blessednxs65
Is it Nicaraguan
Comparing one blend with the five wrappers of the Aurora Preferidos series!
One of the truly endless debates in cigars is how much of the flavor can be attributed to the wrapper.
A lot? Well, after all, the wrapper leaf is the only part of the cigar to actually touch the mouth.
A little? The wrapper is only one leaf among as many as eight that make up a handmade cigar.
We wanted to find out, too, so we got our hands on a truly nifty Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition sampler box that contains five different versions of this cigar, each offered in an aluminum tube:
Ruby, with a Brazilian Maduro wrapper;
Platinum, with a Cameroon wrapper;
Sapphire, with a Connecticut Shade wrapper;
Gold, with a Dominican Corojo wrapper and
Emerald, with an Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper.
The Aurora Preferidos line was introduced in 1998 and celebrates the opening of the first cigar factory in the Dominican Republic by Eduardo Leon Jimenes in 1903. What started out as a single line of elegantly-made perfectos is now five separate series, all exquisitely constructed and as we found, a pleasure to smoke.
Aurora Preferidos Brazilian Maduro Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 3 sizes]
The Brazilian maduro series was introduced in 2001 and are offered in Ruby-colored tubes as well as without tubes. The maduro line and the Cameroon-wrapped line have the same binder and filler, but differ on the wrapper.
We found the maduro to be terrific, with a toasty aroma and rich core flavor of dark caramel thats tangy and satisfying. Its medium-to-full in body and theres a tickle of spice on the medium finish.
The flavor has surprising subtlety to it, which can be compromised if the cigar is smoked too quickly. Take your time and youll enjoy a consistent taste experience right to the end. Like all of the 1903s, this is an expensive cigar in any of the three sizes, ranging from $9.60 to $17.00 each, but youll recognize the quality right away.
Overall grade: A: Exceptional.
Aurora Preferidos Cameroon Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 4 sizes]
This is the original version of the Preferidos 1903 line that debuted in 1998. In the tubed editions, its called Platinum.
With a Cameroon wrapper, the aroma is spicier and the body is lighter; more of a medium-bodied smoke compared to the maduro, which insisted on a greater presence in the mouth.
The taste tended toward the creamy side rather than sweet and caramelized and the cigar had a light finish. Well balanced, the taste became flatter in mid-course with a little more spice at the end, always with an easy draw.
We liked the maduro a little better thanks to its consistency in flavor, but this was a nice cigar nonetheless.
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
Aurora Preferidos Connecticut Shade Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 2 sizes]
The Connecticut Shade-wrapped version of the Preferidos was introduced in 2004 and the tubed version is Sapphire. It shares an interior blend with the Dominican Corojo-wrapped version.
This is a medium-to-full-bodied cigar, present in the mouth but never overpowering. Theres a light, spicy aroma as you would expect from a seven-year-aged Connecticut wrapper. And the blend delivers a creamy, slight caramelized taste thats nice and relaxed with a short finish.
Well made, the Connecticut Preferidos is balanced and measured with an even burn and ends with a pinch of spice that emerges in the second half. A classy cigar with the spice you expect from Connecticut Shade, but offered in harmony with the Dominican binder and Dominican, Cameroonian and Brazilian filler leaves.
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
Aurora Preferidos Dominican Corojo Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 2 sizes]
This is the Gold blend that debuted in 2003 with a Dominican-grown Corojo wrapper. Its also medium-to-full in body and has a toasty aroma.
Far from the fearsome reputation given to some blends that feature Corojo leaf, this is a very smooth-tasting cigar with a light, creamy taste and just a tickle of spice on the short finish. Its actually smoother than the Connecticut and asks the smoker to be patient and enjoy each draw.
Its consistent right to the end and could have graded higher if the flavor profile had been brighter. But thats not what this cigar is about: its smooth, steady and confident.
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
La Aurora Preferidos Ecuadorian Sun Grown Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 3 sizes]
The Ecuador-wrapped version of the Preferidos is the kid on the block, introduced in 2006. Its offered in an Emerald tube with a Sumatra-seed, sun-grown wrapper.
The interior blend of this version is unique, with a Dominican Corojo binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler leaves. Its medium-to-full in body, but has a more lively flavor than the Connecticut or Dominican-wrapped editions. Theres a toasty, slightly spicy aroma and a marvelously balanced taste of sweet caramel and light spice on the finish.
The tingly, medium finish and the light caramel tone run together throughout the cigar, making it a pleasure to smoke, right to the end. Like the Cameroon-wrapped version, this blend is also offered in a straight-sided Robusto format of five inches and 50 ring and at $10.00, is the lowest-priced cigar in the line. Its a lot to pay for a Robusto, but you wont be sorry.
Overall grade: A: Exceptional.
Well, as you can see, the wrapper does make a difference . . . on the edge. The trick is to blend tobaccos in harmony so that the result is appealing to smokers . . . of all different tastes. The 1903 Preferidos series has earned a well-deserved reputation for quality in any wrapper style, thanks to its excellent construction and the exacting fit of the binder and filler leaves to each of the five types of wrapper available. Now its time for your own taste test . . .
One of the truly endless debates in cigars is how much of the flavor can be attributed to the wrapper.
A lot? Well, after all, the wrapper leaf is the only part of the cigar to actually touch the mouth.
A little? The wrapper is only one leaf among as many as eight that make up a handmade cigar.
We wanted to find out, too, so we got our hands on a truly nifty Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition sampler box that contains five different versions of this cigar, each offered in an aluminum tube:
Ruby, with a Brazilian Maduro wrapper;
Platinum, with a Cameroon wrapper;
Sapphire, with a Connecticut Shade wrapper;
Gold, with a Dominican Corojo wrapper and
Emerald, with an Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper.
The Aurora Preferidos line was introduced in 1998 and celebrates the opening of the first cigar factory in the Dominican Republic by Eduardo Leon Jimenes in 1903. What started out as a single line of elegantly-made perfectos is now five separate series, all exquisitely constructed and as we found, a pleasure to smoke.
Aurora Preferidos Brazilian Maduro Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 3 sizes]
The Brazilian maduro series was introduced in 2001 and are offered in Ruby-colored tubes as well as without tubes. The maduro line and the Cameroon-wrapped line have the same binder and filler, but differ on the wrapper.
We found the maduro to be terrific, with a toasty aroma and rich core flavor of dark caramel thats tangy and satisfying. Its medium-to-full in body and theres a tickle of spice on the medium finish.
The flavor has surprising subtlety to it, which can be compromised if the cigar is smoked too quickly. Take your time and youll enjoy a consistent taste experience right to the end. Like all of the 1903s, this is an expensive cigar in any of the three sizes, ranging from $9.60 to $17.00 each, but youll recognize the quality right away.
Overall grade: A: Exceptional.
Aurora Preferidos Cameroon Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 4 sizes]
This is the original version of the Preferidos 1903 line that debuted in 1998. In the tubed editions, its called Platinum.
With a Cameroon wrapper, the aroma is spicier and the body is lighter; more of a medium-bodied smoke compared to the maduro, which insisted on a greater presence in the mouth.
The taste tended toward the creamy side rather than sweet and caramelized and the cigar had a light finish. Well balanced, the taste became flatter in mid-course with a little more spice at the end, always with an easy draw.
We liked the maduro a little better thanks to its consistency in flavor, but this was a nice cigar nonetheless.
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
Aurora Preferidos Connecticut Shade Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 2 sizes]
The Connecticut Shade-wrapped version of the Preferidos was introduced in 2004 and the tubed version is Sapphire. It shares an interior blend with the Dominican Corojo-wrapped version.
This is a medium-to-full-bodied cigar, present in the mouth but never overpowering. Theres a light, spicy aroma as you would expect from a seven-year-aged Connecticut wrapper. And the blend delivers a creamy, slight caramelized taste thats nice and relaxed with a short finish.
Well made, the Connecticut Preferidos is balanced and measured with an even burn and ends with a pinch of spice that emerges in the second half. A classy cigar with the spice you expect from Connecticut Shade, but offered in harmony with the Dominican binder and Dominican, Cameroonian and Brazilian filler leaves.
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
Aurora Preferidos Dominican Corojo Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 2 sizes]
This is the Gold blend that debuted in 2003 with a Dominican-grown Corojo wrapper. Its also medium-to-full in body and has a toasty aroma.
Far from the fearsome reputation given to some blends that feature Corojo leaf, this is a very smooth-tasting cigar with a light, creamy taste and just a tickle of spice on the short finish. Its actually smoother than the Connecticut and asks the smoker to be patient and enjoy each draw.
Its consistent right to the end and could have graded higher if the flavor profile had been brighter. But thats not what this cigar is about: its smooth, steady and confident.
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
La Aurora Preferidos Ecuadorian Sun Grown Wrapper:
[Dominican Republic: available in 3 sizes]
The Ecuador-wrapped version of the Preferidos is the kid on the block, introduced in 2006. Its offered in an Emerald tube with a Sumatra-seed, sun-grown wrapper.
The interior blend of this version is unique, with a Dominican Corojo binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler leaves. Its medium-to-full in body, but has a more lively flavor than the Connecticut or Dominican-wrapped editions. Theres a toasty, slightly spicy aroma and a marvelously balanced taste of sweet caramel and light spice on the finish.
The tingly, medium finish and the light caramel tone run together throughout the cigar, making it a pleasure to smoke, right to the end. Like the Cameroon-wrapped version, this blend is also offered in a straight-sided Robusto format of five inches and 50 ring and at $10.00, is the lowest-priced cigar in the line. Its a lot to pay for a Robusto, but you wont be sorry.
Overall grade: A: Exceptional.
Well, as you can see, the wrapper does make a difference . . . on the edge. The trick is to blend tobaccos in harmony so that the result is appealing to smokers . . . of all different tastes. The 1903 Preferidos series has earned a well-deserved reputation for quality in any wrapper style, thanks to its excellent construction and the exacting fit of the binder and filler leaves to each of the five types of wrapper available. Now its time for your own taste test . . .
