Description

The Long Way Home: A Night With theCohiba Espléndido

I recall how heady it felt to stand on that midtown rooftop bar, the type where the wind whips at your tie and city lights glitter like spilled diamonds. I was feeling the kind of proud that’s few and far between … not your cocky, boastful kind of proud, but rather the quiet, contented pride that comes from having accomplished something after 10 long years of profusely chasing this goal. But there wasalso something else. It was my first night back.
You see, I had walked awayfrom the leaf for five years. Five interminable years of passing humidors and pretending I didn’t smell that luscious, fermenting aroma on the coats of men in hotel lobbies. I’d go cold turkey: for health, the family, to pursue another passion — whatever seemed square to me at the moment. But every time I always say to myself: when the day arrives, that we have earned it and have some slack then I ’ m going back to the roots.
I slipped a hand into my pocket and drew forth the cedar sleeve, weighed it. I wasn’t going to ease back in with some quick robusto or ramrod straight cigarillo. No, I wanted the marathon. I meanthe conversation that runs two hours. I wanted the Cohiba Espléndido.

The Transition: That Smoke? The Cohiba Espléndido…

There’s a certain heftin cradling a Churchill-size Cohiba. It’s less a cigar than it is a scepter. Is it named the “Churchill?” Yes, people can call it the Churchill when they order some from their favorite tobacco retailer, but ask one of the men on Floor 1 at El Laguito and they’ll tell you in a flash that’s a Julieta No. 2. It’s the flagship. It’s the cigar that bore the weight of history for the brand — from Castro’s personal stash to every diplomat who ever visited Havana.
And there Isat, looking at that golden-yellow wings with the white checkers and isaw this was on now. This wasn’t just smoke; it was my life coming back that I had missed so fucking much.

Product Specifications

Build: El LaguitoTouch, of course.

I never even struck a match istomped; I locked the thing in mymind that someone had told me FruitCake now.s face them straightaway when they make you nervous, and any kind ofnoise and light will help to lessen your nerves. It was because you were holding something that felt so well made, the rest of your possessions seemed like things a junk heap would throw away? That’s the Espléndido. The wrapper was a nice medium tan, almost of the color of a well oiled base ball glove and it shone with just enough shine on its own to let me know that those oils could no longer be draped more evenly.
My thumbwent down the middle. No soft spots. No lumps. It was hard but a little bit soft, just to draw on. That is the result of that El Laguito pedigree. They don’t hire justanyone to do roll these; it’s elite of the elite.
The pre-light draw reminded me about the cigar in a few ways. I sliced the cap — clean, no bits crumbling off — and toasted a cold puff. I have that Cuban “funk” thing,done with your boy. A crucible of wet earth, justmown hay and something sweet — honey spilled in a cedar drawer. Ijust had to close my eyes. WhichI hadn’t even struck yet and I was in the fold again.

Flavor Profile: Three Acts

The Initial Third:The Eye-opener
There’s something that is rituallike about taking out and lighting a seven-inch long cigar. I opted for a cedar spill instead because, let’s face it, after five years I was in no hurry to light anything with a torch. The foot glowed, and the first few puffs were surprisingly easy going.
I gotta say Iwas expecting a gut-punch but this is at least more like shaking hands. The first inchwas very textural. The smoke here was thick, creamy, and chewy. The flavors were “bright” — suggestions of cedar, toasted bread, and a very particular floral note I unfailingly connect to high-end Cuban tobacco. Itwasn’t hot yet, just powerful. It tasted just like VueltaAbajo’s earth—clean, mineral rich and polished.

The Second Third:Sweet Spot

About half way into the second third, it became one with no rooftop wind which I was happy to see gone. That’s where the “triple fermentation” comes in. Cohiba, for instance, subjects their Seco,Ligero and the even more rare Medio Tiempo leaves to three fermentations in wooden barrels—most every cigar sees at least two ferments.

What does that do? It rounds off the edges. The strength started to rise from medium towards that full-bodied sphere, still well rounded. I began to taste hints of salted caramel and roasted nuts. A honey sweetness thatkept flirting with anotherdamn cedar. It’s a complex profile; every time I thought I had it from the previous pull a little whisper of white pepper or cocoa would show up in the mix. It’s balanced. Nothing is shouting, it’s achorus.

The Final Third: As the Crescendo Approaches

This is where the Espléndido becomes splendid. The last fewinches the hotness really fired up. 2017 was the first year in which terms such as “Medio Tiempo” leaves (that being that rare leaf taken from just about the very tip-top of the tobacco plant) really, truly started to speak for themselves.
The flavor turned darker. I detected deep dense flavors of espresso, leather andards of spice haunting the back roof my throat. But here’s the thing: it never turned bitter. I’ve smoked lots of other Churchills that get hot and icky by the end, but this one stayed cool. I smoked itAll the way to my fingertips burning. I didn’t want it to end. I was proud of the deal I had gotten late that day with Mr. Folk, but even more so of the stick I’d selected to celebrate sealing it.

Pairing: What to Sip

Power See, you’re up on a rooftop; you have some sort of fortress Cuban in one hand; it’s not the samewith diet soda.

I chose a Havana Club 7 Year Rum. It’s the natural choice. The rum’s molasses sweetness works well with the cedar and honey notes of the cigar. If rum is not your thing, good strong coffee with cream or a sippable Highland scotch/Scotch that’s heavy on the honey and heather) also works. You need something that complements the creaminess ofthe smoke, but not so much that it drowns out some lighter floral noteson the first half.

The Verdict: Is the Wait Worth It?

Then I sitwith Espléndido for almost two hours. Two hours of silent meditation, watching the city pulse below me as I sat inperfect stillness.
Is it a pricey smoke? It’s one of the most expensive regular production cigars out there, absolutely. Is it hard to find? Absolutely. But, for someone like me, on the roof after 5 years of no sex,it was perfect! It’s a cigar that is eager to be all up in your face. You can’t smoke this distracted; it requires concentration.
It’s solid. It’s refined. There’s a reason it is the gold standard! If you have a moment in your life that feels like it deserves an unconscious choice, even if just a promotion or wedding or that first cigarette after getting off the wagon for years, this is what you start choosing instead.
Walking down off that roof, I felt like I never leftthe hobby. Not only did the Cohiba Espléndido pass me a smoke; it returned my groove.
Final Thought: If you buy one, seeda second. Smoke one now to find out what all the hurricane fuss is about, and then bury another at the back of your humidor for five years. Trust me on that.