I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, not much has been around as long as some cigar companies. La Aurora is the perfect example. As a company and a family company no less, it’s been hand-making cigars since 1903. That’s incredible. And after over 120 years of dedication to the craft you better believe they have some absolute bangers out there. From the Hors D’Age to the 120th Anniversary and the León Jimenes Prestige, let’s just say there’s a lot to talk about — and a lot of La Aurora cigars to try.
Now, I’ll have to admit, that even though I recently made a trip to La Aurora in the Dominican Republic, I wasn’t able to try every single cigar the company makes. Instead, here are the best La Aurora cigars I’ve tried and tested this year. Let’s cut off the cap and light up, shall we?
La Aurora ADN (DNA Dominican)
- Best Size: Robusto
The alluring feature of the ADN is that it uses finely cured “andullo” tobacco. I smelled some and actually got my hands on some when I visited La Aurora in the Dominican Republic. Let me tell you it is unreal. Out of this world, unreal. Andullo tobacco is made by wrapping cured tobacco leaves in palm tree pods, tying them off with rope, and then letting them ferment for two or so years. In the La Aurora factory, they’re hanging high on the wall in the curing room. They have such a sweet scent like dried fruit or apricot. Anyway, that tobacco is inside the ADN and it completely empowers the blend. If you only try one cigar on this list then make it this one. Actually, you should also try the 120th Anniversary, but you get the point.
La Aurora 107 Nicaragua
- Best Sizes: Robusto, Toro
Right off the bat, I’m going to point out that the La Aurora 107 comes in a few variants: 107 USA, 107 Cosecha, 107 Ecuador, and 107 Nicaragua. Released in 2010, the idea behind the series is that it introduces 107 years of dedication to the craft, but also features 107 tobaccos of the world. The Nicaragua, in particular, is my jam because I love the strong pepper notes. This one is spicy, nutty, and offers a few blended notes of licorice, coffee, and strong nuttiness like walnut. Since coming back from the Dominican Republic and having a few of these, I’ve made it my mission to stock up my humidor with them.
La Aurora 115th Anniversary
- Best Sizes: Robusto, Toro, Gran Toro
As a brand, La Aurora has had a lot of anniversaries, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a lot of their best cigars are anniversary edition releases. That’s when you pull out all the big stops. The 115th Anniversary is a little different because it’s wrapped in an Ecuador Habano leaf with a Brazilian binder. Already, with that description, you might be able to recognize the profile difference there. A mix of long-fillers is on the inside from Nicaragua, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. It’s nothing if not exotic. That’s a great word to describe the experience. You’ll get lots of earthy, nutty, wood, and spice tones, but even so, it still manages to be a smooth, relaxing cigar.
La Aurora 120th Anniversary
- Best Sizes: Robusto, Toro, Churchill
Every time I have this cigar I taste something different. It’s a smooth, wonderful experience filled to the brim with cinnamon, graham crackers, cedar, cocoa, baking spices, and bunches of sweetness and cream. It really is a phenomenal cigar that I was blown away by the first time I tried, and that continues to happen each time I light another one up. The strength is billed as full, but I’d probably clock this closer to a strong medium. It goes well with coffee in the morning, excellent with a Cuban sandwich or some meat at lunch, and if it’s your first cigar of the day, hell, it’s great after dinner too.
La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Sapphire
- Best Sizes: Robusto, Toro
If you like leather notes in cigars, mixed with a creamy blast of smoke, and a host of other complex flavors, then this cigar is for you. It is also for me, and I love smoking it. If I had to choose a brand that’s a lot like it I would probably throw out Plasencia, but as soon as you smoke it, you’ll come to understand it’s really not close to that — this cigar is in another league. It features a Connecticut wrapper atop a Dominican binder, and fillers that include a mix of Dominican, Brazilian and Cameroon tobaccos.
One more to think about
I wanted to include the Hors D’Age on the list because it truly is a fantastic cigar, however, I’ve only been able to try it once. If I get another chance, I’ll definitely be adding it to the list.
Some notable mentions if you want more La Aurora cigars
Of course, La Aurora’s full inventory is much larger and there’s a lot to choose from. Naturally, I cannot include everything here on this list, but I can offer some more recommendations:
- La Aurora León Jimenes Series 300
- Family Reserve Fernando León Legacy
- León Jimenes Prestige
- La Aurora 100 Años
- Puro Vintage
More on my choice of cigars
I don’t talk about this often, but it’s a question I do get asked every now and then. I think one of the most important points here is that I rarely, if ever, include a cigar on the list that I haven’t had at least two or three times. The exception is if I’m making a list of rare cigars that I just can’t get my hands on or they’re too hard to find.
Second, and this is also a big one, when I choose the cigars for these lists I do include some of my own experiences. Meaning, if I have a bad experience with a cigar or a brand you might not see it featured often. But here’s why it’s important to get to know my preferences and my tastes, even if you don’t care about me as a person. That gives you a baseline for understanding where I’m coming from. In other words, if you know what kinds of cigars I usually like, and what kinds of cigars I don’t, you can use that information to better discern what you’ll like — or won’t like — out of what I share. If you prefer extremely mild cigars then my top recommendations might not jive with you and that’s okay. But at least you’ll have a better understanding of why I’m recommending something.
This is true for any reviewer or media personality. Get to know them a little more so you can better understand how their opinions and experiences will match up with your own. That’s the beauty of these things. Every person is different so every single person is going to have a difference of opinion. But if you take some time to build that baseline and understand where someone is coming from, again, you’ll be able to better understand the recommendations for yourself and how they’ll affect you.
