- click on photographs -
Back at the beginning of FEB2011, I kicked off the Cigar Photography blog with few Cohiba Behike 54 photographs and I promised to come back to this cigar in June. The time has come ! I wanted this 5 pack to sit for at least 6 months to get recommended rest. Box Date is JUN2010, it was added to my collection back in DEC2010 and it was pulled out in JUN2011. In addition, my son turned 1 at the beginning of June and I wanted to celebrate his birthday with something different. Cohiba Behike was selected to be that lucky specimen. Enough of the history !
In visual appearance department, Cohiba Behike is definitely an attractive cigar. A very unique band and carefully applied pigtail add that extra umph to the overall package. Although there were some visible seams and veins, I was laser focused on the band and overall presentation. The cigar was rolled very well without any noticeable soft / hard spots. Draw was slightly snug for my preference but I did notice improvement with time. As for as burn goes, I was not impressed. I can appreciate the fact that we are smoking hand-made products but I have smoked many cigars at fraction of the cost which were razor-sharp. Cohiba Behike was far from it. It had its ups and downs, burned straight, then went wavy, then corrected itself, then back to wavy, etc. In flavor department, definitely spice from the beginning to finish with a peak in the middle. I was able to extract woody, earthy, and slightly chocolaty notes throughout the experience. Creamy in texture smoke was very limited up front but increased in volume with time.
Now, one will probably ask the obvious – Is it worth the price tag of $40 ?. In my personal and humble opinion, no ! I pulled the cigar out of the box with extremely high expectation and at the end, I was left disappointed. Did it burn ok ? Tasted ok ? Looked ok ? Absolutely Yes ! Did it delivery 4 times the experience of $10 cigar ? Absolutely Not ! I have split the box with a friend and unfortunately his experience was the same. I poked around the net and found mixed feedback. Some swear by it, some are aligned with my thoughts. Clearly I’m not the only one. I’m glad I still have 4 left and I plan on smoking them to recognize my son’s birthdays. I would recommend trying at least 1-2 Cohiba Behikes but I would certainly not chase a box.
Country of Origin: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba
Length: 5 3/5″
Ring: 54
Construction > Great
Burn > Decent
Enjoy > Yes
Recommend > Yes
Buy > Couple singles (* N/A in USA *)
Please consider the following post:
* Cohiba Behike 54
* Cohiba Genios
#1 by Tony Casas on June 16, 2011 - 10:28 am
Very good review man, and excellent pictures of course. I love that you actually went back and smoked one of these as promised when you first started up the blog. Good work man.
#2 by general_griff on June 16, 2011 - 1:27 pm
I’ve been wanting to try these for some time now and I have the same issue don’t think I’m willing to pull the trigger for over $400 for a box of 10. Great review
#3 by czerbe on June 16, 2011 - 4:14 pm
Great Review, to me no stick is worth $40.00 but thats just me, hope the other 4 turn out better, great site you have here.
#4 by Jan on June 16, 2011 - 6:13 pm
Great pics, spot on review. Hoping some more age will improve them.
#5 by Dalamscius on June 16, 2011 - 11:14 pm
Nice write-up and pics Jay! I have 4 Behike 54’s sitting in the humi. I think I will save them for my wedding next year and maybe share one with Tony if he ever comes to visit the Great White North!
I totally see your point about the price, its a little steep but it’s nice to at least get 1 or 2 to try.
Sunburst pic came out really nice! Keep up the good work buddy!
#6 by admin on June 16, 2011 - 11:51 pm
@Tony – Thanks. Will continue to hold onto it until 2012, 13, 14, 15, if I can. Would be nice to continue to report back on the progress.
@GG – Box of 54s can be found for less than $400. Thanks for your feedback !
@Czerbe – Agree with your comments. Looking forward to what future brings. Glad you are enjoying the site.
@Jan – Yes. We should continue to exchange the experience. I wonder if different humidor setting will show a difference.
@Daniel – Three of us should get together and smoke 54s :) Thanks for your kind comments !
#7 by Danny on June 18, 2011 - 10:09 pm
So sexy. So…so sexy.
#8 by Jeff Senske on June 19, 2011 - 6:49 pm
Doubt I will ever spring for a single $40 stick, and overall impressions seem mixed, BUT your photos are exceptional as alwaysm Jay! Especially like the one with sunflare in the background. Gorgeous. Wondering when a manufacturer is going to hire you for some marketing shots!
#9 by admin on July 7, 2011 - 11:14 am
Thanks, Jeff !
Working with the industry as freelancer would be great indeed !
#10 by Mitch Gurowitz on July 7, 2011 - 10:36 am
Was at a friends house and he offered me the pick of the humidor a few weeks back. The only exception was two of these he bought in London for an upcoming special occasion. I have to say that it is a very striking looking presentation. I think the max I’ve paid for a single was 25.00 but at any price above 15 bucks, there should be no question if it is worth the asking price, like a find meal, you should be able to reflect on it and smile.
#11 by admin on July 7, 2011 - 11:26 am
Mitch,
Thanks for feedback. I see why he would tell you to stay away from 54s. LoL !