Cohiba Double Corona Limited Edition 2003 VINTAGE

Description

Product Specifications

I was sitting down here with the vintage Triumph, just re-tightening bolts I’d already tightened twice. I needed to level out. I wanted something that could bear the weight of a decade of marriage and the heavy meal I knew was ahead. I wiped my hands on a shop rag, glanced at the clock and knew that I had a good hour and thirty minutes if played my cards right.

I didn’t want to do a fast “car smoke.” I wanted something that felt like an event.” I fished around in the travel humidor I conceal behind the excess gaskets and found a stick that resembled less a cigar than some sort of heavy wrist rocket. It was big, and it was dark, and it looked like it meant business. Ever have one of those moments where the world goes quiet because you’re gripping something that never lets up on forcing your mind to fixate? That’s what happened.

I forgot about the oil leak. I forgot about the reservations. I glanced at this monster in my hand and said: Yeah. That’s the one.

The Transition: That smoke? The Montecristo Leyenda. This isn’t your grandfather’s Montecristo. Actually, maybe it is if your grandfather was a heavyweight boxer.

The Leyenda is the “big brother” of the Línea 1, and it’s a cigar that doesn’t just rest in your hand; it takes it over. It’s one of that premium push Habanos S. A. did to celebrate the brand’s roots, and let me tell you, they didn’t skimp on leaves here. Product Specifications: Montecristo Leyenda
Vitola de Galera
Maravillas No.2 (Double Robusto)
Wrapper/Binder/Filler
Cuba (Totalmente a Mano)
Weight
17.38g
Building the Feel of the Beast

When I pulled the Leyenda out of my sleeve, it was its weight that struck me first. 17 grams is a small amount on paper, but in the hand it feels dense.

The wrapper is a dark, oily brown — what they call a Carmelite finish — and it glows just a touch with the reflected light of the fluorescent garage. It’s three bands on there, which is more than I might usually tolerate but here? It works. You’ve got the ol’ Montecristo brown paint job, the Línea 1 vitola badge, a gold-flake foot band with some fleur-de-lis jawn.

The cigar is wearing a three-piece suit. I gave it a gentle squeeze. No soft spots. It was firm as hell, obviously stuffed to capacity with that good Vuelta Abajo tobacco, I assumed.

The pre-light was quite a surprise. I expected straight tobacco and hay, but instead I got a hit of sweet wood with a kind of memory throwback to my grandmother’s kitchen — dry cocoa and touch of spice. The draw was perfect for me: not too loose and giving just the right amount of resistance to let you know you’re working for it. Flavor Profile: Three Acts in the Garage
First Third: Creamy Introduction

I fired the foot with my torch, taking some time to ensure that 55 ring gauge was burning evenly.

The initial hits were monstrous. I’m talking thick, fat clouds of smoke that just sat in the still air of the garage like a fog. The first thing I tasted was a bite of cedar, but there was other sensation: Deliciously smooth creaminess encasing it. Gotta tell ya, for what was clearly going to be a full-strength cigar, the beginning was darn polite.

I detected a separate, almondish note — not the sugary marzipan kind but something more toasty and salty. An inch or so in, some of that classic Cuban “twang” began to peek through, combined with a citrusy zest that kept things lively. Part the Second: The Marshmallow Surprise
Strength took a jump-up in the second third.

That excitement I felt before was now being translated into picking apart these flavors. The cedar remained, but the cream turned riper, more into a sweet — I swear I got something like marshmallow. It’s odd to say of a mannequin-grabbing cigar this beefy, but some soft, pillowy sweetness made room for the new arrival: a dark cocoa. It was not exactly a chocolate bar, more like raw cacao nibs.

Every so often I’d release a puff of earthiness, like the smell of the ground after a heavy rain. It was complicated and it changed every few minutes, so I had to stay on my toes as I leaned against the fender of the Triumph. The Skin: The Next Third, A Big Gun

This is where the Leyenda bares its fangs. The final couple of inches were super intense.

That “youthful heat” everyone talks about with these younger Cubans began creeping in, but it wasn’t aggressive — it was confident. The flavors shifted into leather and black pepper. The sweetness of the marshmallow came through, replaced by deep, dark coffee taste — not espresso with sugar or anything. I got the nicotine kick here as well.

It’s a stick-to-your-lungs smoke, that’s for sure. I was tasting nutmeg and some toasted hay by the time I reached the nub. I didn’t dare set it down, even when my fingertips heated up. Pairing: What to Drink?

This is me in the garage, so I was supping from a lukey bottle of sparkling water just to keep the palate clean, but my thoughts were already bathing at the restaurant. If I were playing this right, I’d match the Leyenda with something heavy. Perhaps a dank, slightly Sherry cask-influenced Highland malt—something to balance against those cocoa and almond notes. If you’re a rum guy, something dark and aged from Guatemala.

You’ll want something sweet and rich enough in that final third so your cigar doesn’t walk all over your drink.

Value/Usage: Who Is This For? Listen, the Leyenda is not an “everyday” smoke. Unless you have a bank account that would make mine look like a joke, this is a “moment” cigar. It’s for when you’ve taken down a big project, when it’s your anniversary, or when you just need ninety minutes on your own so that you can feel like the king of your own castle.

It’s large, it’s brash and it looks pretty good to me! If you love Montecristo No. 2 but have always wished it packed more “oomph” and smoked longer, this is your huckleberry.”
Conclusion: The Verdict

As I completed, the garage was filled with blue smoke and I was totally reset.

The fidgety energy was completely gone, the solid, earthed feeling remaining. I checked the clock—88 minutes. Perfect. I crushed out the nub and looked one last time at the Triumph before going in to put on my suit.

Is the Montecristo Leyenda worth tracking down? Absolutely. It’s a stylish, muscular smoke that doesn’t trade on gimmick. It’s just great tobacco, artistically blended, and then rolled into a size that makes it feel substantial.

It’s the most powerful Monte I’ve ever had the pleasure to smoke, and it wore that power as though it was a cloak of class. If a box of these catches your eye, don’t even think about it — just grab ‘em. Next time you find yourself holed up in your garage before a big night out — well, then: You’ll thank me. Solid.