Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the box pressed La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto is between medium and dark brown and carries some lightly raised veins and fine tooth. The seams are smooth while the caps are a bit wrinkled and have some raised edges. There are three bands, with the primary being off-white, gold, brown and red and denoting the company and the series. There is a foot band that is gold and brown and denotes the line and there is a parchment paper type sleeve that runs between the foot band and the primary band that has some text and images of a building and a lion. The aroma from the wrapper is sweet grassiness and cedar while the foot brings a mellower version of the same combination. The pre-light draw is a light mix of cedar and floral notes.
Seth: The La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto is an attractive cigar. Even without the sleeve, and ornate band, the cigar is finished with a lovely wrapper that is Colorado Maduro in coloring. It has a lovely dark reddish-brown coloring, and the cigar is firm in hand. It is solid and smooth throughout with small veins. Silky in texture, the cigar has aromas of rich earth, warm spices, leather, tobacco and earth. The lion on the band is lovely.
John: The La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto comes in cellophane with a UPC sticker that tears when opened. There is a primary band that gives the appearance of being overlaid on top of another band, along with a cellophane sleeve covering most of the cigar and a Fuerte Sol foot band. The cigar weighed 13.8 grams with the sleeve on and 13.3 grams with the sleeve off. I measured the humidity at 56.3% with the Humidimeter Pro. For artisanal complications, the cigar is box pressed. Aromas from the wrapper included barnyard, earth and wood. From the foot, I picked up mild tobacco, hay and wood.
Jiunn: The La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto has an even Colorado wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight and the squared off style of bunch and roll is uniform. Pre-light aromas provide pungent minerals and barnyard.

La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with a mix of toasted oak, earth and black pepper. At a quarter inch in, a light creaminess joins the profile. At a half inch in, some dark roast coffee joins in and the black pepper and coffee are teaming up for a long finish after each draw. The retrohale is pretty much a mirror image of the mouth draws with a bit of zing from the black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit and the creaminess increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper a bit further behind. The dark roast coffee is in the middle of the profile with some creaminess in the back half. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third begins with warm spices and sharp earth notes. Touches of minerals are present with leather and tobacco. Some faint currant notes are present as well. Sharp flavors. Smokes young. I would put the strength and body at the medium to medium-full level.
John: The first third opens with cocoa and wood, while mild spices round out the finish. On the retrohale, all components elevate to medium strength with an additional earth note joining in. As the first third settles, cocoa stands out in the profile at medium-minus strength. Mild dry wood is also present on the post draw, while the cocoa continues to drive the profile.
Jiunn: The first third shows richness in earthiness. Dirt soil, prominent dried red pepper spice, leather, construction paper and a hint of natural creaminess and nuttiness that helps to balance out all the earthiness. Retrohaling provides increased pepper spice but also a nice plum-like tartness. The finish is long and lingering with leather and dirt soil. Strength and body is medium.

La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth increases a bit and the black pepper mellows a bit. At a half inch in, the coffee note lightens up. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and earth, with light amounts of black pepper and dark roast coffee. At an inch in, the creaminess picks up a bit more and the black pepper is now pretty mellow. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with the dark roast coffee in the middle of the profile, black pepper and creaminess just behind. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third continues to deliver those minerals, warm spice and sharp earth notes. Currant, leather and tobacco notes are present as well with this lovely mocha finish. Like before, the cigar is medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy cocoa and wood as mild spices move into the center of the profile, lingering into the finish with wood on the post draw. Approaching the halfway point, earth settles into the post draw at medium strength and begins to take over.
Jiunn: The second third’s profile carries forward the same profile as the first third but also adds a nice element of medium full tannins, greatly helping with the mouthfeel of the cigar. The spice is also a bit prolonged, especially evident on the finish. Strength and body remains medium.

La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth becomes even with the toasted oak up front. At a half inch in, the coffee is now very faint. The retrohale is now just toasted oak and earth with light black pepper. At an inch in, the creaminess and black pepper have now bumped up to the middle of the profile. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and earth are even up front, with black pepper and creaminess in the middle of the profile and some coffee in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third delivers that mocha flavored profile with warm spices. Earth, currant, leather and tobacco are present as well. Pepper, cinnamon and baking spices. Finish of cocoa powder flavors. Like the first two thirds, medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The final third opens with creamy earth as earth and wood combine in the center and carry into the finish. Delayed spices come into the post draw at light-plus strength. Cocoa makes a return on the retrohale but is joined by mild bitterness on the finish. By the halfway mark, earth defines both the finish and post draw.
Jiunn: The final third is a bit too earth-centric with dirt soil, prominent dried red pepper spice, leather and construction paper without the creaminess and nuttiness to round it out. Not bad, but certainly not as good as the first couple thirds. Strength and body finish the same medium.

La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect from start to finish.
John: The burn was wavy in the first third, eventually forming a canoe that required a touch-up. The cigar canoed again in the second third, requiring another touch-up, and remained wavy for the rest of the review.
Jiunn: Burn performance was great, providing an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was amazing throughout.
John: I measured the draw at 66 inches of water with the CigarMedics draw tester. Subjectively, I found it to be 3½ to 4 notches towards the resistant spectrum, making it quite resistant.
Jiunn: The draw was also great, providing the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with a mix of toasted oak, earth and black pepper. Some light creaminess joined in fairly quickly and some dark roast coffee a bit later. The second third saw the earth increase and the pepper mellow. Later, the creaminess picked up a bit and the black pepper was pretty mellow. The final third saw the earth become even with the toasted oak up front and the creaminess and black pepper moved to the middle of the profile while the coffee retreated to the background. The La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto had a nice start as the flavor components all worked really well together. The profile took a step down in the second third as some of the supporting notes mellowed and remained at that level the rest of the way. This is a pretty decent Mexican wrapped offering, and while I don’t necessarily see myself coming back to it with any regularity, I would smoke it again. Price point is a bit high, but I’d recommend people give it a shot to see what they think.
Seth: I enjoyed this La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto and loved how the cigar progressed throughout. Once it got going, it delivered a profile to my liking. Flavors, strength and body. This is a strong cigar with dark flavors. It is balanced and elegant, but it is strong. The cigar had a long finish and beautiful construction throughout. I believe this cigar will age well, and I am curious to see how it smokes in 18 to 24 months.
John: The La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto opened with a cocoa-forward profile accented by wood, earth and spices that showed some promise in the first third. However, as the cigar progressed, earth took over and muted much of the complexity, with bitterness joining in the final third, with the dominant earth limiting the overall experience. The construction struggled, with a resistant draw and two touch-ups to correct canoes. A rare miss from La Aurora on both construction and flavor profile means this isn’t something I’d be likely to return to. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Jiunn: This type of cigar (earthy and rustic) isn’t typically in my wheelhouse, but I can certainly appreciate it for what it is. Although highly rustic and earthy in nature, the La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto showed balance with natural sweetness and creaminess as well as spice rounding it out. This caused for a full flavored experience in which I would no doubt come back for more of.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$2.58

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.27

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.45

Cost/Point

$2.84

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.27

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: La Aurora Family Creed Series Fuerte Sol Robusto