WOW!  As I write this I can still smell the smoke of petite corona sized samples. The event was a cigar tasting put on by Jose Blanco of La Aurora cigars at Stafford & Jones Tobacconists in Richardson, Tx.  This was not just any other cigar tasting event though, this was a puro tasting from all parts of the cigar itself.  Let me explain…

We were handed a small pack of pc sized rolled tobacco with small white bands that read 1-4.  With each cigar we pulled out the instructions were to hold the foot of the cigar up to our nose and determine what if any smells we got from it.  Some said spice, others said cocoa or chocolate.  It really depends on the individual what they get out of it.

Then we lit it up.  The idea was to get where the smoke hits you in the mouth… The back, front or sides.  As well as determining if there is any spice, flavors, or strength noticeable.  Some people noticed the smoke hitting them in the back of the mouth, others the side.  There really is no right answer, people’s taste buds are subjective.

The puros we ended up smoking were from:  Brazil, Peru, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.  These were all the makings of the La Aurora 1495 cigar.  It was really nice to see how all of these parts make up this wonderful smoke.  Some of the spice came from the Nicaraguan leaves.  The sweetness was from the Brazilian leafs and the rest made up the body of the cigar.  I had never been to a tasting such as this but it was very informative and I would love to do it again with different cigars.

If you ever get a chance to do these tastings I suggest you do it.  Just make sure you have a well ventilated area to do it in… I think I still smell like smoke.

Above:  Random pic from the tasting.  Notice the smoke in the room.  It was ridiculously smokey.

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