Cohiba Maduro 5 Magicos

Cohiba is the pinnacle of Cuban cigars.  Almost everyone you talk to about Cuban cigars will mention Cohiba as the brand they know.  They’ve always stood for high quality and excellent smokes, usually with a full-bodied appeal.  The Cohiba brand was a one-trick pony for a long time but in the not so distant past they’ve expanded to include two new lines, the Siglo and the Maduro 5.

The Cohiba Maduro 5 line is the only line that proclaims itself as a maduro wrapped cigar.  Not only is it a maduro leaf but it’s also aged for a full five years before being used.  The Maduro 5 line is currently offered in 3 vitolas, the Genios (Robusto), Magicos (Short Robusto) and the Secretos (Petite Corona).  Today the review will focus on the middle of the three vitolas, the Magicos (Short Robusto).

The particular cigar I will be reviewing today comes from a box that as dated in June of 2008.  That makes this about 2.5 years old.  As with many Cubans, they always seem to benefit with a bit of age as the flavors start to balance out more and the body smoothens out.  I’m bringing this cigar outside on a cold Canadian night where the temperature is hovering around freezing.  The burn of many cigars are adversely affected by the cold so take this into account as you read on.

Cigar: Cohiba Maduro 5 Magicos
Drink: Abbaye de Maredsous Brune
Vitola: Magicos – Short Robusto (4.5 x 52)
Wrapper: 5 Year Aged Cuban Maduro
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: About $12 in Cuba
Burn Time:

Construction:
• On visual inspection, this cigar screams classic cuban, it’s wrapper is bumpy and uneven with some discolorations
• The wrapper has a soft brownish tone with some darker brown highlights
• The cigar is surprisingly soft from band to foot and quite firm near the head
• The triple cap is extremely clean and blends well into the wrapper
• The foot appears very well packed with no open holes to be seen
• There are some medium sized veins that concern me, we’ll have to see how they play out in the burn
• Cut was firm but very clean
• Draw is just a little more open then I’d like not still not too airy
• Within 10 draws it seems the cigar adjusted itself and now the draw is perfect

Burn:
• Toasting was very slow but produced a perfectly lit foot
• Had a tiny wave when it first started burning but is razor sharp going into the first inch
• Had one minor correction that I had to make, was creating a peninsula just past the halfway point
• A couple more minor corrections as I go along, the cold is likely affecting this as it’s just about freezing out here right now.  They also would likely fix themselves but I wanted to keep it nice and even
• It is burning nice and slowly without ever going out
• The cigar did not even get warm as I burned into the last half-inch

Smoke & Ash:
• A good mouthful of smoke from each draw, nothing overpowering, just about right
• The resting smoke is very minimal and what little aroma it does give off is mostly like cedar and espresso making it very pleasant in company
• The ash so far is looking spectacular, it’s got some nice ridges and appears wound tightly
• The color of the ash varies between an almost white color to a darker grey in the middle of the ridges
• The ash lasted almost two inches before gently falling off in the ashtray, this is what every cigar should do!
• The last ash actually fell off in my lap which was disappointing but I was trying to keep it on to the very end.  This was my fault and should not affect your opinion of the construction quality

Tasting Notes:
• Even without placing the cigar near my nose I can smell the sweetness this wrapper is giving off
• On closer inspection, the wrapper aroma is of sweet cocoa
• The sweet cocoa on the foot is even more apparent but it comes with a nice hint of cinnamon spice
• Pre-light draw is very interesting, it’s like pure sweet cinnamon on a cedar and graham cracker base
• Initial draws have a nice cedar undertone with some of the cocoa as the main flavors, it’s not sweet now though, more like a natural cocoa
• The finish on this cigar has started off very smooth and creamy, typically that creaminess takes time to build but it was there almost instantly
• The cigar started out in the mild-medium category and is smoking fantastic so far
• Retrohale has a small bite and a soft cedar finish
• Within a few draws I’m starting to pick up a very delicious espresso flavor, blending in perfectly
• As I keep burning away, the cocoa has faded a bit towards the halfway point and the cedar and espresso are making for a well balanced and enjoyable treat
• The smooth creamy finish is still apparent, it’s also not been dry at all on my palate
• The espresso is bursting out now past the halfway point, giving cigar that nice bitter flavor you get from an unsweetened espresso.  Don’t confuse this with the bitter build up on other cigars, this is a delicious bitterness
• I’m also picking up a great roasted almond flavor in the mix now, very nice touch
• the body has been fairly consistent up to now but as I burn into my last third I can sense it ramping up a bit
• The bite on the retrohale is a little more noticeable now but nothing off-putting
• As I approach the final stretch I’m getting a nice dark chocolate flavor, almost like bakers chocolate that is adding a nice layer to the already well balanced profile
• I used a toothpick to get down to the very last bit that I could since I was enjoying it all the way through

Final Thoughts:
I had heard and read many people saying they enjoyed this and figured it was going to be good, but usually when something gets hyped up this much I tend to get disappointed because I was expecting more.  That was definitely not the case here, this was one incredibly tasty cigar!  
Straight from the initial draws I was met with a nice mix of flavors that balanced very well together and through the cigar I was greeted by more.  The burn was spot on and the ash was always beautiful.  There is no doubt that I will be seeking more of these out soon.  If there were any downsides to this cigar I can only think of one.  That one is obviously the price (in Canada at least), which is a combination of the Cohiba name and the crazy taxes. In Cuba, their retail price is fairly competitive and well worth it. Were those prices available to me here I would probably have a steady supply of these in the humi for regular smoking.  If you have a chance to get your hands on some of these I would recommend it highly. They are worth having on hand for special occasions or when you want to sit down with a really good cigar and just enjoy the experience.

Pairings:
If you look through past reviews on the site you can see that Tony is obviously the Belgian Beer expert here.  This is not because I don’t like them but because they are so hard to find where I live.  With the holidays around the corner it seems a lot more different beers have become available and I’m going to take full advantage of that!
The first one I cracked open is from “Abbaye de Maredsous” and it is their Brune offering.  As with a lot of Belgian beers, this one is brewed under the supervision on the Monastic monks.  It is a highly fermented brew that clocks in at 8% alc./vol.  The beer itself pours out with a dark opaque brown color and froths up a nice foam on the surface. It is a very tasty brew to say the least.  I get lots of hoppy maltiness with a slight bitter finish.  There are some tarty notes on the tongue that really add the flavor from each sip.  This brew paired perfectly with the Cohiba Maduro 5 Magicos and I would definitely pair it this way again.  Another good pairing that stands out here would be some Tawny Port (Big surprise there right? lol).  Other great pairings would include a nice strong coffee, dark soda or stout.