Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- Price $5.99
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
A few weeks ago, I took a look at one of two new releases from La Aurora, the 1962 Corojo. Today I am following up by taking a look at its “sister release” the 1987 Connecticut. Both of these cigars represent an attempt to re-infuse the Aurora lines with new products at reasonable price points and at the same time honor the years that each type of leaf was first used in a La Aurora blend.
In a slight departure from what La Aurora of yesteryear would do, this 1987 Connecticut uses fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, a more modern practice. The binder is Dominican and the wrapper is a Connecticut Shade leaf, most likely grown in Ecuador (that information was not evident in the sources I looked at, but the price point seems to bear this out). The cigar is available in a total of 4 vitolas, ranging from $5.50 to $6.00 MSRP.
I purchased this sample at Burns Tobacconist and it is the first time I have smoked this blend. As in the previous 1962 Corojo article, I did use some information from Cigar-Coop’s news article on these releases.
Prelight
The basic look of these cigars is shared with the 1962…a basic La Aurora band (the same “modern, updated” band used on quite a few of their items in the past 4 or 5 years), in addition to a secondary band that states the wrapper varietal. It’s simple and direct, although I can’t help but think a couple changes would have made some difference…as I stated before, the 1962 Corojo has the exact same primary and secondary bands as the several-year-old La Aurora Corojo, but a slightly different blend and lower price, which can definitely lead to confusion. In order to “fix” that “problem” I would have made the secondary band say “1962 Corojo” instead of just “Corojo.” In the same way, on this blend, it would have been better to have the secondary band say “1987 Connecticut.” It’s a minor quibble, but I think this would have made a better presentation to the consumer.
The wrapper leaf was a very nice golden color with a bit of darker smudging, some oils to the touch, and mostly minor veining. It had an aroma of fresh hay with a touch of earthiness. The foot had earth and hay, as well, with touches of sweetness and cedar mixed in.
The cold draw was very good and tasted of notes of hay, molasses and wood.
Flavor
The 1987 Connecticut lit up fairly easily and evenly. Once going, it produced a medium-bodied smoke that had notes of earth and cedar up front, with hay and creamy coffee following closely behind. The finish had black pepper, roasted nuts, and a citrusy sweetness. On the nose, I got a stronger pepper note, along with some more nuttiness. I have to admit to being surprised both by the body of the cigar from first light and the complexity of this $6 stick. I’ve had Connecticut Shade-wrapped cigars costing $9 or $10 that weren’t this complex and enjoyable.
The second third got earthier overall, with continued coffee and citrus flavors mixed in. The cedar and pepper notes faded quite a bit, while the nutty flavors stayed in the background.
In the last third the citrus sweetness increased and the flavor of creamy coffee continued while the earthier notes were toned down. The pepper still hung on at the finish, but was just a low white pepper burn.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line and solid ash, all adding up to excellent construction.
Value
For a cigar to be this good and be this inexpensive means fantastic value.
Conclusions
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this cigar. I’m not the biggest fan of Connecticut Shade smokes, but this one was just wonderful. It was complex and pleasing to my palate, with a steady medium body. I would definitely recommend this for fans of Shade wrapped cigars; if you enjoy a good Shade smoke with coffee in the morning, this would be a great choice. The worst thing about it was the packaging, but that’s a minor concern and should be able to be remedied.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
