Cohiba Consensus?

[El Presidente]

Trying to get a gauge on the forums thoughts as to the recent release Cohiba's, specifically:

Cohiba Behike Line (52/54/56)

Cohiba 1966 Limited Edicion

Cohiba Piramide Extra (for those that have tried them)

Forgetting pricing issues (it is a relative thing person to person), what are your thoughts? Winners, Losers, quality, consistency, favourites?

I have to say that I was sceptical on the Behike to begin with. The 52, and 54 have consistently been brilliant cigars. The 56 not so much to my taste.

The Cohiba 1966 is a larger format than I like. However the flavour profile is rich and decadent.

Have only had a half dozen of the Cohiba Piramide Extra. Rich and decadent again if a tad fresh/wet at this point.

I like what they are doing in the new Cohiba offerings particularly after the Maduro 5 line which I still believes struggles to find a consistent soul.

Your thoughts?

[Fuzz]

The 1966 is a definite winner for me. From the few that I've smoked, they are as you say, rich and decadent.

As for the Behike, to me the 52 is better than the 54 & 56, but nowhere near as good as the 1966. Never really got into the Maduro line, they just didn't appeal to me after trying a few.

Have yet to try the Piramide Extra.

[CaptainQuintero]

For me it's kind of the right direction. I don't like the thinner ring guage Cohibas, the CORO is perfect.

Behikes, I love the 52 but the ring guage on the 54 and specifically the 56 has put me off even trying them. It's just not comfortable for me and that's essentially what cigar smoking is about for me. But I can see the sales of the 56 probably outstrip the 52 purely down to how they are being marketted and who they are aiming to sell them to. I would have liked to see a BHK corona gorda instead of the 56 for me.

The 1966 I only have had two but both have been duds compared to everyone else's experiences. I have to bring price into it for these, at their price they are they need to be delivering more consistancy, because they don't I can't justify that kind of money personally. I would however LOVE to see a 1966 blend in a robusto format.

Piramide Extra I don't see the point, was there really a market for the vitola gap between the CORO and the Siglo 6 to merit the release? The price (Bare with me!) being in line with the esplendido just seems silly, price them between the CORO and the Siglo 6 and I'd most likely grab some.

I think it's generally positive, three steps forwards and one step back but it's still going forward. They are struggling to find the balance between their bling market and their 'flavour guys' market IMO. Sure release the big ring guage flashy things, no one can blame you for reacting to the market and increasing your profit margins but there also needs to be a seat at the tablet for the guys who just happen to like Cohiba.

[ChanceSchmerr]

I am still waiting to try my first official Behike.....I really loved a Custom I had in Frankfurt with Nino that is supposed to be a BHK.

I have tried a couple Cohiba 1966's, both from Trades, and they were both extremely disappointing, the second one was plugged! I tossed it and won't spend the money on any further ones, I'm not going to pay the big price for a plugged Cohiba.

[Smacky]

I think the 66 are a fantastic smoke. One of the better LE's I have had, although I have rather limited experience.

I am also a fan of the Behike line. The larger ring gauges do not bother me, as that is what I prefer. Yes, they are expensive, but for a special occassion cigar, nothing beats busting out a big Behike 56.

As for the Piramide, I have one sitting in the Humidor. It was a gift for my birthday so I was planning on saving it until next year. I therefore can't comment on the taste but I would be unlikely to buy one for the simple reason that I am not a huge fan of Piramides. I acknowledge though that I am probably in the minority here.

[Kingballs]

Maduro 5 I have had some real good ones and the 52 as well. What is your favorite Maduro 5, also the box code if you remember. Trying to figure out the good years on them.

[maverickdrinker]

The 54s are my favorite from the BHK line.

Love the 1966. Different profile than the traditional Cohiba line but very tasty.

Haven't smoked the piramide yet. Got one from the festival and a regular production one. Gonna smoke one this weekend to see

[ramon_cojones]

The only ones I've purchased are bhk 52s. I am not the target market for their new client focus.

I'm a flavor guy so I will stick to the linea clasica and sig i, iv which is what made them famous and for good reason.

To clarify, I'm not saying they aren't/won't be good but I have no interest in them. There was a 1966 being passed around at the herf and nobody wanted to smoke it.

[khomeinist]

Agree with Ramon

Why buy BHK when QDO is so good right now?

Cohiba has become a luxury line. Hopefully LVMH will scoop this brand up in a liberalized future market. Nice fat margins for shareholders, distributers, and retailers.

[winelover]

Secretos are very decent intense and strong short smokes

[Jeremy Festa]

The BHK 54 is very good. My favourite of the range.

But I absolutely love the Magicos...I would say they are in my top 10, for sure.

Cohiba, in general, are a little more consistent than rest!

[MPS]

The one Cohiba Piramide I smoked from the festival dinner was not good at all. This was very surprising given how well fresh current production is smoking. By comparison the BHK 52/54 and Cohiba 1966 were phenomenal from the get go when released. I have another Cohiba Piramide Extra that I will smoke soon that will solidify my opinion. BHK 56 never interested me. Tastes like its missing something.

[BENN]

I like the Behike.

I love the 1966.

The PE is a sad excuse for a Cohiba, imagine a Esplendidos on its worst day and you have a PE!

[jrb5783]

I wasn't impressed with one 1966 I had. The one BHK 54 I had was amazing. I've also had some really good 05 lanceros from Kevin (Ophidion)

[mbrody]

My consensus is that the price to consistency ratio leaves something to be desired. Some people have great experiences, others do not. But we are all paying top dollar for them. For the price, I would expect that a high percentage of people would provide more positive feedback.

[CanuckSARTech]

Haven't touched any of mine yet this year - the BHK's (all three sizes), 1966's, or the piramides (waiting on those to arrive). Hope to try each of these before Havana in November, to try to help in a decision of maybe picking up more down there.

Fingers crossed that the piramides are more my style. Though a bit overpriced (a generality with all these, and yes, price is irrelevent if the cigar's worthwhile), it's just the fact that the piramides is being added to the Linea Classica lineup that's most attractive to me - not an EL offering. As miniscule a difference that this is, it does affect long term attraction to these for me.

[LLC]

Cohiba has long been my favorite line of cigars and until recently it was mostly Sig I, III, IV and robustos. More recently I've also really enjoyed the 1966's and BHK 56's. Will be picking up some 52's and 54's when I'm in Havana in about six weeks.

[Fuzz]

I realise it is hard to divorce price from the equation, but the question posed is what are your opinions of these cigars regardless of price.

I mean, Cohibas are never going to be in the cheap & cheerful category (hell, we don't have that category in Aus with our taxes), but the point is comparing quality/consistency across the range, not against price.

[ThatAlfonso]

Would the 1966s be considered "on" right now? If most of you smoke immediately and then wait a year for the "sick" period to end, aren't we still in that window?

[mk05]

BHK 54 - most approachable young, rich and luscious smoke, performs excellent right out with no aging. Seco is really pronounced in this size, and the MT really balances out on this cigar. Maybe these will only get better from aging.

BHK 52 - still an excellent cigar, but this one seems to be the candidate from the lineup which looks to benefit from aging, just because the balance is out of whack. The MT is very much present, but it's overpowering and you just don't get that "feel."

1966 - not a "Cohiba" profile, but still a decent cigar. What the Maduro5 series should have been...

BHK 56 - RG fails to capture the magic of "MT" if there is such a difference. Just tastes like volado.

Have not smoked the PE yet. I heard the dinner version was different from the regular production.

[in0gravity]

Love the BHK 52 and 54 and 1966. All three are wonderfull smokes. Can't get enough of them.

The Piramides Extra..... well...... very disappointing. Was very surprised by the lack of smoking volume with such a big ring gauge. Flavorwise pretty one dimensional.

regards

Lars

[Puros Y Vino]

The 1966 has been stellar. Time has done it well.

The BHK52 has never been a favourite of mine. I'd take a Trini Rob T over it any day.

The BHK54 is my "go to BHK". It was great young and still continues to be great.

The BHK56 is the sleeper hit. As it ages it gets better and more complex. This is the one I'm laying down for long term enjoyment.

The Piramides Extra is in transit, so, no comment.

[jedipastor]

I've only had the BHKs, not the LE or the new Piramide. I think the BHKs 54 is stellar. One of my favorite cigars, actually. The price is insane, though, so I won't be able to smoke many of them.

Though I like the 52s, I think the Trinidad Robusto T is just as good, so I won't be buying any. I've only had one 56, it was great, but not as good as the 54s I've had. I have a couple more, so we'll see.

[ptrthgr8]

The BHK 54s are great right out of the box, that's for sure, and are only getting better as time goes on. I would not hesitate to recommend the 54 to anyone who asks.

I was really unimpressed with the 1966 when I got my first box - seemed rather flat and tasteless right out of the box. I thought I had basically been rooked on that purchase, but after a few months in the cabinet I noticed they really started to come alive and have become distinctly creamier and more flavorful. I suspect this will only gett better as time passes, so I don't feel bad at all about getting in on Rob's 2 box deal.

The first BHK 56 I ever had sat in my cabinet for 7 or 8 months before I tried it and it was one of the most amazing smokes I've ever had. I purchased a full box that arrived a week or so ago and was absolutely disappointed with this cigar out of the box. It was good, but not great... sorta boring. Nothing at all like the one that had been relaxing in the humidor for months on end. I'm hoping these sticks will become more like that first one I tried as they get more age on them.

I've never tried a BHK 52 or the Piramide.

My go-to Cohiba has been the Siglo VI in the last year. I've not had one in the last year (out of the 3 boxes I've purchased) that was anything less than stellar. Right out of the box or with age on them it's a great smoke.

The only other Cohiba I've got any experience with is the Magico. This is another cigar that I thought was hugely disappointing when I first tried one out of the box, but now that they've been in the cabinet for a few months they're starting to come alive. I can certainly taste and smell a vague similarity to the 1966 - definitely a different profile than the Siglo VI and BHKs that I'm familiar with anyhow. I don't know that I'd be in a hurry to buy them again any time soon, though.

I prefer the bigger sticks, so I do like the size of the BHK 54/56 and the 1966. No complaints on that front.

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

[IcedCanuck]

I have enjoyed every single BHK 54 I've ever smoked. I prefer them over the BHK 52. I have yet to try a BHK 56 or a Cohiba Pyramid. When I was in Cuba last month I went through two boxes of the Cohiba 1966 and they were all spot on perfection. I've also smoked a few 1966 singles before going to Cuba and they were all amazing as well. The Siglo VI have always been spot on for me as well. My 'goto' Cohiba sticks were the Siglo III and the CoRo but I prefer the Siglo VI. Due to the price point I don't really have a 'goto' Cohiba stick anymore and only smoke them on rare occasions. I purchased a box of Genios from May 11 and was VERY disappointed with the one stick I smoked out of it last year. I am really hoping they come alive with a little age. I've gone through a couple boxes of Siglo I and my personal experience with them is that they need age and are not ready to go ROTT. They were always hit & miss as well for every three good ones there was always one that tasted off but improved drastically with a little bit of age. I find the CoRos also benefit greatly from age.