2004 EL Cohiba Sublime

[maverickdrinker]

2004 EL Cohiba Sublime

Been hearing mixed reviews about the 2004 EL Cohiba Sublime so decided to spend some time checking this out for myself.

This was one of my 'unicorn' sticks until a great BOTL sold me a few to try.  

One of my favorite vitolas are the Sublime size.  Just has a nice feel to it.  Good weight and enough cigar to kick back for a couple hours and relax.

The wrapper is a reddish brownish hue.  Sort of coarse, rustic and toothy.  A couple of veins but shouldn't be a problem.

Construction is good.  The cigar itself is fairly firm with a little give when squeezed throughout the barrel.

The aroma I get from the wrapper is pure, unadulterated chocolate and hazelnut.

The triple cap is like a flat top.  Hard packed.  Takes a little bit of effort to get my punch through.

The cold draw reveals.....coconut and chocolate?!?  Reminds me of that chocolate bar who name escapes me right now.  Never have had that before.  A generous amount of sweetness.  A slight tinge of cedar.  Very smooth.

The draw itself is ok.  A little firm but should be fine.

Time to take this to the flame...

First Third

Bitter chocolate, hazelnut, cream, earthy and leather come through in the initial draw.  Very smooth!  No sign of the signature cuban 'twang' that you come to expect with a cuban cigar.

Draw is a little tight.  Maybe a little massaging will work out the kinks.  A little challenging getting a full pull of smoke.  Might have to poke another hole in it to see if this loosens it up as well.

There is a bitterness (black coffee?) that is starting to come through.

Afterfinish is fleeting.  One minute here, the next minute gone.  Hard to get a pulse on this.

Strength is medium at this point.  Like the 2003 EL Cohiba Double Corona I reviewed, it's missing that signature cuban 'twang' and grassiness you would expect with a Cohiba band.  

Burn line is angled.  Might have to give it a touch up.  Will give it a chance to correct itself.

The ash is a dirty grey with those little white bubbles you see once in awhile.  Apparantly, they mean good luck.

Second Third

Draw is getting better.  Based on the ash, it looks like it was slightly uderfilled.  

Flavours haven't changed.  The bitterness has gone though.  Still bitter chocolate, cream, hazelnut and earthy/leathery notes.  It's making me reconsider the ability for the ELs to age.

Very smooth cigar.  No nuevos, though aside from a slight bitterness that comes out every few puffs.

Afterfinish is still very short but building.  Did I say this cigar is very smooth????  

Cedar starts to creep in the back door.  Slowly peeking its head out to see what the chocolate, cream, hazelnut, earthiness and leather are doing.  

The earthiness starts to take control of the situation and moves to the forefront.  Bitter chocolate is in second place and the rest of the gang is tailing out.  

Final Third

I hate to admit this but.....this is underwhelming.  No complexity.  Fairly straight forward flavours.  Lacking in nuances and changes.  BOOOO!!!!!  Devoid of all things Cohiba.  No twang or grassiness to speak of. 

Earthiness has picked up.  Strength is still medium at best.  

Overall, I am hoping that these are in the 'sick' phase as there are elements missing that would make this a fabulous smoke.  Right now, it is one dimensional, like watching the same show 5,000 times.  

[nikesupremedunk]

Sad to hear it was a bit underwhelming as I would have expected everything from a top notch cigar like that. Hopefully it was just a dud...

[Ken Gargett]

remember them quite well when they were young. absolute solid blockbusters. huge potential but even then not showing huge evolution throughout, though no reason to suspect it would then. i know that the top people in havana always believed that these were some of the greatest cigars ever made. my take then was that they would need a great deal of time. have a box that i have no intention of touching for many years yet.

[Hacigar]

Sad to hear my friend

because of this i am not cohiba fan

i always say forever bolivar

[Puros Y Vino]

I'm glad you smoked yours Art. I saw some similarities between the sticks in terms of performance and taste. The best thing I could say was that it was indeed "smooth". Maybe we had dud's? Maybe they're past their prime? Perhaps a few other FOH's might see fit to dig deep into their humidors and pull out a stick, smoke it and give their thoughts. It'd be a shame to think that such a thoroughbred cigar would have such a limited lifespan.

[AlexOk]

In April I also tasted a 2004 EL Cohiba Sublime. Here are my notes:

Optics:

As expected, the cigar presented in a nice and smooth wrapper. Maduro colored, slightly greasy and with fine veins. The wrapper has a very seductive look.

Coldsmell:

In cold condition the cigar exudes a mild nutty smell. Slight herbal notes give a pleasant spiciness. Additional to that woody flavors like beech and fresh sawdust were added.

1st third:

The typical Cuban Sublime starts with aromas of wood, but it also has a distinct touch of sweetness like caramel, hazelnut and marzipan.

2nd third:

Expecting the age the cigar shows itself very balanced. Flavors of sweet wood alternating with bitter herbs. What may sound strange, is an extremely delicious tension, which can appear slightly different impressions at each draw.

3rd third:

Toward the end, the Cohiba is again significantly more aromatic. Oak and rosemary, additional strong marzipan aromas and light mint.

Burning, ash:

Typical cuban the cigar burns light wrong which is not bad, but also not nice.

The blue-gray ash has a very good stability. It forms a slightly cracked surface and is slightly grainy.

Conclusion:

A very balanced and rounded cigar. Partly still somewhat edgy during the course of flavors. In my opinion, it can mature a few more years without any problems.

[maverickdrinker]

I'm glad you smoked yours Art. I saw some similarities between the sticks in terms of performance and taste. The best thing I could say was that it was indeed "smooth". Maybe we had dud's? Maybe they're past their prime? Perhaps a few other FOH's might see fit to dig deep into their humidors and pull out a stick, smoke it and give their thoughts. It'd be a shame to think that such a thoroughbred cigar would have such a limited lifespan.

I don't think that it was a dud as he flavours were distinct and it was a very smooth cigar. It was very similar to the 2003 EL Cohiba Double Corona. What I will say is that it doesn't taste like a Cohiba at all and that infamous 'cuban' twang is non existant.

Its a good cigar, just not a cohiba cigar.

What I might do is see if I can have the wrapper changed to a regular production wrapper and see if there is a difference.

[Diamondog]

Art, I have a box of these that are stunning, to me at least....If you have another and want to do a swap let me know.