Wrapper: Dominican Corojo

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican Corojo

Size: 5 x 50 Robusto

Body: Medium/Full

Price: $12.00

The Cien Años (100 Years) was launched in 2003 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of La Aurora Cigars.  It was a limited run and the cigars have been out of circulation for some time. They were re-introduced at the 2012 IPCPR convention. And these quantities will also be limited.

The cigar is a little funky looking with lots of veins, some mottling of colors, some seams are tight and some are not, the cap is a little sloppy and the beautiful band keeps it from being a complete disaster in the looks department. The has a nice oily sheen.

I sniff away and WOW…get a big dose of caramel! Man, this is powerful. I get some cedar, coffee and cocoa in light doses. At the foot, the caramel and cocoa swing a bat at your head. I can’t wait to see how this translates.

So I punch it and light it up.

Hmmmm…There is the caramel. Jesus Alou and Manny Mota! This cigar just wreaks sweetness. And right behind the caramel is the spicy red hot pepper.

The cedar is also prominent. And the cocoa….Diet Coke.

The cigar is very, very smooth right now. The body is a nice low end medium. The draw is perfect although it doesn’t release much smoke. The char line is close to perfect and the ash is a nice looking gray/white/dark gray.

I am in inch in and I get some orange zest notes that really complement the caramel. Perfect combination.

I have to say that I wasn’t expecting this flavor profile at all. I had read reviews and people were fawning over this cigar and praising it and now I know why. This ain’t your grand-daddy’s La Aurora.

Of course, the price point is ridiculous. Depending on size, the stick can cost as much as $17.00. There is no way I would pay that. Unless my penis grew an inch. I did pay $54 for a 5 pack. And that made my butt cheeks clench really hard. But I can safely say at this early point in the cigar, it is definitely in the $12.00 worthy arena. And as of late, I’ve come to prefer the robusto. It is ready faster in my humidor. The flavors are more intense than the bigger sizes. And the time smoking it is perfect for me.

Almost to the end of the first third, a smoky oak flavor permeates the flavor profile. That’s very nice. The cigar continues to be very smooth. The balance of flavors is spot on.

I’m into the second third and the stick begins to get complex in character. The flavors don’t surpass the others. They seem to work together to bring a solid singular flavor.

The spiciness begins to ramp up. I like spice. Keeps your forehead from hitting the laptop’s keyboard.

At the halfway point, the body continues to be in the medium range. My tongue tingles from the red pepper. And then some vanilla and buttery creaminess show up to really complement the cocoa and caramel. This has turned out to be a very good ice cream cone.

This is a good time to mention that this cigar burns very slowly. It’s in no rush to finish. That is another good reason why I like good robustos….I can easily get a good 90 minutes on them if I take my time and really savor them….I used to smoke too fast. I could finish a cigar in 20 minutes when I was younger; and therefore, miss all the flavors. Or should I say, ruin the flavors?

If I get a really big cigar in the 6.5 x 54 range, it can take up my whole afternoon…which is perfectly fine as long as it does its thing properly and keep me entertained the entire time. The Cuenca is an example of that but this blend is just perfect for this size.

The last third is where the complexity is spot lighted. And the body begins to ramp up. The cigar is so smooth that it is difficult to keep track of the rise of the strength of the cigar.

The cigar finishes out smooth without a hint of harshness or bitterness. The nub never gets hot. The citrus, cedar, some leather, and coffee never get above background flavors.

I highly recommend this stick even if you only buy one. I would check Cbid for some deals on this stick to make it more affordable.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS