La Aurora Embassador Habana Gran Toro

La Aurora holds the distinction of being the oldest cigar brand produced in the Dominican Republic. Grown in the same fields of the Cibao Valley for more than three generations, it is the best selling brand within the country, and has been almost since its release back in the early 1900s. Making use of the same growing fields throughout its history has been one of the keys to the brand’s legendary consistency. The La Aurora Embassador Habana Gran Toro you have in your shipment today is something special! Developed and laid down for a long nap over ten years ago on beds of cedar, this cigar has finally made it to the shelf and it’s a stunner. This medium bodied smoke is stuffed full of Corojo Ligero from the Dominican Republic, Criollo '98 Seco & Viso from Nicaragua, and Cubita from Colombia, and is secured with a Dominican Corojo binder and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Slowly gaining in strength, this smoke has notes of cedar, savory spices, and a touch of citrus. Our panel recommended pairing it with a pilsner.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.