Size: 5.5 x 43 (Corona)
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder and Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium to Full
Price: Roughly $7.00 a piece

Behind The Stick:

I was chatting with Guillermo L�on one day on Twitter and he asked if I would be interested in trying the La Aurora 107 Corona and giving him by feedback. When I told him I was writing for this website he asked if David would be willing to review the cigar also and I told him we would do a dual review for him and give everyone 2 opinions in one review. Guillermo liked the idea of a dual review and had samples sent on his behalf courtesy of Miami Cigar Co to both David and myself.

La Aurora was founded in 1903 and is the oldest cigar factory in the Dominican Republic. The La Aurora 107 is named for the 107th anniversary of the company. �La Aurora is more than a factory; it is my family�s heritage. From my father, I inherited the passion and commitment to make the highest quality cigars. I am honored to continue the legacy of the L�on family in our second century by creating distinctive cigars tailored to the tastes of today�s smokers. I invite you to rediscover the new La Aurora.� – Guillermo Leon. For a more detailed history please visit the La Aurora 1495 review.

Size: 6.25 X 52
Shape: Belicoso (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Sun Grown Ecuador
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican
Price: $6 to $8 MSRP

Construction:

Like I mentioned in the review of the corona this wrapper is a lighter shade of chocolate. It looks exactly like the Corona wrapper aside from that. The torpedo cap is well done and the cigar appears to have been rolled perfectly.

Richmond, VA�General Cigar will commemorate its golden anniversary with a ten-city tour that will hit chic, cigar-friendly venues across the U.S. beginning on July 27 at Chicago�s swanky Vertigo Lounge in the Dana Hotel, and ending on November 11 at the legendary Foundation Room in Las Vegas. The complete event schedule appears on the General Cigar 50th anniversary website www.cigarcelebration.com.

Camacho Cigars Signs Partnership with Bayer CropScience

Miami, Florida, July 19, 2010 � Camacho Cigars, a key player in the international cigar market, and Bayer CropScience, the world�s leader in crop science and crop protection, have signed a working partnership under the Bayer Food Chain Management program. With this new alliance, Camacho Cigars has become the only tobacco company in history to be in compliance with strict international standards for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). By complying with the practices set forth by Bayer CropScience, Camacho Cigars ensures the responsible management of natural resources, bio-friendly pesticides, industrial safety, and biosecurity. The Food Chain Partnership is the first of many steps in Camacho�s plan for a higher level of social responsibility and it�s furtherance in manufacturing the highest quality cigars in the world.

Size: 5.7 x 54
Wrapper: Cuban-seed Dominican
Binder and Filler: Dominican Corojo, Cubano Piloto, Brazilian and Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium to Full
Price: About $5.50 to $6.00

Behind The Stick:

This is a cigar I actually had gifted to me from my new boss at work – he and I have gotten into a habit of sneaking around the corner and placing a single cigar on the others desk and then beat feet away. One of these days it was a cigar I had never heard of, the 5 Vegas Cask Strength II – after doing a bit of research I found that there is little to no information with the exception that the name is referenced similar to the ‘cask strength’ of whiskey. This is a first impression review, I was only able to smoke a single, but I will revisit this cigar again at a later time.

I have finally started to get settled into the new home, Jennifer and I decided to get two dogs and that threw another bit chaos into the mix but it appears with the exception of the wedding in mid October, the waters are starting to smooth out and I’m getting into a groove which has turned out to be pretty productive. As some of you may have noticed I used to post every 3rd day, this was only allowing 12-15 posts a month but it was a rhythm I was comfortable with and it was consistent.

That being said, I have been getting a backlog of reviews – basically I could take off for the next month and a half and just let the site run on auto-pilot. In addition to that Jacob Krell (@jakrell) has been submitting reviews weekly and even found time to run out to Xikar and do a tour and interviews! This doesn’t include the new cigars I’ve gotten in or contests were planning on running. All in all, I will be posting at least once every other day, I will try to post more if possible (news, information, etc) as well I will try to organize my archives so its a bit easier to navigate.

Thank you again to everyone who hung around after my last tirade, I promise I’ll be more serious – at least for a week or two.

~David – The Cigar Nut