General Cigar Co. – Cohiba Nicaragua

At the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show, General Cigar expanded its Cohiba offerings with a Nicaraguan made cigar. A first of its kind for the brand. The Cohiba Nicaragua features a Honduran Sun Grown wrapper over Nicaraguan internals.

Manufactured at the Scandinavian Tobacco Group Esteli S.A. factory in Nicaragua, the Cohiba Nicaragua has five frontmarks: Pequenos (4 3/16 by 36), N45 (4 by 45), N50 en crystale (5 by 50), N54 (5 ½ by 54), and N60 (6 by 60). Typical packaging for the cigar is 16-count boxes, while the N50 en crystale comes packaged in glass tubes in 8-count boxes and the Pequenos come in 6 count tins.

You can purchase the Cohiba Nicaragua from our good friends at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Samples Provided by Famous Smoke Shop
MSRP: $9.99
Vitola: N45
Size: 4 by 45
Wrapper: Honduran Sun Grown Colorado Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan – Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan – Esteli & Jalapa
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 5 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Cohiba Nicaragua sports a dark reddish brown leaf that shows off its veins, bumps, and some stretchmarks. In appearance there is only a slight oily sheen, but tons of oils are felt as I roll the cigar between my fingers. There a several soft spots located on the short cigar.

Bringing the cigar to my nose, I find a sweet caramel and honey mix on the wrapper, while the foot of the cigar shows off some more of the sweetness, along with prune. The double cap looks like a rushed job with its uneven lines. The draw is a hair firmer than preferred, but still within the acceptable range. The cold draw highlights more of the honey and prune with an added rich cedar and cinnamon. A spice heat is felt on my lips and in the mouth almost instantly.

FIRST THIRD

This Nicaraguan made cigar opens with a rich woodsy, smoky flavor that finishes with a dark roast coffee and a lingering black pepper. As I take a slow, long draw of the Cohiba Nicaragua, a sweetness hits the tip of my tongue that is caramel-like. Fifteen minutes into the cigar a dark red fruit builds upon the profile that is working well so far. A minor wavy burn and flaky ash forms as the Cohiba burns down.

MIDDLE THIRD

The core of the Cohiba Nicaragua remains woodsy and smoky pulling into the second third.The sweetness is mild, more of natural tobacco sweetness, but bringing a nice roundness to the medium bold profile. The pepper is accentuated as I pass the smoke through my nose. The pepper is brighter than the black pepper that is on the finish.  I am beginning to feel a slight nicotine kick right in the middle of the cigar.

FINAL THIRD

The richness and sweetness both step up a few notches entering the final third. The dark fruit flavor is now distinguishable as a prune. A toasted quality has joined in, but the flavors are not harsh and the smoke remains cool. The wave in the burn-line finally got to the point of requiring a touch-up.

WRAP-UP

From start to finish, the Cohiba Nicaragua showcases its Nicaraguan qualities in a complex, balanced fashion. Delivering a medium body smoke, you can expect a woodsy, smoky profile that develops in richness and sweetness as the smoke progressed with just enough spice to you keep your palate alert. Other than a single touch-up in each sample, no other issues were encountered even though the burn was wavy and ash flaky throughout. The Cohiba Nicaragua is a solid offering in the General Cigar’s Cohiba portfolio even with its steep price.