My Weekend Cigar: Two Dynamite Dominicans

After returning home this past weekend from the IPCPR Show in Las Vegas, I needed some additional quality cigar smoking relaxation time. Because I shipped my cigars home from the show (hopefully, they'll arrive safely today), I wasn't able to dip into any additional new cigars, but I did kick back with two really class acts.

Friday evening I paired a La Aurora Preferidos Connecticut No.1 (6" x 58) with a glass of Dow's Boardroom Reserve Tawny. Not only is this one of my favorite cigar shapes, but I've now added it to my list of all-time favorites.

La Aurora Preferidos cigars are sought for their oak barrel-aged Dominican tobaccos and robust character. But this Connecticut version, although full-flavored, was amazingly creamy, smooth and burned perfectly with rich woody flavors. In fact, I remember speaking with José Blanco of Tabacalera La Aurora at the show, and he was telling me how the Connecticut leaves are specially cured and extra long aged to ensure they are entirely free of any bitterness, which makes the smoke that much more balanced and sweeter, too. If you like Connecticut wrapper you can't do much better than the La Aurora Preferidos Connecticut cigars series.

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On Saturday night I took out a Davidoff Puro Dominicano Robusto (5 1/8 x 52) from a box of 10 that I received at the Davidoff cigars dinner at last year's RTDA show in Houston. Since this was a very limited edition cigar, they're hard to come by, but you can sample one in the Davidoff Robusto Collection, which are available at appointed Davidoff merchants.

I paired it with a glass of Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur that I discovered earlier in the day at my local Wine & Spirits store while purchasing another bottle of Port. I figured it might make a good match, and it did. The sweetness of the liqueur combined with the hearty flavor of the Puro Dominicano made a superb combination, although the liqueur may be a little too sweet for some tastes. The cigar burned perfectly, and built from a very smooth and relatively medium-bodied smoke at the start, into a very complex and robust cigar by the third act. If you like full-bodied fare and can get your hands on one of these, go for it. It's one of Davidoff's best cigars in recent years.