Cuban Cohiba -- Siglo III - Gran Corona

Cuban Cohiba Happiness

OCCASION: Matty B's Birthday Bash	PRICE: $17 retail - for me free however (a gift)
BRAND: Cohiba - Siglo III

GAUGE: 42	LENGTH: 6.o (15.50 cm)
SHAPE NAME: Gran Corona

FILLER: Cuban Volado, Seco and Ligero
BINDER: Cuban Seco All Habanos are made from "Tabaco Negro Cubano" – native Cuban Black Tobacco	WRAPPER: Shade Grown Seco

APPEARANCE: This beauty had an oily golden wrapper with no blemishes that could be seen. The wrapper had very little raised veins, and oh how I love that Cuban Cohiba collar design - sort of Art Deco, and very classy.

CONSTRUCTION: The construction of this little stick was immaculate, complete with a triple-seam cap. There were no hard or soft spots throughout the cigar.

DRAW:
START: Great	1/2: Great	3/4: Great

BURN:
START: Even	1/2: Even	3/4: Even

TASTING NOTES: As soon as I took the stick out of the glass tubo it was packaged in, it's fragrance was immediate. Smooth, rich tobacco scent. From when it was first lighted, all the way to the end, there was an abundance of thick, creamy smoke. This was definitely a medium bodied stick, but was very complex with lots of flavors. The flavors of the cigar alternated between woody, earthy tone, to coffee flavors. However, there was always a wonderful cinnamon and nutmeg overtone, which gave the cigar a sweetness that was very unique. The cigar burned extremely even, and the draw was smooth and full. The ash was very tight, and held on for at least two inches before breaking off.

OTHER NOTES: Here is some additional info. that I learned about the Cuban Habanos. This Cohiba Siglo III is in the Linea 1492 cigar line, which is Cohiba's medium body Cuban line. The Linea 1492 was introduced in 1992 to mark the 500th Anniversary of Columbus’s epic voyage of discovery. The name "Cohiba" is an ancient Taino Indian word for the bunches of tobacco leaves that Columbus first saw being smoked by the original inhabitants of Cuba — the earliest known form of the cigar. The leaves for Cohiba are the “selection of the selection” from the five finest Vegas Finas de Primera in the San Juan y Martinez and San Luis zones of the Vuelta Abajo region. Uniquely amongst Habanos two of Cohiba’s filler leaves, the seco and ligero, undergo a third fermentation in barrels, which adds smoothness to the blend.

EVALUATION: I enjoyed this cigar immensely. It was possibly the best constructed cigar I have ever smoked, which speaks to the great history, and the love of cigar making in Cuba. Even though the cigar was medium body, it had lots of character with the sweetness on the wrapper, and I think I could almost taste the aged tabacco. Overall, a wonderful experience, and I am looking forward to my next Cuban!! Now that I think of it, I know someone who is planning a photography trip there next year. With that trip they will be in the country legally, which means....yep......they would be able to bring back lots of tasty Habanos with them!