Cigar Review: La Aurora 100 Años Lancero

Awesome Band

This is without a doubt my favorite smoke to be released by La Aurora, and possibly my favorite smoke to come out of the Dominican Republic. It is a smoke that I believe to be one of the best Dominican puros ever made, and a cigar that by some was overlooked. If you ask any cigar smoker about La Aurora Cigars, and they are passionate cigar smokers, the first cigar they will really talk to you about is 100 Años or Cien Años. It is a smoke that was limited in its release, but made huge impacts on the market. To this date cigar enthusiasts like myself horde on to these cigars, and if there is some chance to pick them up at stores we splurge. Oh yes, there are still some stores that carry these smokes; they are hidden in the back of the humidors tucked away for special occasions or to be discovered by those cigar smokers that search every area of store's humidors.

La Aurora is a company that was founded in 1903, and to honor its 100 years in production the released the Cien Años. Their goal was to release a special edition cigar that not only paid tribute to the company, but the country in which the company had succeeded. To that date, heck still to this date, having a Dominican puro was uncommon, and that was because of the growing conditions of the country. The used aged and limited tobacco for the blend, and it was initially limited to only four sizes. Eventually in 2009 they released the Cien Años Preferidos as a follow up, and after that the Lancero at the IPCPR. The original release was limited to roughly 400,000 cigars, and the release of the Lancero in late 2009 was limited to only 15,000 cigars. The releases of the smokes was scattered throughout 2004 to 2006, but with the little remaining tobacco they were able to release the Lancero.

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The Lancero is not your standard Cuban lancero, and measures only 6 7/8" with a 40 ring gauge. The cigar is a Dominican puro, and has Corojo and Piloto Cubano fillers.Above that is a Dominican binder and then the Dominican Corojo wrapper. There is not pigtail to the wrapper, but is really a beautiful smoke. The cigar has a gorgeous coloring to the wrapper, and it is showing some lovely Colorado colors, nice reddish clay and light brown notes. There are some veins present in the wrapper and the cigar is firm in hand. At the foot of the cigar I am getting some lovely tobacco, floral, leather and barnyard flavors, and on the wrapper I am getting some floral and leather notes. There is a lovely cold draw to the cigar, and the v-cut is perfect with this smoke.

Just Beautiful 

Lighting up the cigar there is a wonderful beginning flavor profile of oak and leather, and it is pure enjoyment. I am picking up some pepper notes with that, and it has a finish of floral and herbal qualities. It has a beginning that shows a great amount of flavors from its core flavor profile. I love the Dominican tobacco flavors in this cigar, and this is what I look for in a cigar. There is just this dry aftertaste with the flavors.  There is a great burn line to the cigar, nearly razor sharp, and it is producing a lovely dark charcoal ash on the end that is holding on firmly. I would say the strength of the cigar is at a solid medium full level and I feel that it has softened some over the years. They are not mild cigars, and I would say it is one of the strongest smokes La Aurora has released. There is a cool draw with all of this, and it produces a nice bit of smoke. Overall this is a great start to the lancero, and it excels in so many categories.

Dominican Corojo

When I get into the second third I am beginning to pick up some great nut flavors, and I am picking up some peanut notes in particular. There are still those core leather and and oak notes to the cigar, with some pepper notes here and there, but there has a been a nice transition that has focused on the nuts and floral/herbal qualities. There is a little bit of coffee bean flavors on the finish, and it is definitely more complex than before. The burn line is now razor sharp, and it has that dark charcoal coloring to it. The draw is still cool and enjoyable, always a good sign with a lancero, and it has a strength level that is still around that medium full level. I would say that the cigar is getting slightly softer with each third, but it is still showing some great flavors. Overall this is a very enjoyable smoke, and I would be smoking it in the afternoon or evening.

Amazing Stick

In the final third of the cigar the coffee bean flavors have increased from the second third, and it is an interesting combination with the nuts and toasty flavors. The oak flavors have faded some, but there is still some definite leather flavors with the smoke and a finish of herbal and floral qualities  It is a nice finish to the cigar, and it provides a great transition from beginning to end. I feel the strength of the cigar finishes at a medium body level, and it has definitely gotten softer as the cigar has progressed. The draw is still cool and producing a lovely amount of smoke in this third, and it is a wonderfully constructed lancero. The last draw of the cigar is flavorful and it was great from the beginning to the tiny nub. This is a cigar that when it is finished you want another one.

This was a lovely lancero and while it was not my favorite size in the line, it did this adored line justice. I will say with confidence that this is one of the few occasions where I have actually preferred a smoke in a larger ring gauge. I felt that with the previous Torpedo and Robusto offerings you were able to get more of the great filler tobacco flavors, and in this case I liked more of that tobacco present. Overall the flavor profile to the smoke was very enjoyable and it was a complex cigar. This size offers a more concentrated flavor profile, and with the focus on the wrapper you have to pay  more attention to what the other tobacco has to offer. The 100 Años is one of the best lines ever to be made in my opinion, and I am lucky to have as many left as I do, and a store that has them.

100 Años Lancero