The overall construction was excellent, as I would expect from AVO cigars. The cigar features two very nice looking bands both in white. The first one has the AVO logo and is trimmed in a gold color. The secondary band has AVO 80th on it. Both bands were able to be slid off with no damage to the cigar. The first half of the cigar produced a little bit of spice and a slight creaminess to it. I would not describe it as a buttery flavor, but just a nice cream. During the second half, I started to pick up more earth tones to it. This consisted of mainly a woody flavor.

The ash on the cigar is fairly firm, non flaky and white in color. The cigar produced an even burn ring as well. Nearing the end of the cigar I started to pick up a roasted nut flavor.

I have to thank Jason at the Cigar Box for giving this to me to try.

Anyway, back to Padilla. It is a huge place tons of seating and every Padilla cigar you could ever want. So I made a quick purchase of a Padilla Miami and some of the new release the Dominus (great smoke. Justin and I will have to review it if he is up for it). I sat down for awhile to smoke and talk to the manager Vincent. We got to talking and come to find out we grew up in the same town in New Jersey. We had a great conversation about growing up in North Bergen and living in Manhattan, cigars and a bunch of different topics. While we were talking he dropped a huge bomb on me. He gifted me a cuban Hoyo De Monterrey Churchill. He said he is from Cuba and still has family there so he can travel in and out whenever he wants. Needless to say I was completely floored and I am going to put that away for a special occasion. Probably my daughters first birthday next month that is a pretty special occasion. Well that’s about all there is to tell. My next stop is New Orleans in May (actually come to think of it my next trip is Denver but I am only there two days so I doubt I will have time to find a place to smoke). I am looking forward to New Orleans it is one of my favorite cities and I always have a good time down there. So as usual if you have any comments, suggestions of shop to visit or want to meet for a smoke contact me at Sean@lasvegashtv.com. One final thing if you find yourself in Little Havana do not hesitate to go to the Padilla Cigar Factory and ask for Vincent.

See Ya

Sean

The La Aurora 1495 series, a cigar designed to pay tribute to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican land of cigar, founded in 1495 by Christopher Columbus in the heart of El Cibao.

10 minutes into the cigar and I have only smoked about 1/8 of it and I am getting some spice from the Corojo tobacco. The ash is a light gray color, very firm, and the cigar has a very even burn. There are some very unique undertones of flavor to the cigar. There appears to be a very creamy flavor to it.

Made from six different types of tobacco, Aurora 1495 Series is ideal or connoisseurs who prefer a medium to full-bodied smoke that combines a variety of aromas and offers a flavor of incredible complexity and richness. This richness is obtained thanks to a dark and silky Sumatra Ecuador wrapper, a Dominican Corojo binder, and a filler blend of Corojo Ligero, Piloto Cubano, Nicaraguan and Peruvian Piloto Cubano.

La Aurora Website

My first review on Stogie Review

Links to order from CigarsDirect.com
5 pack $32.78 $6.55 each

25 box $149 $5.96

See Ya

Sean

Update. I was just talking to the manager of the Lincoln Road store and he was telling me that they can’t smoke inside or outside of the Ocean Drive store because it is residential above the shop. The smoking Nazis strike again!!!

See Ya

Sean

This cigar was provided by CigarsDirect.com, a sponsor of Las VegASH TV

I can't feel my lips!

Being a person who travels extensively and is an avid cigar lover, I am sometimes subjected to local smoking laws that can be harsh, silly or even downright sinister.  I am constantly reminded of how narrow-minded, hypocritical and self-righteous government officials can be.  My recent travel to the Great White North, however, opened my eyes even further to the assault being made on the rights of cigar smokers (and other tobacco smokers, for that matter) world-wide. 

I traveled to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada for business, and looked forward to the fact that I would then be able to stroll into any of the local tobacconists and pick up a few puros Cubanos without the risk of being taken down and dragged away for treason.  Little did I realize what startling reality I was about to face.  They do still sell Cuban cigars, however you cannot smoke them ANYWHERE indoors.  There are no cigar lounges, no smoker-friendly pubs, no lobby bars, not even a smoker-friendly casino!  As of June 8, 2005, the entire Province of Ontario went smoke-free.  It is now illegal to smoke anywhere indoors, even private clubs.  The only real exceptions to this law allow hotels to have smoking rooms, but most hotels have elected to follow the ban. 

The end result for this and many other cigar smokers that I met while in Canada is that if you wish to smoke a cigar, cigarette, pipe, hookah, etc. is to enjoy the wonder of the great outdoors on a brisk winter day.  There is nothing so cheery and de-stressing than cutting and burning a delicious Cuban puros without the ability to feel your lips, hands, or any other extremity.  To top off the insult is the fact that many restaurants, hotels, and pubs do offer patios to smoke on, but do not provide heaters or any other means of preventing frostbite. 

My recommendation is if you wish to enjoy the wonder of buying and smoking a Cuban cigar legally in Canada, do so during the summer months, or get a hotel room in a hotel that has smoking rooms.   The bottom line is, Ontario, Canada is no longer a destination for those of us Americans seeking the pleasure of enjoying a Cuban cigar without the nagging prison sentence or in the case of Ontario, frostbite.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican Republic

Smoking Time 1 hour and 20 minutes