"Cohiba Siglo V" 2010?

[Peter11216]

I was apprehensive about lighting up my first "Cohiba Siglo V." Last week I diligently went over Trevor's fantastic website, a generous public resource I'm truly grateful for. In preparation for my sketchy meeting with someone who listed a box of Cohiba's on a classified ad site we all know, I printed out pictures of bands, warranty seals, box stamps, and wrote down dimensions for everything that could be measured. After failing to find a seat in the cafe we planned to meet at, we ended up doing the transaction over a table of relationship books in one of those large, chain bookstores.

I was in a really poor mindset - first, I wanted the sticks to be authentic; second, as much as the steep discount I bargained for was telling me, "these can't be true, because no one sells Cohiba's for so little," it was also telling me, "if they are real, you are getting an awesome deal."

On the suspect side of things, the story of how my seller got the cigars was inconsistent. At first they were given to the person's father, purchased in Europe, then later they were purchased in Cuba, although still a gift. No holograms or customs or duty stickers were on the box. (See a picture here.) The barcode came up as unrecognized. (Thanks to those who offered to take a second look, PM coming shortly.) Finally, the gold printing on the embossed bands was just a tiny bit ragged on the edges.

On the confirming side, the packaging was clean and crisp, with quality printing. My seller had no problems with me breaking the seals and inspecting the sticks, themselves. In the end, I decided to purchase them mainly based on how they looked and felt. They measured spot on to the millimeter, and at least at first glance, were properly constructed. I should, however, mention that never having handled a Cohiba before, this wasn't really very smart.

And now for the review:

To my dismay I discovered a little green spot on the wrapper, but other than this the construction felt and looked good. The foot didn't give off much of an odor, but the prelight draw brought with it a tobacco taste, and had just the right amount of resistance.

Happily the initial third was not unpleasant. I got a distinct hint of something that makes me think of postage stamp glue (not unpleasant), something I've noticed in the other cubans I've had, but never found in a non-cuban. Otherwise the smoke left a long finish, with a pepper-like tingle developing several seconds after exhaling. In between sips of ice water, I started to feel better about my purchase. The smooth mouthfeel of the smoke, and medium-ish strength was nice. Whatever I had bought was at least turning out to be a good cigar.

As I entered the second third, I got a distinct woodsmoke burst. This is something I'm not used to. In most of the non-cubans I smoke, I am never impressed by transitions. Here I was surprised by a new flavour coming through. I also found the two things interesting. One, the finish got shorter and clean and crisp. Second, I think the strength picked up a bit. To me, this was great. I don't think I've ever had a cigar with such a change in the length of the finish. The nice pepper sensation had attenuated, but the crispness of the finish was refreshing. I didn't feel like I was getting bogged down.

The last of cigar brought another, to my newbie sensibilities, fantastic transition. I got a burst of sweet herbal tastes. The finish was still clean, and it ended up being a great smoke.

What can I say . . . ? I love to hear if anyone has any thoughts about its authenticity based on the photos. I am, at least, glad I didn't end up with some insect infested bananas leaves, wrapped in a dominican throw-away.

Best,

Pete

[Klange]

Hi Pete. Thanks for the review. Im no expert but it look real to me. Sometimes you're just lucky and some good cigars cheap!

[pedrodepacas]

Great review. I'm no expert and won't even begin to guess on the authenticity of these smokes, but if you enjoyed them and aren't pissed about how much you paid for them then the hell with if they're authentic or not, you got a good deal on a decent smoke. Enjoy

[tucomapache]

Great review. I'm no expert and won't even begin to guess on the authenticity of these smokes, but if you enjoyed them and aren't pissed about how much you paid for them then the hell with if they're authentic or not, you got a good deal on a decent smoke. Enjoy

Diddo Peedro