This review concludes La Aurora week on acigarsmoker.com. I appreciate the record number of page views and I thank those who took the time to leave a comment. I do have one question though, what causes a person to leave a comment? It seems like at times we go a while without any comment love and I would like to change that so let me know why you choose to leave a comment or why you don’t.

While at the La Aurora Cigar Factory from 3/17/11 to 3/20/11 we took part in a tasting seminar that was held by Jose Blanco in the conference room. After the tasting was complete Señor Blanco handed us each a La Aurora Cien Anos Churchill with 8 years of age on it. Well I decided to light mine up on the spot, and delve into this legend of a cigar. Sure I thought about reviewing it, but I was worried about the damage that might occur on the way home from the island nation that I have fallen in love with. As luck would have it, upon exiting the conference room I was handed another one, that made it home in great shape. I let it sit in my humidor for 5 days before today’s review.

The Cien Anos which translates to 100 Years was released in 2004 in celebration of the factory’s 100th Anniversary the year prior. The cigar which is a Dominican puro, features a Corojo wrapper and the tobacco used to create the binder and filler have been aging since 1996. Now I know some people might be asking, “If the cigar was released in 2004, how is the one you are smoking 8 years old”. Due to a low yield of the wrapper crop the cigar was delayed 1 year in it’s release. Today’s smoke happens to be from the 2003 wrapper crop.

Cigar: La Aurora Cien Anos
Size: 7 x 50 (Churchill)
Wrapper: Dominican Corojo
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Cigars Smoked For Review: 2

A gift from the fine folks at La Aurora, this Cien Anos is aged 8 years and was given to me without a band.

Appearance and Construction: Properly aging a cigar takes a lot of hard work, most of us aren’t lucky enough to have a room dedicated to the aging process like La Aurora. So when I was given this stick, I knew it was aged the right way. The Corojo wrapper is glistening with oils that you can see with your eyes and feel beneath your fingertips. There is some tooth to the wrapper and a few veins that stand out ever so slightly. There are no soft spots, and the Cien Anos is firm to the touch with a nice weight in the hand. Well rolled, right down to the cap this is one beautiful masterpiece.

The foot of the Cien Anos reveals some stems, and a variety of Dominican tobacco. None of the stems caused an issue when smoking.

Flavor & Notes: The foot of the Cien Anos (100 Years) features notes heavy of cedar and a faint sweetness. Once the cap is clipped with my Xikar cigar scissors the cold draw serves up some wonderfully rich molasses, and a touch of caramel. I used a sulfur free match to light the cigar and settled in to enjoy a legend of the cigar world. As we worked into the initial 1/4″ the notes consisted of leather with a touch of cedar. As we continue through the first third the cedar remains dominant with some caramel and molasses that come and go especially through the nose, teasing the senses. As we progress into the second third of the cigar, notes of leather begin to dominate with a continued sweetness in the background and cedar. The final third of the cigar continues with leather, cedar and the occasional touch of fig with a short finish.

Smoking Characteristics: I was without a lighter (out of gas), and I only had one match left to light this cigar. Thankfully, it burned like a dream and never went out til I put it down. The burn was crisp with a strong tight, light colored ash. The draw offered up some resistance, but it was never an issue. The Cien Anos produced a copious amount of smoke and a nice leather like aroma.

Conclusion: Whenever I am lucky enough to smoke a cigar with some age on it, I find myself wishing I what the wherewithal and patience to sit on some of my cherished sticks. A cigar that ages well, such as the Cien Anos is the ultimate pleasure to smoke. Wonderfully rich in flavors with a smooth draw and refined taste, I find myself wishing I had more of these to smoke.

Rating: 93
Price: Priceless

Monday: Day 1, The Journey Begins
Tuesday: Day 2, The Factory Tour
Wednesday: Day 3, All Hell Breaks Loose
Thursday: Day 4, Final Thoughts

Disclaimer: This cigar was gifted to me during an all expense paid media trip to the Dominican Republic courtesy of La Aurora Cigars. This has no effect on the review.