Our mission; to sample a single cigar size across each of the Cohiba brands offered by General Cigar (in this case robustos). This extensive survey is made possible by Victoria McKee, Director of Public Relations at General Cigar Company.
Featured this time is the Cohiba (Classic) Robusto, which we received from Victoria back in May of this year.Vitola: Robusto
Origin: Dominican Republic
Length: 5”
Ring Gauge: 49
Filler: Dominican (Piloto Cubano)
Binder: Jember (Indonesian)
Wrapper: Natural Cameroon
Strength: Mild-to-Medium
MSRP: $362.25 (box of 25)
Average online price: $221
Produced at the General Cigar Dominicana factory, the Cohiba Robusto features a velvety-looking Cameroon wrapper and a very solid parejo shape. The current Cigar Aficionado rating for it is 88 (from April, 2006).
From the manufacturer’s website:
During his second voyage to the New World in 1496, Christopher Columbus revisited western Hispaniola, which is now known as the Dominican Republic. To his surprise, he discovered that the Taino Indians of Hispaniola were smoking leaves of cured tobacco. "Cohiba," they called it. Today, Cohiba remains as much a part of Dominican history as ever.
Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) ten of our club’s members plus one guest took part in the tasting survey for this review.
With a tightly-packed, sturdy roll, it appeared very well-constructed. In fact, a few of us found it rolled a little too tight, resulting in a difficult time drawing air through it. However, several others found their Cohibas drawing just fine. Though a couple prominent wrapper veins were discovered, everyone felt the quality of construction and appearance was pretty good.
As one might expect, those of us with tight draws experienced meager smoke production – a sizable let-down for those few of us. On the other hand, the stability of the ash reinforced our impression of roll and leaf quality, as some found their ashes holding steady for up to half the length of the cigar! Likewise, the burn was very even and steady with only a couple re-lights noted among our group.
The flavors were found to be mild and pleasant. Those of us who tend to favor stronger blends, however, thought the cigar lacked a bit of complexity in the flavor department. Tasting notes revealed mild spices up front and near the end, leather in the middle, with the occasional hint of coffee detected in a few of these robustos. There were also a few mentions of a bitter ending, but overall we agreed on a mellow, subtle, and consistent tasting experience.
After throwing out the highest and lowest, then averaging the remaining scores, The Cohiba Club's official rating for the Cohiba (Classic) Robusto is 89. An 'excellent' cigar.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 13 pts (87% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 31 pts (89% of the points possible)
All in all, we found the Cohiba to be a well-made cigar that deserves your attention. We do recommend that you give it a try and see for yourself.
Check back here in the coming weeks for subsequent posts on the Cohiba Puro Dominicana, the Cohiba XV (Extra Vigoroso), and the Cohiba Black Tubo Crystal – all in robusto sizes.
Click on images to enlarge.
Credit to Cigar World
© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.
With a tightly-packed, sturdy roll, it appeared very well-constructed. In fact, a few of us found it rolled a little too tight, resulting in a difficult time drawing air through it. However, several others found their Cohibas drawing just fine. Though a couple prominent wrapper veins were discovered, everyone felt the quality of construction and appearance was pretty good.As one might expect, those of us with tight draws experienced meager smoke production – a sizable let-down for those few of us. On the other hand, the stability of the ash reinforced our impression of roll and leaf quality, as some found their ashes holding steady for up to half the length of the cigar! Likewise, the burn was very even and steady with only a couple re-lights noted among our group.
The flavors were found to be mild and pleasant. Those of us who tend to favor stronger blends, however, thought the cigar lacked a bit of complexity in the flavor department. Tasting notes revealed mild spices up front and near the end, leather in the middle, with the occasional hint of coffee detected in a few of these robustos. There were also a few mentions of a bitter ending, but overall we agreed on a mellow, subtle, and consistent tasting experience.After throwing out the highest and lowest, then averaging the remaining scores, The Cohiba Club's official rating for the Cohiba (Classic) Robusto is 89. An 'excellent' cigar.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 13 pts (87% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 31 pts (89% of the points possible)
All in all, we found the Cohiba to be a well-made cigar that deserves your attention. We do recommend that you give it a try and see for yourself.
Check back here in the coming weeks for subsequent posts on the Cohiba Puro Dominicana, the Cohiba XV (Extra Vigoroso), and the Cohiba Black Tubo Crystal – all in robusto sizes.
Click on images to enlarge.
Credit to Cigar World
© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.
