Corona, 5.5” x 43 ring gauge / $7.00, Burns
Back in 2010, La Aurora released the 107, a cigar blended to celebrate 107 years in business. Why 107 years? I asked that of a company rep at the time and was told, “Why not?” Good enough answer. Originally released in 4 sizes, they later added 2 additional vitolas at the top and bottom of the spectrum (Lancero and Gran) and word of a Maduro version started being thrown around. If memory serves correctly, the 107 Maduro was featured at the 2011 trade show and word was, “It will be available for order soon.” Then that didn’t happen. Then W. Draper in Washington D.C. got a special, limited release of 107 Maduros, but as I recall reviews weren’t off the charts. So…back to the drawing boards…or blending rooms, as it were. Finally, in Spring 2013 the official, final blend of the 107 Maduro hit stores. TAA member shops to be specific for now, although they will be going totally national at this year’s trade show. La Aurora President, Guillermo Leon said, “Our goal was to build on the success of the original 107. We wanted the blend to be able to stand on its own and at the same time remain true to the cigar that celebrated an important milestone in our history.” The filler is Nicaraguan and Dominican; the binder is Dominican Corojo; the wrapper is Connecticut Broadleaf. It is available in 4 sizes. I have had several of the Coronas and several Robustos; I bought the Corona I am smoking for this review.
The familiar leonine band of the 107 greets us when removing this cigar from cellophane, but this time it is joined by a secondary “Maduro” band, and both bands are wrapped around a gloriously dark and oily wrapper leaf. I was struck when I first took a whiff of one of these just how pungently earthy they were. That was almost two months ago and time has mellowed that a bit, but this was still pretty strong. There was more of the same from the foot. The color of this leaf was a dark chocolate or espresso bean color…dark, dark brown. It may not be the darkest Broadleaf I’ve seen, but it’s also not the lightest. I put my Xikar Xi to the task and chopped off the cap of the 107 Maduro, which had a great draw, heavy on flavors of dry cocoa powder, earth and coffee, along with just a little pepper spice.
Lighting up the 107 Maduro, I was immediately hit with a wall of earthy flavors, along with espresso and unsweetened cocoa. There was a hint of sweetness, too, and a little bit of pepper spice at the back of the tongue. The retrohale had a very sharp red pepper spice. The cigar started off medium-to-full in body, which is definitely something unusual for a La Aurora product; it reminds me that the time when Dominican cigars were just known for being mild and smooth are far behind us. Yes, a lot of the change has been accomplished by blending in some other fillers (Nicaraguan in this case), but there are some medium-to-full bodied Dominican puros out there.
Speaking of full-bodied, the retrohale on the 107 Maduro definitely felt full-bodied as the second third started–thick, oily and heavy, although the spice there had mostly gone away. On the palate, I continued to get strong coffee and cocoa flavors, with enough sweetness to balance the more bitter notes very well. Construction was excellent, with a very even burn line (fairly unusual in Maduro wrappers), a solid ash and a great draw.
In the final third, the 107 Maduro was earthy, smoky and full-bodied. Yes, this is a La Aurora product that can legitimately be considered “full-bodied” although the nicotine strength was not up to the same level, so it shouldn’t send most smokers diving for something sugary to counteract nicotine sickness. I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar; I like the Robusto, but I love this Corona. It is a remarkable cigar that showcases the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper to great effect. As to the question of how similar it is to the original 107…I would have to say, “Not much at all.” Personally I would have called this the 110 instead because it stands on its own as a fantastic smoke. Box-worthy? That’s definitely an investment I’ll be making. I would even go so far as to say that I enjoyed this more than the Preferido Diamond, a previous La Aurora offering with a Broadleaf wrapper. And the best thing is that I can get 3 of these for the price of 1 Preferido Diamond.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
Originally published at Tiki Bar Online
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