Cohiba Siglo V REG ABR 18 (FSCRC)

[hrs1]

I was a casual smoker for the better part of my 20+ year cigar journey.  I smoked 3-4 per month on average.  Almost always with friends and family.   Almost always a celebration.  Rarely alone.  Mostly NCs.  Fuentes were staples in the aughts.  Padron and My Father in the teens.  I'd have the occasional Cuban.  Cigar smoking was almost exclusively a non-Cuban social affair.

A pandemic and a couple kids later, the routine has changed considerably.  I'm now a near daily smoker.  I'm usually alone except for my wife, kids and the nanny wandering about.  I'm usually working.  Sometimes on calls.  Sometimes just analyzing problems and running through hypothetical solutions.  Sometimes just unwinding after a busy day.  I mostly smoke Cubans, typically from our favorite host, and have the occasional NC.  I still manage to enjoy 3-4 per month with friends and family.  But, cigar smoking is now more often a moment of solitude and reflection with a Cuban.

While there's a part of me that wishes my current cigar routine were more social, there's something about smoking alone that's curiously satisfying.  I can focus.  My thinking is clearer and more creative.  There's a deep sense of calm.  It's meditative.   Maybe it's just the break from being constantly "on" between work and family.  Maybe I'm just getting older.  Maybe I'm just discovering some of the ancient wisdom about the spiritual qualities of tobacco.  

While I wish I were smoking more frequently with friends and family, I definitely prefer to smoke Siglo Vs alone.  I fell in love with them after snagging a 3 pack of tubos from 24:24.  Thanks to rumblings around the forum about looming price changes, I grabbed a bunch before cigarmageddon.  I've smoked 10 this year.  They've all been 94-97 point cigars except for one "dud" that came in at 89.   It hasn't mattered if they had some age on them or they were 21s or 22s.  They all deliver exquisite notes of citrus, vanilla, honey, chocolate, coffee, cream and "Cohiba grass" that command my undivided attention.   They could make an atheist question their views on the existence of God.

With the 4Q grind almost over and the house to myself, what better time than now for a quasi-spiritual experience in sweet solitude?

I immediately reach for a tupperdor where I've stored a couple 15 packs out of the tubes.  Crack it open and the sweet scents of honey, caramel, coffee and brown sugar pour out into the room.   I quickly grab one with a gorgeous reddish brown wrapper.  

Give it a punch.  The draw is tight, but a little massage works it out.  Cold draw tastes like the sweet aroma from the tupperdor  

Pour some Glenfiddich 18.  Time to commune with the Gods.

Light it up and she gets right down to business.  

Up first: vanilla bean, coffee, cream and citrus.  A bit of twang on the finish.  Orange shines through on the retrohale. She's just a tick below medium body.  Flavor medium plus.  Draw is a bit tight.  Smoke output is good, but not great.  The burn wobbles a bit, but no touch ups are needed.   

Next up: orange creamsicle.  Hard to describe, but it's a mix of vanilla, cream and orange citrus.   Same sweet song on the retros.  The twang on the finish is gone and replaced with some sweet spice.

Ash drops and she gets even better.  Honey joins the mix.  Faint hints of nuts and chocolate as well.  Citrus on the finish.   

Class in a cigar is one of those things you can’t define, but you know it when you taste it.   I’m tasting it.

2nd third.  Body is solidly medium.  Flavor is decadent.  Draw and smoke output are perfect.

All I can say is:  🤤 

After communing with the Cuban cigar gods, I realize I'm in the final third.  Cohiba grass is now making an appearance.   Mocha as well.  The citrus is even more defined with some lemon notes mixed in with the orange.  The smoke remains the same: sublime. 

As I near the band, some good old Cuban craftsmanship reassures me this is not a dream.  Perhaps overly excited by this cigar's potential, the person responsible for putting on the band went a wee bit overboard with the glue.  Although nearly a wrapper destroying disaster, I'm given the grace to remove the band in an act of divine intervention.

Thankfully so.  This cigar keeps on delivering right down to the nub.

Overall:  A ~2 hour, 97 point gift from the gods.  I'd love to smoke these more often among friends.   But, it's tough to engage with people when a cigar is this good.  You miss out on some of the healing and mystical qualities at the root of tobacco culture.   Nevertheless, there's something about sharing a great cigar with people for the first time and watching them "get it."   There's something about listening to others share their experience with great cigars.   Perhaps this is why FOH is such a great place: the community just gets it.

Here's to hoping I can share the experience in-person with folks more often in 2023 🥂 

[Chibearsv]

Creamsicle - Bingo!  I’m down to about 11 and they call to me almost every day. Very hard to resist. Great review. 

[cgoodrich]

Outstanding review @hrs1! Love your prose, wish I had that ability to put thought to paper (or finger to keyboard in this case). Have a Happy New Year!

[hrs1]

21 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

Creamsicle - Bingo!

This is what makes the Siglo V so irresistible to me  

People mention this flavor profile with QDOCCs, but I've only gotten it on Vs.   I've smoked a few QDOCCs, all from 2020.   They're already great cigars and have the citrus and cream notes.  But, they haven't really hit the creamsicle note for me yet.   Maybe it's the vanilla in the V that brings it all together?  

I'm hoping this will change with a year or 3 of more age.   Although they're a pain to find, the QDOs are definitely easier on the wallet.   Hoping they make a nice substitute for the Vs🤞 

[hrs1]

20 hours ago, cgoodrich said:

Outstanding review @hrs1! Love your prose, wish I had that ability to put thought to paper (or finger to keyboard in this case). Have a Happy New Year!

Many thanks 🙏 

Wishing you and yours all the best in 2023! 🥂 

[HDGSN]

Might as well, might as well!

[Rhinoww]

Great review and dare I say that you speak for many here on the enjoyment a great performing cigar provides. It is the dragon tail we all seek. If you can find that regularly then perhaps the price may match the experience. 
For me, I remain in the 30 odd percent that don’t “get” Cohiba blend. Probably a good thing 😂. Perhaps because my stock has yet to hit that special five year mark. No, I won’t be selling any of my Cohiba stock, but I’m still waiting for the magic. I have some ‘19 V’s, perhaps it’s time to revisit once the rain around here settles down. 
Regardless catching the dragon’s tail is fantastic anytime it can be done. Thanks for the inspiration 

[Edicion]

Now that's a review