Pre-light Experience

After removing the cigar from the elegant torpedo shaped tube, the wrapper is quite rustic with its dark brown color, knotty veins and slightly raised seams. The cap has a folded over portion that is also raised. The band is the standard design for this series and the Broadleaf/Diamond version has a black background. The aroma from the wrapper is quite full with dark wood, stone fruit sweetness and subtle cocoa. With the small ring gauge at the foot, it’s hard to detect any aromas. The pre-light draw brings a mix of cedar and hay with a mild spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition Diamond No. 2 Tubos comes in a glossy black tubo. The cigar has a dark black wrapper, and a single band with La Aurora in black, against yellow with a lion and black and silver accents. The cigar has aromas of rich wood, with sweet hay in the foot.

Pre-light Experience

The La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition Diamond No. 2 Tubos has a maduro wrapper shade to the Perfecto shaped cigar. Bunch and roll is firm and even, veins are roughly pressed, seams tight and head finished off with a multilayered deep cap. Aromas from the wrapper give strong cedar and shoe musk. Aromas from the foot give black pepper and cedar. Cold draw gives leather, hay and cedar.

First Third

The cigar begins with a mix of charred cedar and cocoa. At a half inch in, the char has eased up quite a bit, allowing the cedar to shine a bit more while a slight cream has joined in with the cocoa. The retrohale carries toasted cedar and mustiness. At an inch in, the profile is a bit drying as the cream has left and is replaced by mustiness. The dryness seems to be attached to the cedar. The cocoa is very faint now. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.

First Third

Spicy cedar opens the first third, with long lingering dry cedar on the post draw. The retrohale is sweet and malty, with intense post draw spices. As the cigar progresses, pepper joins in at a medium-full to full strength level. Some chocolate starts to complete the retrohale at approximately the 5 minute mark. By the halfway point, the pepper and spice have receded to light plus. Cocoa and cedar have moved up to the front of the palate, with toasted barbecue coming through in the middle.

First Third

Smoking through the initial half inch, the profile no doubt has a dry cocoa baseline to it (more dark chocolate than milk chocolate). Furthermore, dry dirt/soil. Smoking past that point, a spicy cedar joins the other notes. The body is medium-full and strength is medium. But what is most interesting is how dry the profile is. The more I smoke the cigar the drier it gets, making me take multiple sips of water.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the profile is now dry cedar with some mustiness and a faint baking spice. At a quarter inch in, the cedar is becoming quite a bit fuller and has a nice spiciness to it. At three quarters of an inch in, a bit of cocoa powder returns to the profile. The retrohale is musty cedar. As the third comes to a close, the mustiness has taken the lead over the cedar while the cocoa has left the profile. The strength remains at slightly below medium.

Second Third

The second third starts out with cocoa and sweet cedar, and a long lingering cedar on the post draw and retrohale. Cedar continues to move up until it settles into the front of the profile. As the cigar progresses, the cedar takes on a tannic quality. In the bottom half, toasted earth joins the flavor medley.

Second Third

The second third improves on the first third’s profile for one sole reason: The profile loses out on the dryness. In terms of flavors, it’s still the same (dark cocoa, dirt/soil, spicy cedar). Strength moves up to medium-full and body stays medium-full.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the mustiness is still up front while the cedar has gained a toasted note. The retrohale has the toasted cedar and mustiness at equal levels. As the cigar comes to a close, the toasted cedar has evened out with the mustiness. The strength remained at slightly below medium.

Final Third

Toasted earth leads the cigar into the final third, with cedar providing accent flavors. The tannins previously in the cedar move to the front of the palate here.

Final Third

The final third loses out on some complexities such that a burning paper note appears which drowns out the dark cocoa. Dirt/soil and spicy cedar are still in full swing however. Strength and body finishes medium-full.

Burn

The burn was straight most of the way and just got off around the midpoint but self corrected. The ash held on until the midpoint and then until the cigar came to a close.

Burn

As with any cigar I’ve smoked from La Aurora, the burn here is perfect, with ash holding up to 2 inches.

Burn

Aside from one major touch-up required within the second third, the draw was great. Cool burn, tight ashes and relatively even burn.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

The cigar began with charred cedar and cocoa. The char faded away fairly quickly as some cream joined for a short bit until it was replaced by mustiness and the cocoa dropped out. The cocoa came back for a moment in the second third. In the final third the cedar gained a toasted note to go along with the mustiness. The construction was very good and strength was slightly below medium the whole way. The first third was good and then dropped down a level from the second third on. The profile was a bit drying from the Broadleaf. The Preferidos in this format is a long standing line, and while the Diamond isn’t my favorite, it is still a good Broadleaf representation. I’d have no issues smoking this again, it just wouldn’t be the first La Aurora tubo I’d reach for.

Draw

The draw is one notch into the resistant spectrum but still well in the ideal range.

Overall

The La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition Diamond No. 2 Tubos has an enjoyable combination of spices, cedar, sweet malts, chocolate, pepper, barbecue and earth. The construction is flawless, and the overall cigar experience is a good one. The first and second thirds were the highlight of the cigar, with the flavor complexity falling in the last third.

Draw

The draw was perfect.

Overall

This was a decent representation of utilizing Connecticut Broadleaf. I have two overall issues with the cigar: 1) very dry palate, 2) decrease in complexity in the last third and the burning construction paper like flavor. There’s some good qualities to it such as the dark cocoa, spicy cedar and dirt/soil. But the dryness and final third’s burning paper note ultimately were such major factors that it didn’t allow the favorable flavors to shine as much as it should have.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.85

Cost/Point

$3.42

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.93

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$3.33

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition Diamond No. 2 Tubos