Detractors of Cohiba


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I'm well known on the forum to have little affection for Cohiba.  Ultimately I feel (as with art, music) fine food has to sort of honestly mirror the human condition.   To me Cohiba is like a golf cou

I haven't come across too many folks who "dislike" Cohiba. After all, it uses very high quality tobacco and is generally flavorful. You can't really go wrong with that formula. It has a generally appe

I have yet to smoke a cigar yet that didn't tickle my fancy. I've had some that just wasn't ready, bad construction/burn etc.but I still got enjoyment from them. That being said, a sig 2 and a busted up piramides extra were 2 of the best smokes of 2021 for me. Guess I like the Cohiba line, dammit.

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41 minutes ago, Ford2112 said:

whatcha got lol

Coro 15s and tubos, MS, Sig III amd IV along w assorted singles. We will see when they show up on BR. It’s not like they are going to go bad 😂

I had a MS tubos recently. Pleasant. Enjoyable.  Just not worth what they cost these days.  But I guess I’m old and cranky 😂

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Haven't had one in recent years but have had them many years back and really liked them. At that point I was comparing them to the NC's I was smoking then. Right now I've got one in my singles humi from a trade. Sort of anxious about smoking it. I'll probably love it. Champagne Taste with a Beer Budget. Story of my life...

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They can be super great. But like all CCs they are inconsistent, and that hurts a lot more at the price point. If you look back at the marca review series on here from a few years ago, Cohiba didn’t do so well. Lots of disappointments. The common poor report is ‘cigar was fine, just not particularly good or memorable’. We can all sometimes smoke a Cohiba alongside the same vitola from a different marca and enjoy the less expensive cigar more.

Now, on the other hand… if I could have one endless box of cigars it would be Lanceros! And I love a good Espy, Coro and Sig IV. Delighted to have some boxes of those, which I will smoke not sell. I agree the aroma of a good box of Cohiba is truly remarkable (the candied and spiced citrus). But at current prices I’m not buying, and I certainly don’t expect them to get any cheaper, so they are very occasional smokes. Maybe I’ll feel differently at some point in the future.

Another thing is that maybe more than any other marca ageing Cohiba is important. I try not to smoke them younger than three years.  Especially where the wrappers are dark they can be bitter when young, and that’s definitely not what I’m after…

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23 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

I’m likely to be roasted alive for this, but...

In my brief tenure as an FoH, I have had only one moment of “buyer’s remorse.” In mid 2020, after smoking the CORO from the ‘19 Christmas sampler and getting a 6’er of them on 24/24, I (rum buzzed) put in for a box of PSP ‘20’s. Hit the right moment and now they’re mine. They reside in my “Don’t touch ‘til 2025” section of my cabinet. Whenever I look at the box, I can’t help but wonder what 3 or 4 boxes of gems that money could have bought? 🤔

In a year or so, I might be looking to trade for something more befitting a man of my social stature (i.e. the ‘19 MSU Boli PC’s, 19-20 JL2’s) This will not be a stick-for-stick trade, of course... 🙂

Yeah that gets me too. I dropped $750 on a box of COROs last year and I was really anxious about it because I would be really pissed if the box didn’t perform. Only had a few so far but all have been too notch. One of them had less flavor than the others, but they’re still young and it still had more flavor and a better draw and construction than most other CCs.

 

On 1/16/2022 at 7:37 AM, 99call said:

If you can get Coronas Claro from 2015/16  production from this period was very classy.   Think orange peel, cedar, star anise, toasted oats, super creamy. 

Production with the new bands, I've found to be a bit stronger, a bit more tang/twang and the orange peel is a bit more of a marmalade like caramel.    Whilst I prefer the older stuff, the new cigars are still great. 

To me the 50 and 54 just water down the blend a bit too much.  I bit too airy and underfilled. 

I really only buy new boxes. I’m too paranoid to buy any vintage out of paranoia that storage wasn’t up to snuff. However, I do have a Cuban immigrant friend who’s very good at getting PSP boxes. He’s the only one I trust so I might look for some from him, thanks 👍🏻

 

On 1/16/2022 at 7:29 AM, porkchop said:

Glad someone mentioned Trinidad...Reyes/Colonials v. Sig I/Sig II, for the cost, was essentially no contest. Now, Reyes has essentially drawn even and the Colonials are not far behind.

Having mostly enjoyed Cohiba sticks, there is not much bad to say. The super high end offerings do seem a bit garish, but a great smoke is a great smoke. While you can drive a Ferrari in the snow, there are better options. Does not denigrate the Ferrari. 

Weirdly enough, in my markets, Trinidads often exceed Cohiba prices so I haven’t had a Trinidad yet. I look forward to getting some eventually though. I’ve heard every vitola is a winner in their lineup which is exciting. 

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I "get" Cohiba as a cigar. Like many other cigars, from many other sources, they can be very tasty. What I dont "get" is paying $30, $50, $100 for ANY cigar.

So, I'm not a detractor of Cohiba as much as I am a detractor of people flushing money down the drain to look rich. This kind of destructive insecurity is a detriment to the hobby specifically and modern culture in general. Whether liquor, cars, watches or cigars "lifestyle" has somehow become a justification of pure vanity and no substance. While Cohiba certainly isn't pure vanity, the prices they currently command are. When you buy a Cohiba, more of the money is paying for that Vanity/Image than for the cigar itself. Same with a Grand Cru Wine or a Rolex.

There isn't anything you can do to the tobacco during growing or processing to a $50 or $100 cigar that you cant afford to do to a $10-$15 dollar cigar. So, if $10-$15 a cigar can buy you the best raw materials, from the best farms, and the best hands to process them, what is the other $20, $40, $90 per stick buying?

You can add $5 bands with holograms and black light serial numbers, you can add expensive piano finish boxes and felt slips, you can add stories about why these cigars are so "special" Blah Blah Blah. But you're not adding anything to the cigar or the smoking experience. 

Strip away all the bullshit you can't smoke and there is nothing special or even different about your average Cohiba. Nothing. Most are rolled in the same factories, by the same rollers as every other Marca. QC'd, Banded and Boxed, by the same people. Blended by the same master blenders, with the same base stocks as every other marca. 

If anybody has any hard evidence contrary to the above paragraph, please share it. But, dozens of members have toured different factories all around Havana. I've never once seen the "Cohiba Floor" at La Corona, or the Oak Lined "2nd Fermentation Room" at Romeo Y Julieta. Because they don't exist.

90% of the employees at every factory have ZERO clue what's being rolled in a particular week. They know they're rolling robustos, or pyramids. That's it. The blender knows, because he got the raw materials and decided how they would best be used. The Band appliers, boxers and QC staff know. Eventually, after the cigars have been rolled and stored to dehumidify for a couple weeks. If they dont even know what they're rolling, how can all these extra steps be taken? They can't.

Let me qualify the above by saying that El Laguito rolled cigars, of any marca, don't completely align with the above statement. I'm not saying that an EL box commands the prices that are currently being charged. But that factory is so much smaller than the other Havana factories and run so much differently that it just doesn't fall in line with the rest. EL rolled Serie E N0.2 might be one of the best values in Cigars. Only 4mm shorter and the same ring gauge as BHK 54. No MT obviously, but I've smoked one pretty much right off the table from EL that could have passed for your best Cohiba any day. 

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16 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Roughly 65% "Get it",  35% "don't Get it".

 

......There should be a name for this rule in the cigar world. :D

Keep it in round #s and call it the 60-40 rule. Or 70-30 if you like. I have found that persistence with Cuban cigars has been key to my enjoyment of them. You can't just buy them and smoke them. One has to love them like the moths in Buffalo Bill's basement. I think this is true of all Cuban cigars and I've heard loads of people say they don't get Cohiba or Cuban cigars only to find out they have never had an authentic one that had been properly stored.  My nephew recently tried to give me a cardboard pack of  MC Edmundos that he bought in the Bahamas then left on his dresser for 2 years. Anyone getting one of those wouldn't get Cuban cigars. Just sayin'.

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I don’t get the Seurat comparison. Like cigars art is in the eye of the beholder. Seurat was a pioneer in his Pointalism style of painting. Personally I don’t understand the appeal of cohiba considering price. The Siglo line can be superb. I have a few of the madoros but in comparison the partaga maduros I think are far superior. 

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23 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

I’m likely to be roasted alive for this, but...

In my brief tenure as an FoH, I have had only one moment of “buyer’s remorse.” In mid 2020, after smoking the CORO from the ‘19 Christmas sampler and getting a 6’er of them on 24/24, I (rum buzzed) put in for a box of PSP ‘20’s. Hit the right moment and now they’re mine. They reside in my “Don’t touch ‘til 2025” section of my cabinet. Whenever I look at the box, I can’t help but wonder what 3 or 4 boxes of gems that money could have bought? 🤔

In a year or so, I might be looking to trade for something more befitting a man of my social stature (i.e. the ‘19 MSU Boli PC’s, 19-20 JL2’s) This will not be a stick-for-stick trade, of course... 🙂

Sell them on BR. You'll probably get over a grand for them easy

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19 hours ago, DrStogie said:

 I think por larranagas are a classy smoke too. Not complex, but often refined and elegant. 

I find them to be pretty complex once they get some age. Even some of the older panetelas ive had from PL have had some complexity, and the PLPCs and PLMCs develop a lot once that caramel starts to shine through.

As to Cohiba, I’ve enjoyed them a lot but it’s definitely hard on the wallet, so it’s not something I smoke regularly at this point. Maybe once the kids are all grown up and out on their own. I prefer the Linea Clasica a bit over the Linea 1492. Haven’t tried the BHKs or Maduros yet. They are in my top 5 favorite brands, but not my favorite, which tells me that the price probably isn’t really worth it (but maybe the BHK is, I suppose I’ll find out once I smoke one). 

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10 hours ago, bishop532 said:

I find them to be pretty complex once they get some age. Even some of the older panetelas ive had from PL have had some complexity, and the PLPCs and PLMCs develop a lot once that caramel starts to shine through.

As to Cohiba, I’ve enjoyed them a lot but it’s definitely hard on the wallet, so it’s not something I smoke regularly at this point. Maybe once the kids are all grown up and out on their own. I prefer the Linea Clasica a bit over the Linea 1492. Haven’t tried the BHKs or Maduros yet. They are in my top 5 favorite brands, but not my favorite, which tells me that the price probably isn’t really worth it (but maybe the BHK is, I suppose I’ll find out once I smoke one). 

I’ve had one Behike 54 that was gifted to me by a very nice and very rich friend of mine. It ran him $100 for the stick so they can be way up there and you probably won’t find any cheaper than that now since they’re in production limbo at the moment. Was it worth it? Yes, without a doubt. It redefined complexity and perfect construction in a cigar for me. Talk about a journey, each draw had some different equally impressive element and the stick itself almost looks unreal it’s rolled so masterfully and with such a golden sheen to it. It looks more like a drawing of a perfect cigar than something that actually exists. The pre-light aroma alone is wicked dreamy, but with all that said, I wouldn’t buy any myself, especially not at this time because although they‘re worth what you pay for, I can’t in good conscience spend upwards of two grand on a box of 10 cigars. I‘m just a landscape/construction foreman putting myself through college after all, I’d rather put that money into hundreds and hundreds of por larranagas.

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I dont feel cohiba is good for a few reasons. It should also be said that i dont find anything in that realm to be worth it (Cuban LEs REs GRs, Non cuban high end at same price point etc) and you can replace any of these things in the below.

- Price. Obviously. When you're deciding about 1 box of cohiba compared to 2 or 3 boxes soemthing else, i almost alway choose something else.

- Quality. I have not found cohiba to be any better quality than other brands. Still same issues with cohiba as everything else i think. The amount of times ive heard "i had a behike the other day and i didnt like it".

- Flavour. I often find cohiba is pretty plain flavour. Very elegant sure, but to me has an underlying sweet note with biscuit/bread/hay characteristics. Sure it's nice, but i'd prefer the chocolate of a monte, or the marshmellow of a punch.

- Prestige. This i actually like. If poeple keep chasing cohiba then it leaves more Bolivar, Ramon Allones and Punch for me.

- Risk. Cohiba is atleast the least risk. Buy em, don't like em? Flip em. easy as that.

- Purpose. If you're on a boat fishing, id find it hard to believe anyone would reach for a cohiba. Sitting at home after a hard day when you've finished a big achievement, Cohiba would be reached for more often. I am almost always smoking a cigar for enjoyment and not for celebration, so i reach for things i will like. I have cheapies for the random don't care what i'm smoking times as well.

Should everyone try Cohiba? Sure. If i had unlimited money would i fill my humidor with Cohiba? Absolutely not. And that is i think the main point. Ultimately it all comes down personal preferance. What i like and can afford is different to what others like and can afford. I buy what suits me.

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This is how I feel/think about Cohiba:

 

 

 

“I drink Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it―unless I’m thirsty.”

― Lily Bollinger, (1899-1977), Bollinger Champagne

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My two cents:

If every Cohiba I purchase is as good as the first box of CoRo I purchased or the first box of Silo VI I purchased, I would not complain.  However, as with all cuban cigars, you never know if you are going to hit on that flavor that made you love the cigar in the first place.  It is the chase that keeps me buying/chasing/trying.  Hopefully, I win more than I lose but with Cohiba, it seems the batting average is below that which I should expect for the price.

When they hit, they are worth every penny and then some.

YMMV

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