La Aurora 107 Robusto

The La Aurora factory is the oldest and most respected cigar factory in the Dominican Republic and La Auroras are not just the best selling brand there, they're practically a national treasure. The La Aurora family has grown tobacco in the same fields in the Cibao Valley for more than three generations—a key reason for the brand's legendary consistency. A few years ago, for La Aurora’s 107th Anniversary, they created a one of kind medium to full bodied cigar that was so well received that they continued to make it (and the 89 rating from Cigar Aficionado didn’t hurt either). This cigar blend is full of Nicaraguan and Dominican long leaf fillers, a Dominican binder, and finished off with a beautifully dark and oily sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper. This combination will give you a rich and balanced smoke with loads of flavor. Look for notes of cedar, spices, and earth, with a slightly sweet finish. As you smoke, the flavors will become more and more intense, leaving you with an ‘I want more’ kind of finish. We found that a nice bourbon was a perfect accompaniment.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S. The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.