Cohiba Esplendido

[cottierm]

Since Frank (bundwallah) was 'smoked out' by the Esplendido he tasted during his Mexican holidays, it is maybe a good idea to give you my thoughts on this specimen. These are pricey smokes and, as pointed out by Rob and Ken in an old video review, can be quite inconsistent. That said, the one I had last week was heaven on earth! (A sibling of the one Ken had several years ago).

Box code and date are unknown since it was a Czar sample but it is probably a 2010 or 2011. No picture of it since I am a neanderthal as far as technique is concerned, sorry.

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Appearance: Superb shiny and oily colorado claro wrapper. The construction is perfect; a well-packed cigar.

Pre-light aroma: sweet and fine tobacco.

Pre-light taste: sweet fruit, no spice but a bit of wax on the lips.

Draw: perfect with a slight touch of restraint.

Burn: very good; quite a substantial amount of smoke.

Smell in combustion: leather & chocolate; a bit aggressive on the nose but really sweet as a whole.

Strength: 2/5 at first, increasing to 3/5 for the rest of the smoke.

Ash: Grey-black in colour; firm and layered, a bit flaky.

1/3: Toasted tobacco with a wonderful strong coffee/chocolate-beans taste in the background; rich but not overpowering, well rounded, nothing aggressive. From the first puffs this cigar achieves a great balance of flavours with Cohiba grassiness adding itself quickly to the mix. After a while addition of sweet woodiness to the profile. Flavourful, round and sweet (but not sugary) cigar.

2/3: So well-balanced! No real change of pace for the moment: comforting and soothing. This cigar does not keep you on your toes with frequent changes of tastes but is just plain excellent, intense and relaxing! It moves gently to a stronger leathery profile in the mid-2/3. This is a rich and complex cigar. Although I hate to pay so much for the Cohiba brand, I must admit that this particular specimen is worth its price!

3/3: Leather-dark chocolate-grass. Yummy! A bit of pepper in the end to spice up the whole experience.

Conclusions: one of the best cigars I've had this year. 95-96 at this stage.

Best,

Michel

[Puros Y Vino]

Great review Michel. Your stick was quite different. While mine was strong it was definitely enjoyable. And yes, it is not a cheap cigar.

[skbe]

i tried some months ago. it was very strong.. but not an enjoyable strengh...

i'll think twice before trying it again..

[cottierm]

Happy that you appreciated it Frank. Concerning the price, if, by a huge stretch of imagination, I'll end up having enough money and the willingness to buy a box of these, I'll ask Rob to pick one up for me. To buy a box of these without having seen them would be playing the Russian roulette.

[cottierm]

Inconsistency seems to be their trade mark, my friend. However, when hand-picked by the people at Czar, they will turned out very good.

Best,

Michel

[Vinnyc]

Nice reviews now I want one

[maverickdrinker]

Nice review Michel. This is the cigar that started me off in the cigar world.

[cottierm]

Wow Art, you really started at the top of the scale! You must have had quite a few big disappointments after that.

Cheers,

Michel

[Puros Y Vino]

Nice review Michel. This is the cigar that started me off in the cigar world.

The RyJ Churchill got me into Cubans. Before that it was a Joya Di Nicaragua Antonao. And now, I bypass my RyJ Churchills.

[cottierm]

I remember the Joya! Love them before entering the Cuban world.

[ramon_cojones]

My favorite big cigar I've been smoking through an 09 box of these very slowly and mainly in the summer time. Such a rich cigar it just builds on the palate as you smoke it down. It has a lot of finess and I don't find them overpowering at all and my threshold is only a big higher than average. Once my buddy was smoking one at the same time and mine was leagues better according to both of us. I don't know if they will hit the 5 or 6 year mark so I'm thinking about getting another box to tuck away.