Cigar Review – Cohiba XV – Part 3

This is the third in a 4-Part Series of reviews dedicated to exploring a single cigar size across each of the Cohiba brands offered by General Cigar. As it happens, it’s robustos that we’re sampling from all four lines of Cohiba.

This extensive survey is made possible by Victoria McKee, Director of Public Relations at General Cigar Company.

Featured this time is the Cohiba XV 550, a robusto we received from General Cigar back in May of this year. The XV stands for Extra Vigoroso.

Vitola: Robusto
Origin: Dominican Republic
Length: 5”
Ring Gauge: 50
Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero and Piloto Cubano Ligero
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra (SG)
Strength: Medium-to-Full
MSRP: $215.80 (box of 20)
Average online price: $169

Produced at the General Cigar Dominicana factory, the Cohiba XV 550 features a gorgeous, rich-looking wrapper with plenty of that heady aroma of thorough fermentation. The current Cigar Aficionado rating for it is 84 (Oct, 2007).

From the manufacturer’s website:

In response to the rising demand for fuller-flavored cigars, cigar master Daniel Nuñez set out to create an extension of the successful COHIBA line. The result is COHIBA XV, an Extra Vigoroso cigar made with all the inspiration and dedication to quality that have made COHIBA one of the most respected premium brands in the country.

The most distinctive leaf of a COHIBA XV cigar is its sun-grown Sumatra wrapper from Ecuador. Harvested only from the tops of the tobacco plants, each of these wrapper leaves is aged in tercio for three years. The flavor is then enhanced by aging all of the leaves again for six months in crates of fragrant cedar. In crafting COHIBA XV cigars, the most flavorful Nicaraguan Ligero and Dominican Piloto Cubano Ligero are bound with the richest three-year-old Connecticut Broadleaf. The result is a cigar that is made, not only to please, but also to impress.

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) ten of our club’s members took part in the tasting survey for this review.

First impressions of the wrapper were: dark, rich, and velvety-looking! Only a couple of the cigars displayed minor visual imperfections. As is evident by our high scoring of Part I (below) this is one well-crafted beauty.

Similar to the high quality appearance, most of these XV’s drew effortlessly. Fortunately, only a couple faltered by drawing too tight, and as one club member put it, “…really held the cigar back.” Likewise for combustion; a few didn’t burn very well, but most did just fine. There were no issues with regard to the ash that could be considered detrimental.

The flavors were a bit of a mixed bag for our group of tasters. A couple guys found their cigars growing harsh mid-way through, a couple found the XV mediocre, and six of us classified it as ‘very good’ to ‘excellent’. Tasting notes ranged from hickory to dark chocolate and coffee.

After throwing out the highest and lowest, then averaging the remaining scores, The Cohiba Club's official rating for the Cohiba XV 550 is 85. A ‘very good' cigar.

Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 14 pts (93% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 29 pts (83% of the points possible)

Strangely, as fondly as many of us reported liking the Cohiba XV, it didn’t score phenomenally high. Not to be dismissed, however, a rating in the mid-eighties is a high accolade indeed. Too often these days, a cigar buyer’s first instinct is to only shop for cigars rated 90 or higher, which has it’s own share of controversy, but that’s a discussion for another day. In any event, we do recommend that you give it a try and see for yourself.

To recap the first two Cohibas, which scored as followed:
89 for the Cohiba (Classic) Robusto.
84 for the Cohiba Puro Dominicana Robusto.
…it is apparent that our group prefers the standard Cohiba line – so far! There is one more to go after all.

Check back here in the coming weeks for the fourth and final post on the Cohiba Black Tubo Crystal – again in robusto size.

And speaking of Cohibas, visit your local cigar shop soon for the latest Cohiba offer! General Cigar's Cohiba Lifestyle contest, which will be exclusive to brick and mortar stores, features a Buy 3 Get 1 Free pack of Cohiba cigars. You’ll also be able to enter a drawing in which the grand prize will be the ultimate dream vacation in a private jet for one customer and six friends, with a total prize value of $75,000.

Credit to Cigar World

© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.

The Cohiba Club Membership Policy

Because we've been asked by many guys in past months, it's time to publicly state our membership admission policy.

We started out (in the Spring of 2007) as merely a collection of friends. Additional friends of current members are still admitted occasionally, when openings arise, with only modest screening and limited concensus needed for admission to be granted.

The following is intended for outside parties whom are not known to the club. Fortunately, it's not complicated - only three aspects of it exist:

1. Opening
This may sound obvious, but it's worth mentioning because of the simple reality that there are not always openings for new members. This is due to the fact that the club's founders sought early on to keep the club from growing too large. Instead, quality members forming a cohesive unit is more desirable than massive numbers. So from time-to-time, the founders may announce an opening and take applicants under consideration.

Another reason for limitting the membership count is the nature of our herf structure. We often hold our monthly gatherings at our own residences. We take turns hosting the group. Simply, too large a group makes this difficult to accomodate. Other times, we occasionally dine together at local restaurants and have found that even our group of twelve can sometimes make it challenging to get a reservation, let alone the trouble we'd have if we were 25 or 50 in number.

2. Application
A formal application must be submitted. A document exists, to be completed by applicants, that is made available upon request. It provides the club's founders an opportunity to learn a bit about an applicant; attributes such as cigar experience & preferences, hobbies, interests, background, etc.

3. Introduction
Applicants will be permitted (and required) to attend two herfs as a 'guest', to meet the members, and to allow the founders to assess the applicant's compatibility with the culture of the club. This last step is no less critical than the preceding requirements, for a good fit of personality must be determined prior to formal and permanent admission into the club. This is necessary to protect, not only the well-being of the club, but the interests of the applicant as well.

As our members will attest, joining The Cohiba Club is a meaningful and worthwhile endeavor due, in large part, to the quality of its members. These deliberate, mandatory steps will ensure our original goal of maintaining the strength of a viable and active club for many years to come.

On behalf of Co-Founders Robert and John,

--Fernand

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Update - 10/26/09

From club member Patrick:

"Being a part of the club has been absolutely wonderful and is everything and more that I hoped it would be when I first contacted you almost a year ago, and it is directly attributed to the great guys who compose the membership. I hope you and all the guys know how much I appreciate and look forward to the herfs and the great food, cigars and conversation that come along with them."

Cigar Review – Avo Signature Belicoso

by club charter member Joe

Another in our ongoing series of reviews of cigars given to us by the good folks at Cigars Direct. Featured this time is the Avo Signature Belicoso which we received back in May of this year.

Vitola: Figurado
Origin: Dominican Republic
Length: 6”
Ring Gauge: 48
Filler: Dom. Rep.
Binder: Dom. Rep.
Wrapper: Ecuador
Strength: Medium
MSRP: $12.80

Produced by OK Cigar Corp., it features a gorgeous Ecuadorian wrapper and a straight forward torpedo shape. The current Cigar Aficionado rating for it is 88 (Aug, 2007).

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) I sat down to rate this cigar while enjoying a glass of summer ale.

Though obviously well-made, my cigar had a crack running upwards from the foot about 3/4 of an inch. The draw was pretty good, as was the amount of smoke produced. The burn got slightly uneven, but never out-of-hand.

Flavors started out a little woody & dry, but warmed to a nice sweetness, before it began to spice up a bit in the second half.

My rating for the Avo Signature Belicoso is 84. A very good cigar.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 12 pts (80% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 20 pts (80% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 31 pts (89% of the points possible)

As you can see by the overall impression score, this cigar was actually quite enjoyable despite some of the cosmetic or performance shortcomings of this particular stick and I look forward to more of these wonderful cigars.

Thanks again to Cigars Direct for allowing me to try this very high quality cigar!

© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.

Cigar Review – Cohiba Puro Dominicana – Part 2

This is the second in a 4-Part Series of reviews dedicated to exploring a single cigar size across each of the Cohiba brands offered by General Cigar (robustos from all four lines).

This extensive survey is made possible by Victoria McKee, Director of Public Relations at General Cigar Company.

Featured this time is the Cohiba Puro Dominicana Robusto, which we received from General Cigar back in May of this year.

Vitola: Robusto
Origin: Dominican Republic
Length: 5 1/2”
Ring Gauge: 50
Filler: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Wrapper: Dominican
Strength: Medium-to-Full
MSRP: $444.75 (box of 25)
Average online price: $350

Produced at the General Cigar Dominicana factory, the Cohiba Puro Dominicana features a nice dark, well-aged looking wrapper and an attractive round head. The current Cigar Aficionado rating for it is 89 (Jan, 2009).

From the manufacturer’s website:

Cigar Master Daniel Núñez initially began development of this cigar in the late 1990's. After nearly 30 years of cultivating tobacco in the Dominican Republic, Daniel began growing, curing and aging tobaccos with different seed varieties in various locations within the Dominican Republic, with the goal of developing the perfect Dominican Puro cigar. Nearly 10 years and hundreds upon hundreds of sample blends later, Daniel is pleased to introduce Cohiba Puro Dominicana which features proprietary tobaccos aged in tercios and charcoaled wooden barrels to enhance their natural flavor. This new Cohiba is pure Dominican and has been masterfully blended to create the perfectly balanced cigar. Cohiba Puro Dominicana was made to fulfill the luxury cigar smoker's desire for an upscale, superbly crafted cigar with a smooth, ultra-refined taste.

Following Cigar Aficionado's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) nine of our club’s members plus one guest took part in the tasting survey for this review.

Upon initial examination, a few soft spots were noticed on a couple of our cigars. Though a few prominent wrapper veins were also discovered, everyone felt the quality of construction and appearance was quite good.

The draw of these Puros was great for most of us, but too tight for a few of the guys. Likewise, smoke output seemed to follow along those same lines. The stability of ash fared pretty well in our scoring. The quality of burn was split among our group, some cigars burned great, some not so good.

The flavors were found to be fuller and richer than the Classic Cohiba line. Tasting impressions led off with notes of dry woods like cedar, earthy hints; then moving into dark-roasted coffee. Unfortunately, some harshness was noted by some of the tasters going into the 2nd half of their cigars, however, most agreed on it smoothing out a bit before the ending.

After throwing out the highest and lowest, then averaging the remaining scores, The Cohiba Club's official rating for the Cohiba Puro Dominicana Robusto is 84. A ‘very good' cigar.

Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 13 pts (87% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 21 pts (84% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 29 pts (83% of the points possible)

All in all, we found the Cohiba Puro Dominicana to be a 50/50 cigar that some of us really liked and some of us didn’t like all that much. 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 XV (Extra Vigoroso), and the Cohiba Black Tubo Crystal – both in robusto sizes.

Credit to Cigar World

© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.

Herf 26 - Fine Dining Reinvented

August 2nd, 2009 - Renton, WA

In attendance were Fernand, Robert, Joe, Patrick, Daniel, and Pat (remotely). As usual, we gathered to enjoy a good cigar and give our opinion on it by holding a 'group tasting' following dinner.

The five of us were treated to a gourmet feast the likes of which we’ve not seen at any previous herfs. The bar has definitely been set very high now! We started off with an appetizer platter of three kinds of salami, greek olives, bosc pears, and three cheeses. Then a wonderful mixed greens salad kicked off the meal.

The entrees, four in all, consisted of puff-pastry chicken pot-pie, lobster mac and cheese with asparagus tips, mini meatloaf, and zucchini blossoms stuffed with lemon-honey goat cheese. This incredible treat was due to the vast creativity of Patrick’s girlfriend Linh (Lynn).

If that wasn’t enough, dessert soon followed: Irish Car Bomb cupcakes accompanied by cheesecake-stuffed, chocolate-covered strawberries. It was almost too much for the senses to process.

As we were already dinning outside, it was only a few steps to retire around Patrick’s outdoor firepit, though it wasn’t ignited due to the oppressive heat of one of the warmest weeks on record in the Seattle area. The superb meal was the perfect precursor to our mission of conducting the cigar tasting session and continuing the evening’s relaxation and camaraderie.

Our selection for this herf was the Rocky Patel Decade Robusto. An impeccable looking robusto with a standard round cap and measuring 5 inches long by a 50 ring guage. It’s made in Honduras and goes for around $9. This Decade was Cigar of the Week back on May 11th. The current Cigar Aficionado rating for it is 92 (Oct 2008).

Following CA's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) we began the tasting.

The gentle box press had a very handsome appeal. The dark, chocolaty color of the Ecuadorian wrapper had us all salivating as we clipped, lit, and studied the appearance of this well-crafted stick.

Not one of us had any complaints about the draw of our cigars. Each specimen was perfect. Each burned quite evenly too, with not one relight needed during the course of the evening. We were pleased with the quantity of smoke produced. The ash was stable and well-formed with no noticeable flaking.

Everyone commented on what pleasurable ease it started out with; a little woody (like a soft, light wood) smooth, and easy going. All agreed it was consistently pleasant all the way through and these sticks got mighty short too. Club member Pat (joining us via instant messenger from Lansdale, PA) summed up the experience beautifully, “Rarely do I take a stick to the end, but this was an exception. Loved everything about this stick!”

After throwing out the highest and lowest, then averaging the remaining scores, The Cohiba Club's official rating for the Rocky Patel Decade Robusto is 93. An outstanding cigar!

Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 15 pts (100% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 24 pts (96% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 32 pts (91% of the points possible)

All in all, a very enjoyable cigar which we highly recommend!

See you at the next herf, September 6th.

© 2009 The Cohiba Club - All rights reserved.