BrandonP
Cigar King Scottsdale
In 2003, La Aurora celebrated their centennial with what many consider one of, if not the, greatest cigars of all time. Aptly titled the Cien Anos, it was a limited run of pure heaven in a cigar. It has since become one of the most requested cigars from La Aurora and collectors, aficionados and hobbyists alike all seem to be on the lookout for them. Fast forward to mid-2012 and La Aurora announced, quite loudly in fact, that Cien Anos was back, again as a limited run, for 2013. Officially re-launched in late 2012, it was also released with a maduro variety, something that was not made in 2003. Bearing the same name with the moniker Edicion Especial attached as a separate band and of course sporting a much darker wrapper, the Cien Anos maduro is quite intriguing to this maduro fan. With only 7000 total of this cigar made, be on the lookout and be sure to grab one when you see it. Only a few retailers received them and CK was one of them but they wont be around long!
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
Size: Robusto 5 x 50
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Flavor: Full
Cost: $15.20/stick or $380.00/box of 25
Appearance: The broadleaf wrapper used on the La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial is as dark as any wrapper I have seen. Dark brown, almost black, it looks like roasted whole bean coffee in color. Much like almost every broadleaf wrapper I have experienced, this leaf is oily and appears to be very rich in flavor. There are no veins to be found and the cigar is void of any soft spots, just slightly spongy when lightly squeezed. The original band from the Cien Anos is used, however the secondary band from the original has been replaced with a red band showing the Edicion Especial tag.
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
Pre-light Aroma: The foot of the cigar shares very similar scents to that of the natural version of the Cien Anos. Strong earth tones such as cedar, leather, and tea leaves are accompanied by the influence of the broadleaf, coming in as a sweet cocoa and dark espresso scent. The wrapper is all your typical broadleaf profile, rich sweet chocolate, raisin, and heavy fruit tones. It is a wonderful bouquet of flavors I can only hope stand out on the palate as much as they do on the scent. After cutting the cigar, I find the draw to be spot on, easy with just a slight resistance. The pre-light draw is sweet and flavorful, imparting a heavy dose of chocolate straight to the tongue.
Starting into the La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial, your palate is greeted with a distinct and delicious cedar flavor. Slightly sweet on the tongue with a very easy spice on the back of the palate, this has some big flavors coming right up front. The sweetness really shines through the nose, and within the first half inch of the cigar, the sweetness takes over on the tongue as well. A strong coffee note pushes the cedar to the back though not completely out of the picture. The burn line is straight and the ash holds strong through the first third without dropping off. Starting off I would say we are a solid medium though I could see it creeping into the full territory before the smoke is done.
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
The middle third sees a big transition in flavor where the chocolate and sweet fruit flavors start to shine. The Cien Anos Edicion Especial transitioned smoothly and effortlessly into these flavors, almost without noticing that it happened. It was a gradual transition from the start of cedar, then the coffee, and now onto the dark chocolate flavors. The spice has taken over for the sweetness in the nose and the sweetness on the tongue leaves a lingering taste in your mouth at this point. Smoking slowly through this portion will really reward you with some big mouth flavors and subtle nuances between the spice and sweet combo.
The final third of the La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial sees a fun back and forth between the sweet dark chocolate and earthy cedar. It sounds funny, but its like kids playing tag on the playground back and forth. It creates a great combo and each puff catches you off guard not knowing which flavor you will get next. I was able to hold ash in large chunks and only tapped it off twice, once midway through and once right near the end, very impressive and a great showing of quality construction. The strength stayed medium throughout, never getting into the full bodied range like I originally thought it might. I cannot say enough good things about this stick. It reminds me a lot of the natural Cien Anos in a lot of ways but with some sweeter characteristics and not quite as much spice. The original Cien Anos is one of my all time favorite cigars and this is a nice complement to it. While the price is high, it is absolutely worth picking up for a great special occasion smoke, especially considering the rarity of the cigar.
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
Josh: La Aurora Cien Anos is an all time classic and years from now, this will sit right next to it on that very same list.
A.G.: When I heard they were re-releasing Cien Anos, I was ecstatic. When I heard they were doing a broadleaf version, it just doubled my excitement.
Kole: This is a classic maduro by definition. Delightfully flavorful, balanced, just spot on!
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
Size: Robusto 5 x 50
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Flavor: Full
Cost: $15.20/stick or $380.00/box of 25
Appearance: The broadleaf wrapper used on the La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial is as dark as any wrapper I have seen. Dark brown, almost black, it looks like roasted whole bean coffee in color. Much like almost every broadleaf wrapper I have experienced, this leaf is oily and appears to be very rich in flavor. There are no veins to be found and the cigar is void of any soft spots, just slightly spongy when lightly squeezed. The original band from the Cien Anos is used, however the secondary band from the original has been replaced with a red band showing the Edicion Especial tag.
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
Pre-light Aroma: The foot of the cigar shares very similar scents to that of the natural version of the Cien Anos. Strong earth tones such as cedar, leather, and tea leaves are accompanied by the influence of the broadleaf, coming in as a sweet cocoa and dark espresso scent. The wrapper is all your typical broadleaf profile, rich sweet chocolate, raisin, and heavy fruit tones. It is a wonderful bouquet of flavors I can only hope stand out on the palate as much as they do on the scent. After cutting the cigar, I find the draw to be spot on, easy with just a slight resistance. The pre-light draw is sweet and flavorful, imparting a heavy dose of chocolate straight to the tongue.
Starting into the La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial, your palate is greeted with a distinct and delicious cedar flavor. Slightly sweet on the tongue with a very easy spice on the back of the palate, this has some big flavors coming right up front. The sweetness really shines through the nose, and within the first half inch of the cigar, the sweetness takes over on the tongue as well. A strong coffee note pushes the cedar to the back though not completely out of the picture. The burn line is straight and the ash holds strong through the first third without dropping off. Starting off I would say we are a solid medium though I could see it creeping into the full territory before the smoke is done.
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
The middle third sees a big transition in flavor where the chocolate and sweet fruit flavors start to shine. The Cien Anos Edicion Especial transitioned smoothly and effortlessly into these flavors, almost without noticing that it happened. It was a gradual transition from the start of cedar, then the coffee, and now onto the dark chocolate flavors. The spice has taken over for the sweetness in the nose and the sweetness on the tongue leaves a lingering taste in your mouth at this point. Smoking slowly through this portion will really reward you with some big mouth flavors and subtle nuances between the spice and sweet combo.
The final third of the La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial sees a fun back and forth between the sweet dark chocolate and earthy cedar. It sounds funny, but its like kids playing tag on the playground back and forth. It creates a great combo and each puff catches you off guard not knowing which flavor you will get next. I was able to hold ash in large chunks and only tapped it off twice, once midway through and once right near the end, very impressive and a great showing of quality construction. The strength stayed medium throughout, never getting into the full bodied range like I originally thought it might. I cannot say enough good things about this stick. It reminds me a lot of the natural Cien Anos in a lot of ways but with some sweeter characteristics and not quite as much spice. The original Cien Anos is one of my all time favorite cigars and this is a nice complement to it. While the price is high, it is absolutely worth picking up for a great special occasion smoke, especially considering the rarity of the cigar.
La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial
Cigar King Staff Quotes:
Josh: La Aurora Cien Anos is an all time classic and years from now, this will sit right next to it on that very same list.
A.G.: When I heard they were re-releasing Cien Anos, I was ecstatic. When I heard they were doing a broadleaf version, it just doubled my excitement.
Kole: This is a classic maduro by definition. Delightfully flavorful, balanced, just spot on!
