Posts Tagged ‘Guillermo Leon’

La Aurora Cameroon – Cigar Review

La Aurora Cameroon Band

Since the spring of 2010 I was lucky enough to develop an ongoing relationship with the distributor of La Aurora in the United States, Miami Cigar & Company. It was through that relationship I became close to Guillermo Leon as well. Our friendship goes beyond that of a blogger/manufacturer and we often spend time together when he is in New York City. In my eyes there is no one more down to earth and refined with a sense of humour, dignity and class then Senor Leon. Perhaps it is because of these relationships that I have become a fan of La Aurora. However, when it comes to reviewing cigars they know I can be brutally honest.I share this little story with you, to offer full disclosure.

Earlier this year I helped out at the La Aurora booth at Cigar Fest, and I will be doing the same at Cigar Carnival so say hello. At Cigar Fest the cigar we gave out were the La Aurora Cameroon and I smoked my fair share that day . Today I smoke the re-blended version of the cigar that has been slightly tweaked to make it a more full bodied cigar.The cigar was introduced at IPCPR and you can tell the difference by the new band that adorns the smoke.

Q & A with Jose Blanco

Jose, thank you for taking the time to teach me more and more about tobacco everytime we meet. As a fellow Yankee fan we share a common bond that is only surpassed by our love of cigars. I look toward the time when we can sit back and enjoy a cigar together.

News recently rocked the cigar world that Jose Blanco was stepping down from his position at La Aurora and retiring. Now that the dust has settled we got to catch up with Jose Blanco who is currently enjoying himself on a European vacation. During our brief conversation, one can read between the lines and say he left the door open a bit for a return to the cigar industry and this might not be the end of his career.

IPCPR 2011: La Aurora Sneak Peak

With the trade show in Las Vegas inching closer and closer, some details were released exclusively to acigarsmoker.com about the new offerings from La Aurora. This trade show will be the first with Guillermo Leon as the new owner of the oldest factory in the Dominican Republic. Not much should change as Senor Leon has been at the helm for a while, but the amount of new releases coming from the company shows they are ready to proceed full steam ahead.

The production of the La Aurora 107 Maduro may not be ready for sampling at the show, but there are plenty of others to keep those interested as it looks like another banner trade show should be in the cards.

MSRP is to be determined, and more details to follow!

La Aurora 1495 Sumo Robusto – Cigar Review

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Last September I flew down to Miami to hang out with Jason Wood and the Miami Cigar Crew. While there a person was interviewing for a job as a sales representative by the name of Raphael Delgado. The two of us hit it off and became friends. He was assigned the Maryland/West Virginia/Delaware/Washington DC territory and did a lot of his training up in New York. We became good friends, and this past week I got some bad news that he was being shipped to Texas to take over that area. So to all my Texas readers when you see him out there, take good care of him. He is as good as they come.

Another plus is when I left I was given a box of La Aurora Sumo Robusto cigars. These cigars were available in the European market and are now set to be release here in the states. I smoked the box pretty quick and before I knew it they were gone …

Monday Cigar News Roundup

Guillermo Leon Purchases La Aurora

Memorial day is for remembering those who sacrificed for our Freedom. Hope yours was very relaxing. Today, I bring to you cigar news from all over the world. We take a look at the NYC smoking ban after a week, big changes in La Aurora, French and Chinese cigars, and more.

Come on inside, and read all about it in the Monday News Roundup

Para Japon – Cigar Review

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Back in March of 2011 a group of bloggers were invited to the La Aurora cigar factory and while events that surrounded me might live in infamy the best thing to come out of the trip was the birth of Para Japon. One of my esteemed colleagues Mario Takeyama from Cigar Explorer is of Japanese heritage. He was born there, and is still a legal resident of the island nation. With the catastrophic earthquake still fresh in our minds Mario began to seek support for a cigar to raise money for the people of Japan. We all jumped on board and once La Aurora made the cigar an official project we all tossed our weight behind the project.

Event: Michael Herklots Birthday & Charity Fundraiser

The Carnegie Club

For the last six years Michael Herklots has opted to celebrate his birthday differently then many. Instead of making it a day about him, he chooses to give back to the experiences that made him the person he is today. As a graduate of Killingly High School he knows first hand how funding isn’t always there for the students as states struggle to pass budgets that often remove programs. Each year he has put together a stellar fundraiser that makes those in attendance happy to give to the cause.

La Aurora Cien Anos (100 Anos) – Cigar Review

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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 a cigar legend. Sure I thought about reviewing it, but I was worried about the damage it might incur 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.

La Aurora Trip 2011 Edition, Final Thoughts

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What was scheduled to be a short day in the Dominican Republic became a bit of a journey for those of us on the 12:20pm flight back home. I was joined by Jerry Cruz, David “Doc” Diaz, and Mario Takeyama for our final breakfast the morning of our journey. For one of us that would not end until the following evening due to flight delays and long lines at customs.

La Aurora Trip 2011 Edition, Day 3

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The final full day began like any other, with an early wake up call to enjoy the view of Santiago. As a person who has lived in the City of New York for 42 years, having one of these rare moments to enjoy the some quiet need to be taken advantage of. I took the time to explore the grounds of the hotel with my camera and enjoy a cigar. As I did a sense of sadness came over me, that I was soon going to leave and that the time spent with friends was coming to a close. With split departure times, the first one being at 6am this was the last full day together.

La Aurora Trip 2011 Edition, Day 2

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As was with my last trip to Santiago in the Dominican Republic I made sure to get up early each morning and be the first one on the deck. The views were just so incredibly scenic, that it was easy to get lost in the moment and bask in the serenity of the mountaintop resort that we would call home for the next couple of days. I sipped my coffee and looked out into the valley before me, for I feel at home in the Dominican Republic.Despite various levels of wealth and poverty everyone has a smile on their face and it is contagious.

La Aurora Trip 2011 Edition, Day 1

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A funny thing happened in the Dominican Republic, you see I may of or may not of gotten married. But more of that on day 3. For now some back story. In 2010, I was lucky enough to be invited with a group of bloggers to visit the La Aurora Cigar factory in the Dominican Republic. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship on both a personal and professional level with some really amazing people. When I was approached by Miami Cigar & Company for some input on the 2011 trip, never did I imagine I would be lucky enough to go back again.

Cigar Review: La Aurora Gran 107

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The story on the Gran 107 has the rollers in factory smoking these large sizes and during a recent trip to the factory Guillermo was asked what the rollers were smoking. After some sampling of the product Guillermo gave his blessing for the cigar to go into production. Being that the United States has gotten so much into large ring gauge cigars this 7 x 58 monster should be well received. As you know we tend to be on the fence when it comes to the size, so when Miami Cigar sent us some to sample we hesitantly smoked them to formulate our review.

La Aurora Broadway Launch @ Cigar Inn

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On December 20th, 2010 La Aurora Cigars launched their latest blend which is specific for the New York market called Broadway. The cigar which I reviewed last week was met with much fanfare by those in attendance. Those who smoked the cigar at the event that I got a chance to talk with raved about the cigar.

This past summer the stte of New York passed a 75% OTP tax which has effected the cigar prices tremendously. According Guillermo León…

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