2013 Cohiba Piramides Extra (CCRW)

[maverickdrinker]

 

The wrapper is a light caramel/chestnut hue. Fairly smooth to the touch with little veins on the wrapper. The construction is good. Very firm throughout the cigar, with a little less give when squeezed than I like. No soft spots on initial assessment. The tapered triple cap looks good and the foot is packed. Aromas of mocha, hazelnut, cream and milk chocolate emanate from the wrapper.

 

A quick snip from my cigar scissors and we are ready to go. The draw is good. Nice air flow with a slight resistance. Hazelnut, cream, grassy notes and leather with a touch of light cedar come from the cold draw.

 

First Third

Expresso, light cedar, leather and grassy notes are prominent in the retrohale as they move through the nasal passages.

 

The after finish is very balanced between strength and flavours. Light cedar, fresh cut hay, leather and expresso lead the way, followed by oolong tea, earth and a touch of cocoa. The medium bodied strength level allows the flavours to gently envelop the palate. We are off to a good start.

 

Second Third

The ash holds on with ease as we enter the second third. Stronger tones of expresso, oolong tea and grassy notes in the retrohale. Richer, with more depth as it moves through the nasal passages.

 

The after finish is a myriad of flavours. Expresso, oolong tea and grassy notes give way to light cedar, cocoa, leather and earth, with a touch of toasted almonds. Nice complexity with no harshness to speak of. The medium bodied strength level allows the flavours to coat the palate gently. Very subdued and sleek. Has hints of the 2003 Consecha Cohiba Gran Reserva I smoked last night.

 

Final Third

Expresso and fresh cut hay take a more predominant role in the retrohale, joined meekly by oolong tea and light cedar.

 

The after finish is where you see the big difference. Expresso and fresh cut hay are clearly the alpha while oolong tea, light cedar, earth and leather become role players. Cocoa and toasted almonds only make cameo appearances throughout the last third. The strength level has also picked up, touching on entering the full bodied strength level category.

 

A little tar build up at the head of the cigar is easily resolved with a quick cut from my cigar scissors. Opens up the draw as well and leads to a barrage of flavours. Harshness starting to creep in with the amplification of the strength level. Takes me back a bit and forces me to take extended breaks between draws. Tells me more slumber time is needed to tame this final third.

 

Final Impressions

This is evolving nicely but needs more time in slumber. A good build up of flavours in the first 2 thirds however the final third shows that more time is needed to fully integrate the flavour profile and strength.

 

Overall, a good vitola to have in the humidor. Seems that the tobacco quality and construction are excellent, particularly for a piramides vitola. I tend to find that piramides vitola has a higher than normal error ratio when it comes to the draw. Too tight, too loose, at times, just right. You have to go through a few of them to land on a great one. This is where I can see box codes being important.

 

 

 

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[GavLew79]

If you edit your post title to include "(CCRW)" you can enter the competition to win a sampler mate. Might as well, since you were posting a review anyway. Nothing to lose ?

[JohnS]

41 minutes ago, GavLew79 said:

If you edit your post title to include "(CCRW)" you can enter the competition to win a sampler mate. Might as well, since you were posting a review anyway. Nothing to lose ?

Good idea. Done.

[RDB]

Excellent review, thank you. 

[FireDigger]

Sounds like you had a great smoking weekend! Thanks for the Cohiba rundown!

[maverickdrinker]

14 hours ago, JohnS said:

Good idea. Done.

Thanks guys. I forgot to add that to the title.

I appreciate it
 

 

10 hours ago, RDB said:

Excellent review, thank you. 

No problem. Happy to share

 

7 hours ago, FireDigger said:

Sounds like you had a great smoking weekend! Thanks for the Cohiba rundown!

It was fun smoking Cohiba exclusively. Really very different experiences that all had the core Cohiba flavours but with different additions/nuances in supplementary flavours.


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