is noticeably lifted from the head and the overall application of the wrapper is rustic. Very firm to the touch and I’m somewhat surprised at how weighty it is. The wrapper and pre-draw are mostly a mixture of aged tobacco and wood.
First Third
The initial first few puffs are an odd mixture of barnyard, mineral, and tobacco. There’s something that I can’t quite place and is somewhat bitter, chalk maybe? Draw is near perfect. Just the right amount of resistance but the smoke output is slightly thin. After about a quarter inch, the barnyard is still quite strong but there’s a long rich leather finish.
Second Third
Rich aged tobacco is most of the profile at this point giving an almost buttery mouth feel. There’s still a long leather finish and mineral notes but that’s about it. I feel like I’m missing pepper to brighten the experience up. I usually don’t mind a mild cigar but this a somewhat bland experience without it. At the halfway point, which takes quite awhile, pepper slowly starts creeping in. It’s very welcome at this point though and there’s a slightly nutty flavor starting to develop as well.
Final Third
There’s a slightly bitter mineral note that is mixing with the bread that started to develop at the end of the last third that is reminding me of sour dough. The pepper keeps changing from in your face and then completely nonexistent which is a little odd but is keeping things fresh. Rich tobacco has been the star from the moment I started though and nothing has changed. It’s not often that I think buttery and aged tobacco but it’s the best way I can describe it.
Overall Impressions
In all honesty, I don’t think I would have liked this as newbie cigar smoker. Rich aged tobacco wasn’t something that I was super into when I started smoking and it took time for me to appreciate the nuance and quality. That being said, this cigar has that rich aged tobacco flavor as its main and dominate flavor though out and depending on how much you personally enjoy it will greatly influence your thought of it. As far as burn, construction, and draw they were all top notch. Burned cool and consistence the entire time and the ash looked like stacked nickels. The smoke output was a bit lackluster to me. I enjoy a creamier and thicker smoke myself but it was far from thin. Certainly worth a try but keep a few hours free because it took just under three hours to finish this beast.
-Alan(Eulogy)
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