Cohiba Espléndidos

[paulF]

First review guys, hope you enjoy it

Cohiba Espléndidos

Setup: Walking in the back yard, Cigar in one hand and tablet in the other browsing different topics on foh.com

It was cold and very windy and i had the flue which probably hindered me from picking up more flavours.

Pairing drink: None

Ring Gauge: 47

Cigar Length: 178 mm / 6.9 inches

Body: Medium - Full

Box code and year:unknown(got it from a *****AS sampler)

Humidor conditions:70% humidity and was around 75% the week before (working on it )

Construction and appearance: Vein free medium brown wrapper. Construction is simply perfect and the Cigar had no empty or soft spots.

It had a light oily sheen to it. Within my limited experience, this had to be the most elegant looking Cigar i have ever smoked.Simply beautiful. Picture doesn't give it any justice whatsoever.

Pre-light aroma: Sweet floral tobacco. The scent was so prominent it took me straight back to some childhood memories of when we used to smell

the beautiful pink Tobacco flowers in the early morning on the way to harvest our Tobacco fields.

Also picked on a a little bit of Cider that the cigar might have picked from the humidor i believe.

Pre light taste: Some sweetness,some spice and some leather. The kind of leather i usually get from a Partagas Serie D no. 4 but not as leathery.

Draw: A bit of restraint to my liking but nothing to complain about. One peculiar thing about the draw was the fact that the Cigar felt as if it was punched in the middle and i mean a very tiny punch which i thought was cool. Maybe it was something to do with the way it was rolled.

Smoke: Light aromatic smoke but was a bit hard to judge due to very windy conditions.

Burn: Not so even but i think it was due to the wind.

Smoking time: 1h 30 minutes. I think i was smoking the Cigar a bit too fast at the last third.Was getting too cold and too windy

First third:

I was surprised from the first draw as i always feel like it's the harshest from any Cigar. It was beautifully pleasant first draw full of roasted tobacco and roasted nuts flavours. Throughout this third, there was no sweetness whatsoever and could only smell a little bit of grassiness.

Also a hint of spice flavour was present.

Second third:

It was very close the first third. Roast tobacco and nuts but there was also a very shy pleasant sweetness making an appearance from time to time.

Also, the Cigar got a lot more spicy on the lips and on the throat but nothing harsh.

Third third:

Flavours got more intense and richer. A lot more spice and not much Roast tobacco anymore. Also that shy sweetness was getting a bit more bold and i picked it up as Nectar from edible flowers!!! Loved it.

At the end of the last third, i started picking up some tannins and also some strong white pepper mostly on the lips.

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed smoking this Cigar. It was the first time that i actually made an effort to pick up flavours and i was rewarded with plenty of them.

I wish if the sweeter notes where more prominent but i think they will come to this Cigar with age.

This Cigar was simply elegant and smooth in every aspect. It had the looks,the flavours, the proper feel and smoked beautifully all the way.Even its Ash looked so well layered and was breaking at around 1 and a half inches.

It also left me with a massive tobacco buzz to be honest as i think i smoked the last third a bit too quick

When my circumstances are right, I will be getting a box of those beauties for sure and will be letting it rest for a few years before touching it! Very positive this will be a spectacular smoke with age.

Cheers everyone

[JPS72]

Thanks for the review!

[Profmd]

Awesome job for first review!! If I post one I hope it's as good.

Sounds like its another cigar I need to add to my rotation!!

Thanks

[Colt45]

Thanks for the great review!

I've found that the first draw of Cuban cigars can often be very flavorful.

I like the humidor burl

[seamus]

Nice job on the review. But 2 boxes, by the time you're done smoking through the first the second will be coming around.

[bolivr]

Enjoyed your review, thank you!

[saintsmokealot]

Nice review look forward to more...

[paulF]

Thanks everyone for the kind replies

Still trying to find the marca/cigar that works best for me so intend to at least take notes after each smoke so i will be aiming to review most Cigars that i think deserve to be reviewed if that makes any sense!

[seamus]

Thanks everyone for the kind replies

Still trying to find the marca/cigar that works best for me so intend to at least take notes after each smoke so i will be aiming to review most Cigars that i think deserve to be reviewed if that makes any sense!

That's a fun journey. Every time I think I have what I like nailed down to manageable selection I find something new I like. Enjoy.

[Rye]

Great review! I hope you get a chance to enjoy another under better conditions soon!

[ramon_cojones]

Love this stick, I only smoke out of my 09 box when conditions are perfect.

[paulF]

Thanks again everyone

Better weather conditions and no Flue would have made a massive difference indeed. I was impatient as i've was waiting for a over a week to get better and finally broke down that day lol

Learnt my lesson though as i stopped myself from smoking another stick yesterday night in very similar conditions!

Cheers