Cohiba Siglo III

Size: 42 × 155 (6.1")

Shape: Long Corona

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Smoking Time: 1¼ hours

Beverage: Cola with lime

Ah, Cohiba. The Cuban brand so shrouded in mystique, so often overhyped, and so highly priced that smokers are sharply divided into (what I think of as) three camps: those who love them, those who hate them, and those who can't get them. Thankfully for us here in Canadaland, we don't fall in to the third camp, but the two of us here at The Friday Cigar are slightly bipolar on the love/hate spectrum. My colleague argues that there are many other cigars at least as enjoyable for less cost. And besides, he doesn't care much for the flavour profile of most Cohibas. While that may be, I don't have any particular aversion to expensive things (if you're reading this, you probably don't either) and the Cohiba flavour profile generally fits my tastes well. But like it or not, Cohiba is one of the highest grossing and most in-demand Cuban cigar brands in the world.

The Siglo line (Siglo meaning Century in Spanish) was announced in 1992 and released in 1994 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to the new world. However, it has long been rumoured that the Siglo line was really introduced to replace the (up until then) Cuban-made Davidoff line (you can read about the soap opera surrounding Davidoff's decision to break up with Cuba here). Whatever the case, the original lineup consisted of the Siglo I (tres petit corona), Siglo II (petit corona), Siglo III (Long Corona), Siglo IV (Grand Corona), and Siglo V (Lonsdale). In 2002, the Siglo VI (Robusto Extra) was released, and another special Grand Reserve Siglo VI was released last year (phew!). Today's review is of a Siglo III from a 2007 box purchased in Italy.

The wrapper of this stick was a beautiful chocolate brown, expertly applied with no soft spots. The cigar was pretty firm and dense with a nice weight to it. Predraw notes were of cedar. The cap shaved off nicely with my cutter, and the cold draw tasted of tobacco and cedar, with nothing to write home about. However, after lighting, the first few puffs gave off the classic Cohiba profile of black tea, some mild spice, and faint notes of vanilla. The draw was a little tight for my liking, but I had no problem drawing plenty of smoke.  What began as a mild cigar in the beginning moved solidly to a medium by the first half, with a razor sharp burn that gave off some caramel sweetness and less spice. The spice returned more strongly in the final half, but always remained smooth and balanced.

Love it or hate it, the Cohiba line is here to stay, and the Siglo III is a fine cigar with a subtlety that even a novice smoker could appreciate. However, the Lonsdale format can be finicky with the draw, which simply doesn't do for a Friday Cigar.  I much prefer the Siglo IV size, which strikes a nice balance between being thin enough to taste the wrapper but thick and short enough to avoid draw problems. But I have to concede to my colleague that when cigars are priced in the premium range, you expect perfection. While the flavours are unmistakably great, I have to give the Siglo III an overall (but still solid) rating of three and a half Fidels out of five.

Brick House Robusto

Size: 54 х 127 (5")

Shape: Robusto

Filler: Nicaraguan

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Havana Sabido

Binder: Nicaraguan

Beverage: Some kind of beer

Note: Sorry about the crappy photo, all we had was an iPhone...

The Brick House line is produced by the J. C. Newman Company – America’s oldest family owned premium cigar manufacturer.  The Brickhouse line of cigars was first released in 1937 and was re-released last year after a 50 year hiatus.  Interestingly, the original Brickhouse blend was Cuban puro and was made of only the finest tobacco.  This new edition has been marketed as a low-cost alternative to other premium cigar brands such as Padron and Tatuaje…and at around $5 a stick these cigars would certainly appear to be a bargain.  This cigar first caught my attention when I was reading the December issue of Cigar Aficionado and noticed that the Churchill size of the Brickhouse line was granted a 91.  The Churchill was later named the best bargain cigar of 2009 by Cigar Aficionado and the Robusto size also scored a very respectable 88.  It was time to give this well-packed little bundle of cigar pleasure a try.

To be honest, despite the decent reviews posted by Cigar Aficionado and others we weren’t expecting much.  In fact, this cigar was really only meant to be a “warm-up” for the Padron 1964 Anniversary Diplomatico Natural’s that were sitting patiently in our travel humidors (which were sensational as always).  However, from the moment we clipped the caps we were pleasantly surprised.  The cigar began with loads of pepper, wood, and leather and virtually no hints of youth.  The official Brick House website rates this cigar as being medium bodied and I would certainly agree with this claim – perhaps even medium-full.  Surprisingly, the flavor profile of the cigar changed throughout with hints of honey and dried fruit subtly making brief appearances on my palate.  Ironically, I was almost disappointed to have to put it down despite having a Padron 1964 Diplomatico valued at $60 in Canada as our follow-up cigar.

It is a rare occurrence that a cigar truly surprises us and it is far too often in a negative direction when it does happen.  The Brickhouse Robusto deserves its recognition first as a wonderful, spicy, complex Nicaraguan puro and secondly as one hell of a bargain.  I have no hesitation giving this cigar four Castro heads out of five and look foreword to purchasing a box in the very near future.

Montecristo No. 2

 

Size: 52 × 156 (6.1")

Shape: Pyramid

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Smoking Time: 2 hours

Beverage: Water

Few Cuban cigars are as classic and beloved as the Montecristo No. 2.  It stands out as one of the best-selling cigars in the Montecristo line, which is likewise one of the best-selling Cuban brands in the world.  It is regularly rated highly by cigar magazines and blogs alike, and it usually only gets better with age.  In fact, we always keep a stock of Monte 2's aging away in the humidor and restock as needed so that an aged selection is always at hand. We thought that it was time to add a review, so here it is.

As I've come to find in about 1/8 of these cigars, the wrapper on the cigar was dark and oily. It was from a 2008 box, so it had a little bit of age to it. Thanks to the firm but forgiving draw, I easily detected notes of cedar and vanilla coming through on the cold draw. Once lit, the cigar produced a moderate amount of smoke (surprising given the size) with an immediate reward of very balanced, medium-bodied flavours of chocolate, cream, and cedar. The cigar remained medium in strength throughout, while the body progressed to medium-full with flavours of caramel, spice, and coffee fading in and out. The cigar would not let my attention wander from it for long, each puff tasting seemingly better than the last all the way down to the final inch.

This is an unmistakably flavourful cigar that reminds me why I love cigars, and its balance is absolutely perfect with only a few years of age under its belt. Overall, I am hard-pressed to find a fault with the Montecristo No. 2, especially given its accessibility and price. That's why I have no reservations in giving it the rare Friday Cigar rating of five Fidels out of five.

Partagas Lusitanias

Size: 49 × 194 (7.5")
Shape: Double Corona

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Smoking Time: 1 ¾ hours

This week we smoked a truly classic cigar from one of the classic Cuban cigar brands – the Partagas Lusitania.  The Lusitania was named after the famous ocean liner that was sunk by German U-Boats during WWI.  Partagas cigars are known for their rich and earthy flavour profile and are amongst the most sought after Cuban brands on the market.  The Partagas brand was named after its creator, Don Jamie Partagas, who opened the famous Partagas factory in 1845.  Partagas cigars are amongst our favourite Cuban brands and generally make for a satisfying Friday cigar experience.

This is the second time we have selected the Partagas Lusitania for our weekly tobacco inspired retreat.  We greatly enjoyed our first experience of the Lusitania; however, it was overshadowed by the second cigar we smoked that evening – the Tatuaje Reserva SW.  As we walked into the humidor of our local B & M we were instantly drawn to the near empty box of Lusitania’s that sat unassumingly beside other fine Cuban product.  We decided to abandon our plan to smoke some two year old Monticristo #2’s that had been sitting in our humidor (not an easy feat as the Monti #2 is one of our all time favourite smokes – see next weeks review) and purchased the Lusitania’s instead.  These cigars smell great and our examples were well constructed with few noticeable veins or soft spots.  We clipped the caps, lit the feet, and sat back in the well-worn leather couches.

The Lusitania certainly deserves its reputation as one of the truly great Cuban cigars.  We found the cigar to be of medium strength and flavour with loads of cream, earth, and cedar.  Initially we didn’t get much sweetness out of the Lusitania, but hints of honey and vanilla seemed to creep in and out of the flavour profile after we smoked through the first third.  We found the cigar well-balanced and highly enjoyable – well deserving to become a mainstay in our Friday cigar roster.  However, this particular stick become a bit harsh after the first half and we found ourselves having to put it aside for extended periods of time to let it settle down.  Overall, we enjoyed the Lusitania and will most likely pick up a box in our upcoming Cuba trip.  I give this stick four Castro heads out of five.