La Aurora Preferidos Sapphire

[lenguamor]

The flawless Connecticut wrappers on these has darkened a bit and taken on a slightly darker hue. The construction, as with all Preferidos, is solidly beautiful.



This is one of the original boxes, made in January '04 and released for sale in July '05.



Post-cut/pre-light, strong dried fruit impressions; some warm spices. The slightest hint of grassiness in the background.

The first draws are thick, rich smoke with heavy spice flavors. Through the nose it tastes every bit like an aged Cuban LGC, just lacking that edge that says they're not done getting better; these just may be at their peak. We'll see.

Approaching mid-barrel, some tea flavors come in, especially through the nose; a hint of cream. The warm spice flavors are huge; kind of a curry essence at the forefront, other spices in the background.



In the middle this cigar reveals itself completely: chewy, rich tobacco with lots of warm, savory spices. The underlying creamy quality persists, with the tea undertones also there. That undefinable "aged" quality that you get with a good Cuban cigar remains throughout.

From the start, the draw has been easy but not overly so; yet now, as the burn approaches the last quarter, I find myself having to sip in order to prevent overheating.

In summary, I'm a bit surprised; of all the tubos from La Aurora, this was far from my favorite when fresh, yet it has developed into a rich, complex smoke with more character than I would have thought possible for this wrapper and this blend.

I'm glad I have more left.