I thought this would be a fitting choice to end this series of reviews because Leon Jimenes, along with the La Aurora flagship brand, make up the bulk of cigar production in the La Aurora factory. Leon Jimenes has a solid reputation as a smooth mild cigar. I used to smoke this cigar frequently when I was younger and hadn’t yet developed a taste for stronger cigars.
This very short rothschilds cigar is even shorter than the standard roth at only four inches long. It looks a little funny, but it’s still a handsome short cigar.
The golden brown Connecticut shade wrapper is the highlight here, both in terms of appearance and flavor, which is quintessentially Dominican. Of course there are some quite powerful Dominican cigars, but if I had to generalize, I would hold up the Leon Jimenes line as a paragon of the Dominican taste: mild, somewhat nutty, and very aromatic.
This little roth burns quickly and runs fairly hot. This stick doesn’t feel mushy at all to the touch, but the draw is very easy, and a loose fill may contribute to the hot burn. The burn is quite even, nevertheless, and leaves a uniformly light gray ash.
It’s been a while since I smoked something this light, but even so I was surprised to taste almost no flavor here — this cigar is extremely mild, with the only flavor being a slightly nutty touch until the last third when it picks up a little straighforward tobacco flavor and a short earthy finish. The aroma is the focus here — classic Connecticut shade, floral with some citrus notes. Often fans of heavy cigars miss out on the fine nuances of Connecticut shade — and as someone who generally smokes heavier cigars, I highly recommend slowing down once in a while and taking the time to smell the floral and lightly spicy notes of this great wrapper leaf.
These little rothschilds last only twenty to twenty-five minutes, but aside from the hot burn it’s a good twenty minutes. Next time I will definitely opt for a larger size. It requires no drink, but could easily go with tea.
Overall the Leon Jimenes is a very easy smoke and could serve well as a short breakfast cigar. Keep a few of these around to hand out to new smokers who are genuinely curious about cigars. It’s a gentle way to push a newbie over the cliff. Give em a few years and they’ll be repaying you with double ligeros.
Cigarfan.net 
Nice review.
I had one of these not too long ago and really didn’t like it. I think I am beginning to discover that there is something about the Connecticut wrappers that produce a flavor I just don’t enjoy.
Even though I didn’t enjoy the flavor of the cigar, I must say that the construction was nice. The draw is very easy as you mentioned, and although mine did burn hot (much like yours) it was nice and even.
All in all, I think you are absolutely correct about this being a good cigar to give to the new cigar smoker. It is not going to be too much for them in terms of body and it is not offensive.
Once again, nice review
-Walt
One of the benefits of smoking “critically” is that after a while you start to notice the elements you really like, and the ones you don’t. It’s great that you can identify why you didn’t like this cigar.
I feel the same way about Indonesian wrappers. For whatever reason, they just turn me off, even if the cigar is otherwise just fine.
Thanks, as always, for dropping by Walt!
What you describe with the Leon Jimenes sounds allot like my experience with the La Aurora Rothschild. Burns a little hot, with very subtle flavor but the nose on the cigar is amazing. My cigar preference these days leans towards Ashton VSG or Pepin’s Tatuaje so I’m really not a fan of mild cigars but I smoke the La Aurora just for the incredible aroma. The robusto size is my preference but only because it lasts a bit longer.
I toured the La Aurora/Leon Jimenes factory at the cultural center in Santiago when I was visiting over the summer. I took home a few samples. With the execption of the Preferido line, I pretty much came to the same conclusion. Way to mild for my taste. They do have a following in the DR. It’s considered the national brand.
–Miguel