Cohiba Esplendidos

Description

Cohiba Espléndidos Review: A Storm, A Sailboat and a Churchill

The wind wasn’t howling; it was screaming through the rigging of the 42-foot sloop like a banshee in a snit. We were five miles offshore, the sky bruising purple the way it often does before you’re drenched. I recall the atmosphere on deck — it was electric. All hands were rushing to shut the hatches tight and the adrenaline was buzzing in my blood when just as the first fat drops of a Caribbean squall began to drum on the teak, we scooted underneath for cover.

Product Specifications

There we were, down in the cockpit, with the rain building a gray curtain around the boat. The world was small, noisy and very much alive. You know that feeling of being completely secure amid full-blown pandemonium? That’s when I turned to my travel humidor.

I didn’t want something quick. I didn’t want a “snack.” I wanted something that wouldn’t fade away with the storm, something with backbone to compete against the scent of salt spray and ozone. I extracted from my poke a long golden-brown cylinder that had been waiting for just such a moment. That smoke?

The

Cohiba Espléndidos. I have had my fair share of cigars in hushed lounges and wood-lined libraries, but there was something about waiting out a tropical downpour with a Churchill-sized Cuban that just felt correct. It was as if I held a scrap of Havana’s soul, while the Atlantic threatened to crash the party. The Specs

Product Name
Cohiba Espléndidos
Wrapper/Binder/Filler
Vuelta Abajo, Cuba
Construction: The El Laguito Touch

I gotta tell you, this is an experience to hold the Espléndido even before you clip the cap.

This isn’t a small cigar. At seven inches in length and a 47 ring gauge, it has a commanding presence. It has a nice heft when you hold it, not in de Blasio-bulky way, but as in of well-balanced tool. As with each and every good classic, there’s a reason it is what it is: sturdy vitola and overall classic construction.

It’s elegant. The wrapper on mine was a very pretty, oily Colorado Claro. It had that signature Cuban “sheen” to it — not shiny like dipped in wax, but a healthy toothy glow that tells you the oils are right where they should be. I stroked it with my thumb as the rain beat upon the canvas over me.

No soft spots. No hard knots. It was solid, but had a bit of “give” when you’ve squeezed it: that of a quality leather glove. That’s the El Laguito factory for you.

They’re the guys who make the Cohiba line, and it’s obvious the rollers there don’t rush a thing. I used a straight cutter, removing just a sliver from the cap. The cold draw was perfect for what I was looking for, little resistance but very open. As far as flavor was concerned there were hits of sweet hay, dry grass and just a skosh of what I can only describe as “barnyard”—which in the cigar world is extremely high praise.

That’s rich, fermented-tobacco smell announcing a deep-dish experience. I reclined, watched a bolt of lightning strike the horizon and toasted my foot. The First Third: The Awakening
First few puffs are always the most telling.

It didn’t come in guns blazing — full of heavy spice — with the Espléndidos. Instead, it was smooth. Real smooth. And it’s that “third fermentation” they do at El Laguito, aging the seco and ligero leaves in wooden barrels.

You can actually taste the differnce. It’s rounding off the sharp areas you would see in a younger or less refined sticks. There was cedar right away with a very clean, crisp earthiness for the opening profile and I thought it tasted like cedar. Some white pepper appeared on the retrohale, though it was far from bold.

It was more of a hint of spice than a fist to the nose. An inch down, a honeyed sweetness began to crawl in — imagine putting honey on a toasted sourdough. With the boat swaying back and forth against the anchor rode, there was a thick, billowing plume of white smoke that just hung in the steamy air of the cockpit like a fog. Solid start.

Second Third: In the Groove

By the time I got into the second third, while it was still happening outside, I had my own little bubble

.

The tastes began to turn from some light, grassy sweetness into something way more “meaty.” The medium-to-full territory is where the body of the cigar progressed to become. I began to pick up some individual notes: roasted nuts — peanuts in particular but toasted. There was also a rich, creamy coffee-thread that began to dominate the palate. The thing I really appreciate with this Churchill size is that the temperature remains cool.

And since it’s so long a smoke, the cherry spends an awfully long time far from your mouth, in which span of course said bunch is cooling that smoke. This allows those delicate notes of cinnamon and leather to really shine. The ash was light gray, holding for almost two inches before I gently tapped it into a heavy glass ashtray. The burn was nearly perfect and it didn’t need any touch-ups despite all the wet salt air that flew around us.

That’s a reflection of the build right there. Wouldn’t you know it, but I have an example for you that is perfect for this scenario: You ever have a cigar tunnel on you or canoe at the very hint of a breeze? This wasn’t that. It stayed true.

The Final Third: The Crescendo

We turned the final corner, and the rain was ebbing into a drizzle.

The sky was starting to crack, revealing wedges of orange where the sun was setting. The Espléndidos did the same thing — darker, dramatic. The sweetness that was present in the first third came back but it was different.

It was no longer honey; it was chocolate syrup and cocoa. There is a silkiness to the smoke in the last third of a well-aged Cohiba that I just don’t get anywhere else. It spreads over the tongue, but it’s not greasy. I began to get some vegetal notes — and not “green” or bitter, but more like rich forest floor after a rain.

Fitting, right? And the firepower was ramped up, too. I did get a bit more of a nicotine kick, though it wasn’t dizzying. It was simply a warm, full-bodied finish that took my attention captive.

I smoked it down to the point of burning my fingers, unwilling to release the experience. Pairing: What to Drink?

On the boat, I’d been sipping a local aged rum — nothing fancy, just something with enough caramel notes to pair well against the cigar’s cedar. But if I were at home? I’d opt for a double espresso or perhaps a Highland Scotch. You want something that has enough weight to it but doesn’t smother the tobacco’s subtleties.

You might find a heavily peated Islay too much character-wise; you have smoke of the drink spar with smoke of cigar. The safest, most satisfying bet is probably a nice, balanced coffee. Grate foré: The nutty middle is the perfect bridge to that chocolatey end. A Bit of History

You can’t say the Espléndidos without saying where it comes from.

Cohiba began as this special blend for Fidel Castro in the ’60s. For years you couldn’t even buy them; they were gifts for diplomats and heads of state. They wouldn’t go commercial until ’82, however the Espléndidos wouldn’t appear until 1 as a member of the Línea Clásica. It has since evolved into the brand’s flagship Churchill.

It’s the cigar people think of when they think “top-tier Cuban.” And though the price tag has risen considerably over the years, the process hasn’t changed very much. They still have access to the finest leaves from Vuelta Abajo, and they’re still doing that extra barrel fermentation that imparts a signature “Cohiba” smoothness. And it’s a piece of history that you can hold, and then burn. The Verdict
So are the Cohiba Espléndidos really worth it?

Now, I’m not going to tell you it’s the only cigar you’ll ever need. But I will say this: It’s a heavy hitter for a reason. It’s a long-haul smoke — you will want about 90 minutes, perhaps two hours if you are a slow puffer like me. It’s not the kind of cigar you burn through in a hurry.

It’s a cigar for when the world is screaming for something outside, but you don’t have to go see it. The construction is there, the flavor profile is complex without being complicated, and the journey from those light, cedary notes to that deep, chocolatey finish make it all worth it.

It is a good, well-made piece of Cuban craftwork that delivers exactly what it tells you. Should you find yourself on a sailboat in the midst of a sea squall — or simply reclining on your back porch after another long week — it’s one human companion you’ll be glad to have with you. Final Thought:

It’s an elegant, growing experience that makes you work for its rewards.

Just be sure you have a sharp cutter and two hours to kill. This is one you’ll want to savor.