REVIEW: La Aurora Guillermo Leon Signature

Today's review is my last in the series of new releases from the distributor Miami Cigar Company. The Guillermo Leon Signature was released at this past year's IPCPR show and is the newest product to come from the oldest factory in the Dominican Republic-- La Aurora. The cigar carries the name of the the Vice President of La Aurora,Guillermo Leon (@GuillermoLeon_ on twitter.) I had been emailed a press release about this cigar directly from Guillermo, noted below:

“Obviously, this cigar is personal for me. It is part of my family’s legacy for the past 107 years. In this cigar, I wanted something with deep complexity yet also a stronger smoke than most of our offerings. I think this is something that will please today’s smokers.” -- Guillermo Leon

From the sticks I have smoked recently, I think Miami Cigar Company and La Aurora have really been on point. I am excited to try yet another new cigar from them, so...on to the review.

Specifics  
Vitola: Gran Corona
Length: 6
Ring Gauge: 47
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habana
Binder: Double binder, Corojo and Cameroon
Filler: Dominican, Peruvian, Nicaraguan and Brazilian
Price: $8
Smoking Location: Explorer Lounge
Beverage: water
Manufacture's Website: http://www.miamicigarandcompany.com/ 
Manufacture's Website: http://www.laaurora.com.do/

Pre-Light 

The first thing that caught my eye while looking over my La Aurora Guillermo Leon was just how smooth and evenly colored on the wrapper was. The color was light brown with just a hint of redness, when the light hit it at a certain angle. The veins that were in the leaf were minimal and smooth to the touch. I smoke a lot of "ugly" broadleaf cigars, so seeing this stick was quite a change. The pre-lit aroma was of earthy tobacco with hints of hazelnut closer to the open foot. The cold draw taste proved my nose correct and tasted heavily of hazelnut. It's the holiday season and during this time, we have some baskets of mixed nuts around the house for snacking on. Maybe this helps my palate pick up these flavors more. Who knows?

First Third

After evenly lighting my La Aurora Guillermo Leon, I was easily puffing large volumes of smoke from the cigar. The smoke was thick with a creamy texture which lightly coated my taste buds with earthy, woodsy flavors. Along with those flavors, there was just a hint of warm spice on the finish that tingled just a bit. I'm more than likely going to repeat this in every section, but the construction on this cigar was top of the line. The burn was razor straight and the ash was more solid than I have seen on any other stick this year. I'm not sure if it's to do with the double binder, but I only ashed this cigar 3 times and, every time, I think it could have held on for longer. The body was in the mild range.

Second Third

The second third of my La Aurora Guillermo Leon brought on a change in the flavor profile of my cigar. The hazelnut flavors I picked up so strongly initially in the cold draw were now back and as potent as ever. On the finish, I started getting kicks of sweetened coffee which created a very nice compliment on the front. The spice and woodsy flavors I had before dissipated, but what did not dissipate was the large clouds of smoke this cigar produced on every draw. Again, the smoke was very creamy. Mix the smoke with the hazelnut and coffee flavors and it began to taste like something you would get from your local coffee shop, not a cigar shop. Like mentioned above, the construction was perfect. The body stayed in the mild range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third can be described in one word: smooth. Now that I've told you how it went in one word, let me entertain you with a few more details. The flavor profile stayed pretty much the same as the second third, with the hazelnut and coffee tastes. I felt, however, that the cigar blended out better in the final third, without much changing, rather just melted together. The body maybe picked up slightly into the medium range, but I would say it was a mild medium if that makes sense. Again, prefect burn and solid ash.

My final thoughts on the La Aurora Guillermo Signature? This is a very easy cigar to smoke. The smoothness in the texture of the smoke is easy on the taste buds and the mild body never effected my system. The flavor profile, especially in the final third where the stick shined for me, was a great blend of strong flavor that left me feeling satisfied. 
 
Would I buy it again? Just like the other sticks I've smoked from Miami Cigar Company and La Aurora, I would buy this stick again. I think this could be a great cigar to hand out to almost anyone from an experienced smoker to a newbie.

Would I buy a box?  I personally tend to lean towards more medium-full body cigars, so I'm not sure I would buy a full box of these for myself to smoke. But if you are a mild to medium body cigar smoker, I don't think you'll find to many better than this one in that profile.

Dan