Cohiba Robusto

Description

“`html

I am sitting here on the 42nd floor of an office tower of glass and steel in Midtown, looking out at the Chrysler Building as the sun begins to sink behind it. It’s quiet, the kind of quiet only possible when you’re high enough to be above New York City traffic so the honking just buzzes. I have a humidor — mahogany and heavy — parked on the marble coffee table immediately in front of me. It belonged to my grandfather.

Product Specifications

He died a couple of months ago, and when most people in the family were arguing over the real estate and art, all I really cared about was this box and access to his penthouse.”
He was a quiet man, but when he spoke, you listened. He had a way of making everything matter. I can still see him there, in his leather chair smelling of cedar and old cigarettes off his wool sweaters. Unboxing this humidor today was like opening a time capsule.

And there, in the top tray, was a row of yellow-and-black bands I recognized at once. I had a moment of pride, I will be honest. Not for what this place is worth, but because the old man squirreled away the good stuff. He didn’t just buy whatever it was that was expensive; he bought what knew some human element.

I chose one and hefted it in my palm and knew that I had made a commitment to give this side of me the time it needed. That smoke? The
Cohiba Robusto
. Build Quality: How it Feels in the Hand
I’ve smoked a lot of cigars over the years, but there is something special about a Cohiba that comes out of El Laguito.

This one, you probably noticed, has that classic “colorado” wrapper—a reddish-brown mojo thing going on that resembles well-oiled leather. It’s not perfectly smooth — it has some fine veins running through it, which I happen to like. It gives it that farmy feel, not laboratory-made. When I tentatively squeezed it, it felt firm.

No soft spots, no “plugs” that I can feel. The cap is beautiful, a triple cap so neatly applied you can hardly see the seams. I ran a rosewood cutter that I inherited from my grandfather over the top to just take off its slightest layer. The draw was exactly what I expected, a combination of hay and cold cocoa with that Cuban leaf pal bollo” beany smell… Here we go!

It wasn’t too baggy, but it also wasn’t too tight. Just a predictable, persistent tug that let me know whatever torcedor rolled this definitely knew what he or she was doing. I sat a moment, just smelling the foot of the cigar. It has this sort of earthy, rich smell that I always think is a bit like the bottom of a damp forest.

You ever just leave an unlit cigar sitting there for five minutes? I do. It’s part of the ritual. The flavor profile: A three-part play.

The First Third: The Creamy Intro
I tosted the foot gently, insuring that there would be no direct contact between flame and tobacco.

Once lit, I took the first few puffs. Immediately I had the classic Cohiba character. It’s grassy — not like newly mown lawn grass, but more like haying day hay in a warm barn. There’s a sweetness there, too.

I’d call it black honey. It is thick and coating in the mouth. I also detected a creaminess to the smoke as well. It’s heavy.

An inch in, I began to detect a hint of vanilla and a toasted almond note. At this point it’s medium-bodied, very accessible. I’m lounging here and watching the smoke spiral up toward the ceiling, and I have to say this is a good start to our two-week collaboration. No harshness, no bite.

Just a balanced, elegant introduction. The Second Third: Spice Grows stronger
On the second third of the stick when I started to get into the meat of it, that “Robusto” personality reared its pretty head!

Suddenly, the strength turned up a notch. That creamy vanilla at its start began to drop off, replaced with something far more savory. I’m talking leather and cedar. There’s a hint of spice now, but it’s mild.

It’s not a pep-per-bomb; it is more akin to a warm baking spice — think nutmeg or just a whiff of cinnamon. That “beany” flavor I’d noted before was really amplified here. It’s just like a rich, dark roasted coffee bean. The burn line remained impressively straight, for which I was grateful because I didn’t feel like fussing with it.

The ash here is a light grey and held on for almost two inches before I finally knocked if off. I could taste that barrel-aged quality coming through—that third fermentation they do at El Laguito really smooths out the edges. It feels refined. The Last Third: The Powerhouse Conclusion
This is where the cigar becomes all powerful

.

The last couple inches or so is where the cocoa becomes 90% dark chocolate. It gets deep. The coffee notes become darker, more like a bitter espresso, and there’s this charred oak flavor that begins to take over. Here I found myself running slower.

Rush a Robusto at the end and it will turn bitter; linger, and you’ll enjoy rich flavors. I received hits of roasted nuts and just a touch of citrus zest at the very back of my throat. It ended strong — full-bodied, to be sure by the time I was burning my fingers. I didn’t want to put it down.

It’s a complicated finish, that leaves the lingering taste of leather and mocha in my mouth. The Pairing: Keeping it Classy
So since I’m up in a penthouse that likely costs more than my hometown, figured I’d match it with something appropriate.

I poured myself a shot of Havana Club 7 Year. So if you’re smoking a Cuban, you may as well drink Cuban. The sweetness of the rum, grated over with those flavors of molasses and oak, danced so well with the grassy and leathery characteristics of the Robusto. The rum goes against the creaminess of that first third and doesn’t get drowned out by the spice in the second.

If you’re not a rum drinker, a peaty Scotch might be overwhelming — I’d try a Highland malt or even just an extremely clean, sparkling water to keep the palate fresh. You’re trying to taste the tobacco; not drown it. The Background: Why This One Matters
You can’t write about the Cohiba Robusto without mentioning its roots. I recall my grandfather recounting to me the origins of Cohiba as a private brand of Fidel Castro’s in 1966.

For decades, you didn’t even have the option to buy them; they were gifts reserved for diplomats. Even the Robusto size was not added to the “Linea Classica” until 1989. It’s one of the best selling Habanos S.A. has had for a reason. They cull the very best leaves from Vuelta Abajo, and that extra fermentation in barrels — the thing that gives it that smooth, refined character — is something you’ll only find in Cohiba.

And the knowledge of that history adds a degree of weight to the experience. You’re just smoking a bit of an epic tale that is very, very long.”
The Verdict: Do You Need a Hype?

Here’s the thing: I’m going to tell you the truth. There’s a chug of noise in the cigar world. You hear the terms “must have” and “icon” so much that the words kind of wither away. But sitting here and watching the ci
“`