Cohiba Esplendido PLM OCT 06

[havanaclub7]

Rob,

Thanks for the review. I'm a little disappointed that the cigar underperformed its CA rating. I've always liked the Esplendidos, but it's been a few years since I've smoked one. I have two in my humidor that I've been saving for the last five or six years. Maybe I'll fire one of those up sometime.

I would like to give 5/6 smoke rings rating to whomever gave Smithy his makeover. He doesn't look like a member of the Village People anymore! :-P

[nugget]

I have some PFY NOV 05's and they are smoking very well.

I have one last week and was mighty impressed.

Another outstanding cigar I have had recently is a D1 LE LLN OCT 04. WOW!:-D

[anacostiakat]

GKI DIC04 smoking very nice!

[jdbrown]

Rob,

What do you think are the major contributing factors to their lack of consistency? Factories, rollers, blend etc? Are they more focused on the Siglo line and have given up. It's a shame. I wont touch my 06 box fro a good long time!

Thanks

[Mr.T]

What a gorgeous looking Esplendido! Great review and pictures. I have only had a few of these and I found them to be a very nice smooth smoke, with some signature grassy, honey and coffee notes but for the most part a little one-dimensional or straight forward and nothing spectacular given their stature.

Nugget...are you speaking of the Partagas D1 EL'04?? Because if you are I totally agree, they are fantastic smokes!!! I think I have the exact same box code at home. I plan to hold onto these for a long time...that is if I can keep my hands of them.

[bassman]

They say Cohibas need to age.My 01 Esplies are delicious.

[tigger]

Why is it that even when Rob pans a cigar, I still want to buy it? :-P

Gonna hafta dig up some more money somehow...

[greenpimp]

Well damn. Hopefully my box (same box code) I bought from you is better. I'm going to leave them for a long time.

[Colt45]

With these, to date, I'm in the camp of feeling they are good, but not great cigars.

I have a few more to sample - thanks for the review.

As much as I hate to admit it, it's good to see some pics of Smithy back at Czar House.

(okay, and Smithy-Lite as well)

[winelover]

It seems that a lot of people are coming out in defence of the esplendido, and all seem to be quoting box codes of 3 years plus. Do you think this cigar is just not meant to be smoked young, and the sample you had could in fact turn into a classic in five years or so?

I've never had an esplendido, but the impression I'm given is that this is not one of those cigars that are "ready" despite the recent deluge from 2006 of cigars that taste great straight out of the tin.

Funnily enough, despite a very good range of habanos, the only cohibas I've had are aged siglo IV (fantastic) recent robusto (good but did not match recent PSD4), and a young siglo II (such a tannic slap around the chops could not smoke past half way). I just wonder if cohiba are ever meant to taste good young, but perhaps other 2006 examples contradict this - as I recally you reviewed the siglo IV highly.

[Mike33]

» It seems that a lot of people are coming out in defence of the esplendido,

» and all seem to be quoting box codes of 3 years plus. Do you think this

» cigar is just not meant to be smoked young, and the sample you had could

» in fact turn into a classic in five years or so?

I have a box of '05s that are getting REALLY good. Admittingly, I am a huge fan of esplendidos, but I will agree, the longer they age, the better they get.

[jdbrown]

Mike..You from my neck of the woods??

I like Esplendido also and have had two from my 05 and the second one was much better..Hopefully sign of good things to come..I did grab an Oct 06 box that because of other stock I will be able to sit on for years to see if they show their true colors

[El Presidente]

» Rob,

»

» What do you think are the major contributing factors to their lack of

» consistency? Factories, rollers, blend etc? Are they more focused on the

» Siglo line and have given up. It's a shame. I wont touch my 06 box fro a

» good long time!

»

» Thanks

I am not dure it is about lack of consistency. I have given this some deep thought (15 minutes, bottle of wine and a cigar at home) and I cannot recall ever having smoked a "great young Esplendido". This cigar needs time and there is no substitute.

[Mike33]

» Mike..You from my neck of the woods??

Sure am.....just moved up to KC two weeks ago. I live south of 435 on Holmes. Where are you located at?

[jdbrown]

Live out 50 Highway East..spent the day at football with son. Thinking about going out now and having a smoke by the pool. Little cooler this evening..Too bad that damn mexican food for dinner is sitting heavy!

[El Presidente]

Cohiba Esplendido PLM OCT 06

It has been raining cats and dogs here in Brisbane accompanied by gale force winds . We can certainly use the rain as our useless state government is a few weeks away from instilling Level 6 water restrictions which we assume to mean drinking our own urine as there is little left to do. Thankfuly God made wine.

Cigar Aficionado scored the Cohiba Esplendido a 93 and so with my old sidekick Smithy visiting from the dark North we decided to take the opportunity to complete an Esplendido review.

To be honest it has never been my favourite of cigars. You can certainly snag some great examples but then again you can snag some underwhelming crap.

This pair of Esplendidos certainly looked the part. Gorgeous wrapper and construction. Slight grassy, honey smell at cold.

Great to have Smithy back on the deck. Looks like he has cleaned up his act since leaving my employ. By the way...thanks Tom and Keith for that fantastic "Stinky" Ashtray!

Somethings never change. Smithy still smokes a cigar like he is working in a Bangkok brothel.

Minismithy hearing the clinking of glasses and the popping of corks makes a ninja like move to the humidor...avoiding Lisa...and returns with an Upmann No 2. We all went out to dinner last night and minismithy may have had a wee bit much to drink.... so he has no recollection of the cigar in order to do a worthwhile review. Rookie error.

Cerrrated the cap....great draw. Dry grass on the palate.

The Esplendido started gracefully in a medium full nature. Good white pepper through the nose.

Smithy puts it more medium than medium full but we are dealing with semantics. He can be anal. Grassiness present but of the Cohiba sry grass style. Plenty of dark coffee in the mix.

Some lemon peel coming through. Good mouthfeel and weight on the palate. Somehow yet restrained. The cigar is trying hard but it is not rocking our world. It is closed in nature...wants to gie more but it can't open up its hidden treasures. We sense they are there with hints of dried fruits, grass stalks, coffee...but they are muted "glimpses" and not defined.

Struggling along. Good cigar no doubt but by no means great. Nice medium bodied tobacco note, high quality tobacco with still a dark coffee core but we just can't find too much else to write home about. We agree on future potential but at least two years away before it really is going to open up.

We have pretty much had enough of the Esplendido. While good we know by now there is no "magic bullet" of flavour going to come through. Reminds me of missing a bus without a timetable and hoping that another one will come along. Certainly not offensive in any way. Just not what we are liiking for in a 90 minute cigar.

Love the scarf

Finished the Esplendido but it was more a labour than a labour of love. Having still 45 minutes to kill before we headed off to dinner we fired up a little Trinidad Reyes. What a revelation with flavours bursting from the seams. Love this cigar.

In summary The OCT 06 Cohiba Esplendidos show real promise but are nowhere near ready. I feel they have the mid body and flavour structure (muted but there) to develop nicely. Smithy is less convinced.

Right now an 87/100