La Aurora Preferidos Gold - Cigar Review

PROLOGUE

A couple days ago (this ain't a breaking news site, gentlepersons), pneumonia, liver issues, and finally deep vein thrombosis in his right hind leg -- led to Exchange Rate being euthanised. The 19 year-old grey/roan went 6-2-2 in 15 starts and earned $479,803, although nada for me. I try hard to not take these things personally. A good to quite good sprinter to mid-distance stallion, post-track whilst standing at stud, sired 68 stakes winners. Thus far, I have sired sons whom show minimal interest in sports.

My heart-felt condolences go out to the connections and fans of Exchange Rate. I cannot help but feel a further tip o' the cap is in order, so I shall do something in his honor --

THE CIGAR

La Aurora Preferidos Gold

5 x 54 Double Perfecto

Corojo wrapper

Dominican binder

Brazilian & Dominican fillers

PRE-LIGHT

Let's get right to addressing the cigar. "Hell-ooo, Cigar!" Haven't cracked that particular wise in a good few ticks. feels good. Holds up. Stays fresh. Oh,

there's a lion on the band, in the foreground of a pastoral scene. Embossed. Golden hues in use. Nice. Some excess glue is on the leaf, so I'll smoke it a bit to loosen. I love the Perfecto vitola, because it's what the 1930s cartoon tough/bad guys had in their smoke-holes. This particular La Aurora offering is a lively brown complected thing with undertones up-high of burnt sienna and caramel. Over-top, there's an almost damp hand-feel via a dense sheen. Between Sheen and complexion -- there are veins, Two pop out at me: one which runs almost the entire shaft, and another that takes up residence in the final third. Both of these crimp the leaf and must be seen as potential burn threats. Cap is a tick loose and foot tobacco peeks out with a reddish hue, monochromatic and vibrant in nature.

Insofar as hand-feel, I mentioned the sheen and its weighty enough to be felt as an oil slick. The short shaft and double taper make for a perfect balance in form. It fits in the hand well, as it's only a 54RG around its belly button. Packing density is a very slightly spongy medium+. The shaft and foot each smell of sun-lit tobacco, hay, and clean dirt. There is many an additional vibe to the schnoz, namely wood, leather, and caramel mocha.

I Schrade pocket-knife off the cap and a -firm resistance gives me caramel and baking spices with a milk chocolate underneath. Peanuts? Maybe. Another couple cold pulls loosen to a medium+ resistance and find a suede underneath. Far under that is hay and clean dry earth. Very nice.

LIGHT

7:15pm
Lots of soft leather and earth and hay off the toasted foot smoke. First three hot pulls are that leathery earth and hay, plus an addition of nice red spices. Hay subdues and red spices soar with every puff.

Ash is quite dark and not yet formed enough to fully comment on. Mouth-feel is a weighty but not burdensome tingle. Finish is long and showcases both spices and spiciness. There are a lot of minor notes and vibes dancing around. A vegetal quality is included in all I've mentioned thus far. Mocha rises on the finish. Woods come in. Hot dawg, gentlepersons!

ACT I

Draw resistance is still a touch nut to crack, but it ain't making me get less flavors. Nice and peppery but of the green varietal. Jalapeno and green bell peppers. The band slides off almost on its own accord. Chocolate ramps up and flexes. Woods remain non-descript, but leather is developing well and giving some oils to my cheeks. I'd say easily a medium+ flavor profile right off the bat. Body is up to almost there, as well, with growing oils from the leather and growing tingle from peppers.

Foot-smoke is calm, but out-put from the draw is thickly plentiful. Room-note is a lighter than you'd expect richness from tobacco and earth notes. A sweetness is there also, via a strengthening caramel note. Smoke itself has a vaguely bluish hue in its denseness. Burn is a bit un-egregiously ribbon'd and its line, thin+. Ash is an even salt/pepper 50/50 fairly tight ladder rung.

Red spices ramp up to overtake green. Peanuts are on and into the caramel and take me out to the ballgame -- Cracker Jacks. There's a non-dairy creamy note perhaps a thickening of leather oils. Burn is quite slow on a dense packing. More and more smoky smoker. The red spice tingle dries the palate a notch more than did the green.  Woods are hard and gaining a season rapidly. There's a breadiness far under-neath now. Very nuanced. Very dimensional. A sweetening is coming into the chocolate -- a sugar. It stays into the finish and on the mouth-feel; correcting the moisture in my smoke-hole.

La Aurora is one of those brands I don't mention enough. Each one I have the opportunity to review, reminds me of this oversight. This Preferidos is no different. I note here that for all the smoke, it is kind on my mischievous green eyes. No flavors have fallen off, they circle around and around; starring then supporting. Their timing is marvelous. My chest warms.

As the opening act comes to its end, band-aids and bone marrow come in (that's good, or at least better than it sounds) and strength is up a notch or more in the -full profile. Oy. I'm off to the sugar, methinks.

ACT II

Construction here is a beaut. I've yet to drop ash and my schmatta seems destined for showing, not blowing. Slow smoker. Big smoker. Nary a ribbon in the line. The aforementioned band-aid vibe is a smell/taste and foretells a malt outburst. The bone marrow is a mainly dry but dense savoriness. Coffee and mocha delineate now and caramel is betwixt thems. Malt is therein as well -- in the sugary chocolate, I'm guessing. Very complex! This is a pricey offering and a well-worth one, at that. Oils come to the marrow. Finish is continuing to sweeten in a mature and balanced way. That balance is found on a kindly warm pepper-laden retro-hale that's akin to a gourmet kitchen of fresh produce. Even the subtle hay is yet allowed to shine. Utter enjoyment.

What a fantastic day. What a fine nightcap. Thanks again to Mr. Jon Huber for his valuable time set aside for the likes of me. Very sweet chocolate with a nicely balanced bracing of pepper spices and java twang.

The half approaches and I roll off the ash in its entirety. David coulda brung down Goliath with it. dense, oily. Milk hits the coffee in a sploosh poured over from the chocolate. Peppers rise. A firm hand guides this La Aurora, and a well-learned one.

As the long second act winds down, construction is an unchanged beaut. Draw ain't loosened, but there's even more smoke now. Headier flavors. A beautifully intricate full-bodied thing, this. A white pepper comes in. Finely ground and seeking the oils. One of the better mouth-feels in my recent memory. At the very edge of the quite long finish is a toasted vanilla addition to the caramel note.

This La Aurora Preferidos Gold makes it oh so easy to be the enthusiast I is.

ACT III

White pepper tingles the tip of my tongue and prepares my palate for a swirl of leathery clean earth and spices, backed just behind by a complexity of sweetness via chocolate and a note inherent in the tobacco. Spices play in the foreground now, a few puffs later.

Oils soften the leaf a tick and construction is a bit spongier but not in any way which affects the experience, Burn-line thickens to a medium. Sweetness rises but not as much as spices and I smack my ever-lovin' lips. Lots of chocolate, coffee. The underneath rises. A crescendo! Smoke pours and a hint of creamy cedar comes in. It just does not quit. I don't want it to. Seasoned woods ramp and caramel-filled milk chocolate is at their heels. I rolls off the rest of the ash, dense as ever it was.

Reach for a toothpick and drift...

NOTES

Gentlepersons, don't a good cigar make ya feel blessed?

PAIRINGS

Stands alone.

FINAL GRADE

****A****

LESS SCHTICK MORE STICK

Mellow: Doood
Coarse: Nope
Sweet: Sweet complexities
Spicy: Seasoned liberally at spots
Savory: For a tick during bone marrow
Strength: Yes, but nice about it
Draw: Little tight-sided, still smoky
Burn: Great
Construction: Very great
Primary Note: Sheesh, ain't there?!

EPILOGUE

9:00pm
Get this beaut via CIGARS CITY, my pals whom I greatly thank for this offering.