Cohiba Robusto Supremo Edicion Limitada 2014

Description

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I remember the night like it was yesterday, though the humidity of that Manhattan rooftop usually blurs the edges of my memory. I was meeting up with an old friend of mine, Leo. We hadn’t seen each other in nearly five years—life just has a way of pulling people into different orbits, you know? The bar was one of those high-energy spots in Chelsea where the bass from the speakers vibrates right through the soles of your leather loafers. It was loud, it was vibrant, and the city lights were doing that shimmering dance they do when the air is thick and the night is young.

Leo was already there, leaning against the glass railing with a glass of something amber in his hand. When he saw me, he didn’t just wave; he gave that look of “it’s about damn time.” We spent the first twenty minutes shouting over the house music, catching up on the big stuff—marriages, moves, the jobs we hated and the ones we tolerated. But as the crowd thinned out toward the edge of the terrace and we found a pocket of relative quiet, I knew it was time to bring out the heavy hitters. I reached into my travel humidor and pulled out two sticks that looked more like small cannons than cigars.

I handed one to Leo. He looked at the double band—that iconic yellow and black checkerboard sitting above the gold “Edición Limitada 2014” ring—and his eyes went wide. He didn’t say “thanks.” He just said, “You’ve been holding onto these, haven’t you?” I just nodded. I’d been waiting for a reason to burn these, and reconnecting with a guy who knew me back when I couldn’t afford a bundle of factory seconds seemed like the right occasion. We clipped the caps, sparked the torches, and for the next hour, the rest of the rooftop noise just sort of faded into the background.

That smoke? The Cohiba Robusto Supremo Edición Limitada 2014. It’s a beast, plain and simple.

The Specs

First Impressions & Construction

The first thing you notice when you pick this thing up is the girth. A 58 ring gauge is no joke. I’ve held a lot of cigars, but this feels substantial in a way that’s almost intimidating. It’s the widest Limited Edition Habanos has ever put out, and you feel every bit of that diameter when you’re trying to get a clean cut. I used a straight cutter, and I had to be careful not to mangle that beautiful, dark Corojo wrapper. It’s oily, almost toothy to the touch, and has that deep, chocolatey hue that tells you it’s seen some serious aging time—at least two years, according to the books, but it feels like it’s been resting even longer.

The pre-light draw was surprisingly open for such a beefy cigar. Sometimes these large ring gauge sticks can feel like you’re trying to suck a milkshake through a straw, but not this one. I got a lot of cold cedar and a very distinct “bean” aroma—sort of like unroasted cocoa beans and a hint of vanilla. The construction felt solid, no soft spots, just a firm, well-packed roll that promised a lot of smoke. I gotta say, the weight of it in my hand felt right for the setting. If you’re going to smoke something this big, you need to be somewhere where you feel like you own the place.

The Burn: First Third

Lighting this up took a minute. You can’t just hit a 58 ring gauge with a single flame and expect a quick start. I took my time, toasting the foot until the entire surface was glowing evenly. The first few puffs were a wake-up call. I got hit with a blast of rich cedar and a very present black pepper note on the retrohale. It wasn’t harsh, though. It was that refined Cuban spice that tickles the back of the throat without making you cough.

About ten minutes in, the roasted coffee notes started to emerge. It reminded me of a dark roast espresso—bitter but balanced. The smoke volume was massive. Every puff produced these thick, white clouds that hung in the humid night air. Leo looked at me through the haze and just grinned. “This is a lot of cigar,” he said. And he wasn’t wrong. The start is bold, letting you know that the Ligero in the blend is doing its job.

The Evolution: Second Third

As I moved into the middle of the stick, the flavors started to round out. That initial pepper backed off a bit, making way for a creamy cocoa sweetness. It’s a very specific transition that I always look for in a Cohiba, and the Robusto Supremo delivers it in spades. I started picking up toasted almonds and a honeyed sweetness that played really well against the underlying earthiness. It’s a complex profile; one minute you’re thinking about a candy bar, and the next you’re hit with a floral undertone that reminds you you’re smoking high-end tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo.

The burn line stayed remarkably straight, which I appreciated. I hate having to touch up a cigar when I’m in the middle of a good story. The ash was a light grey, holding on for nearly two inches before I decided to tap it off. The strength stayed at a solid medium-plus, never veering into that “dizzy” territory, but definitely making its presence known. There’s a certain “meatiness” to the smoke in this stage—it feels thick on the palate, almost like you can chew on it.

The Finish: Final Third

By the time I got to the final third, the conversation with Leo had turned to the future—where we were going, what we wanted out of the next five years. The cigar seemed to mirror that shift into deeper territory. The flavors intensified. The cocoa turned into dark, bitter chocolate, and the honey was replaced by aged leather and a more pronounced spice. It wasn’t the black pepper from the start, but more of a warm, kitchen-spice vibe—think nutmeg or cloves.

The “signature” Cohiba velvet texture was all over the finish. It lingers on the tongue long after you’ve let the smoke out. Even as the cigar got shorter, it didn’t get hot or bitter. I smoked it down to the point where I was practically burning my fingertips, mostly because I wasn’t ready for the experience to end. It’s a long-finishing smoke, leaving you with notes of oak and that deep, earthy Cuban soil. It took me just over an hour to finish, which is a testament to how slow and cool this thing burns if you treat it right.

Pairing Recommendations

If you’re going to light up a Robusto Supremo, you need a drink that can stand up to it. On that rooftop, I was sipping on a neat pour of a 12-year-old Caribbean rum—something with enough sweetness and oak to complement the cigar’s creaminess. If rum isn’t your thing, a heavily sherried Scotch or a very strong, double-shot espresso would do the trick. You want something with body. A light beer or a delicate white wine would get absolutely steamrolled by the flavor profile of this stick. Stick to the dark stuff; you won’t regret it.

The Verdict

I’ve smoked a lot of the Edición Limitada releases over the years, and some of them can be a bit of a letdown—too much hype, not enough substance. But the 2014 Cohiba Robusto Supremo is the real deal. It’s a big, bold, beautiful piece of craftsmanship that feels special from the moment you take it out of the box. Is it for every day? Absolutely not. This is a “milestone” cigar. You smoke this when you’re celebrating a promotion, a reunion, or just the fact that you’re still standing after a long week.

It’s a collector’s piece for a reason. The 58 ring gauge might be too much for the traditionalists who prefer a skinny Lancero, but for those of us who like a mouthful of rich, complex smoke, it’s a winner. If you can find one of these sitting in a humidor somewhere, buy it. Don’t think about the price tag—just think about the hour of pure, unadulterated focus it’s going to give you. In a world that’s always moving too fast, a cigar like this forces you to slow down, and that’s worth every penny.

By the time Leo and I finished our sticks, the rooftop was closing down. We walked to the elevator in a cloud of our own making, smelling like aged tobacco and good memories. We shook hands at the street level, promised not to wait another five years, and went our separate ways. I walked a few blocks in the cool night air, the taste of that Cohiba still dancing on my palate, and I gotta say… it was a solid night.