Sweetness vs Bland

[kuma]

I'm at a loss about the smokes I just purchased from a Swiss. vendor. The Cohiba robustos box code is

BMU JUL 12 and are the real deal according to the Habanos website. What is so strange is that the first

two sticks I smoked had that Cohiba grassy/peppery flavor with very limited amount of sweetness to

them which did not inpress me very much. The third stick I smoked was off the charts it blew me out of my chair being super mild with a great amount of sweetness (coca) and no bitterness what so ever.

This was a wonderful wonderful tasting smoke. It was so good

I told my wife she had to give it a try. She agreed with me that it was one of the best Cohiba we had ever smoked. I have the good fortune of having a wife who likes to smoke CC's but not non CC's.

If any member has any ideas about this I would really like to hear your thoughs about such a

strange taste swing regarding this situation.

[El Presidente]

I'm at a loss about the smokes I just purchased from a Swiss. vendor. The Cohiba robustos box code is

BMU JUL 12 and are the real deal according to the Habanos website. What is so strange is that the first

two sticks I smoked had that Cohiba grassy/peppery flavor with very limited amount of sweetness to

them which did not inpress me very much. The third stick I smoked was off the charts it blew me out of my chair being super mild with a great amount of sweetness (coca) and no bitterness what so ever.

This was a wonderful wonderful tasting smoke. It was so good

I told my wife she had to give it a try. She agreed with me that it was one of the best Cohiba we had ever smoked. I have the good fortune of having a wife who likes to smoke CC's but not non CC's.

If any member has any ideas about this I would really like to hear your thoughs about such a

strange taste swing regarding this situation.

Youth = inconsistency. Like life generally

My theory/experience is that 5 years rounds out most of the box to some sort of consistency. With Cohiba in particular, anything less is crapshoot between "Meh" and "Brilliant".

[Colinb913]

Unfortunately, El Presidente is right, and in my experience, 99% of the Cohibas I have smoked (while few and far between) have been on the "meh" side of things, which has almost turned me off from the brand completely.

[NastyPirate]

I have to say that I am completely off of Cohiba, as I do not have any aged to try. I had one that was 10 years old and it was very good. For my money, I would rather smoke others that require less time and have a better track record in the first 3-4 years. YMMV

[Webbo]

So unless you can find some aged examples it seems that for some brands the only option for a newcomer is to buy em, lay em down and wait? I've just been given a box of 3 CoRo which I assume are pretty new, was hoping to smoke one now but it seems the advice here is don't for a while or you may be disappointed.

[Oscar300]

So unless you can find some aged examples it seems that for some brands the only option for a newcomer is to buy em, lay em down and wait? I've just been given a box of 3 CoRo which I assume are pretty new, was hoping to smoke one now but it seems the advice here is don't for a while or you may be disappointed.

I got a three pack, smoked one, was meh. Pres did a sale that I couldnt resist and got a box, stashed them away (1yo now and untouched). Smoked another out of my 3 pack and still meh. That last stick is 2yo now so I will save it until I fancy it, all the time trying to stay away from the box...........

[laficion]

I have to say that I am completely off of Cohiba, as I do not have any aged to try. I had one that was 10 years old and it was very good. For my money, I would rather smoke others that require less time and have a better track record in the first 3-4 years. YMMV

This Is the reason I don't buy Cohiba, It's too perfect, and I don't like that plus , I don't want to wait THAT long .

[canadianbeaver]

For the longest time, my thing was to say, "there are so many spectacular cigars that are not the price of Cohibas. It is fun to explore and find them etc etc."

Then I fell in love with my first box of many Siglo 3's. Matthew likes a VI once in a while and then the Behikes came along - ok we hit the breakers on those ones.

Back on topic, perhaps th OP had different flavor experiences from what he ate and drank that day. This happens to us.

[CanuckSARTech]

A good aged example is fabulous, but granted, there's definitely the crutch of having to wait for it. I have two boxes of 2008 CoRo's sitting in storage, and one of them is just starting to hit stride, but will not be "just right" for another three or four years, I think. Also, when we were in Cuba last November, we found a couple singles of Siglo V - they were from 2003 and were the best damn cigar of the trip, and the best Cohiba I've had, ever. Just blew my socks off - refined glory, and reminded me of some aged Cohibas I really enjoyed in the late 90's when I first got into cigars. I'm hopeful there's still more sitting around at that source this year, LOL.

So yes, they can just be average or blah within the first 5 years or so, but man, once Cohiba gets that box time to them, they can be transcendent.

It's all about risk-versus-reward, and whether people want to have the time and patience for that reward.

[kuma]

Ok then it looks like what the Pres. said is on the mark "it is a crap shoot" when it comes to Cohiba Robustos. Does that go for all

the other Cohibas from the Sig. I to the Esplendidos? And what about the Behikes why are they so good right out of the box.

I don't have the patience to sit on a smoke for 5 yrs, that is down right inhuman!

[Smallclub]

btw, why oppose sweetness v. bland? Sweetness/sugar is not required to make a good cigar. There are great "dry" (as opposed to "sweet") cigars, Sancho Panza or Quai d'Orsay come to mind…