Posts Tagged cohiba

CigarPhoto in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Apr 27

Posted by admin in CigarPhoto in Playa del Carmen, Mexico | 6 Comments

CigarPhoto is coming back from a well deserved vacation in pleasantly warm Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Although we have stayed in one of the chain hotels (Iberostar), a trip to Playa del Carmen was added to the itinerary to visit two cigar shops – La 5ta Habano (shop owned by fellow Friends Of Habanos member) and La Casa del Habano. The purpose of that visit wasn’t so much about stocking up but more about going to the store, buying a cuban cigar (legally), ordering mojito with Havana Club Anejo 7 rum and … relaxing.

I was able to accomplish exactly that at the La Casa del Habano. Between mojito sips, I was able to take few photographs and scope out price tags – scary, as expected. I was quoted $850 for a box of Trinidad Fundadores !!! Everything across the board was super overpriced and if I lived in Mexico, I wouldn’t be smoking cuban cigars unless I was paying wholesale. On the way back I stopped at the La 5ta Habano. Great, but very small, shop. Rush Blakely (the owner) has expanded his selection to include non-cubans as well. Refreshing strategy, considering every other Joe will be most likely looking for the forbidden Cohiba.

It wouldn’t be a complete trip to Caribbean region without seeing fakes cuban cigars. Your “standard” glass-top selection was readily available on the main drag. Casa Partagás was selling Siglo VI tubes for $50 each ! Iberostar hotel had a dedicated cigar lounge with decent cigar selection. Unfortunately, once again, way overpriced. I skipped their stock but couldn’t say no to unlimited and free amount of Havana Club Anejo 7 rum. Bliss ! Airport’s Duty Free wasn’t any different. I had to double check with their customer service if prices were in Mex$ or USD$. A box of Cohiba for 900 USD$ tapped it all.

Bottom line, bring your own ! If you smoke cuban cigars exclusively, bring them down as well unless you are willing to pay $25 for Monte #2.

La Casa del Habano
5ta Avenida con Calle 26 No. 301, L-2 Colonia
Xaman-Ha, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, México.
Phone: 52 (984) 803 3001
Email: cservice@lacasadelhabanoplayadelcarmen.com
www.lacasadelhabanoplayadelcarmen.com

La 5ta Habanos (owner: Rush Blakely)
Corner of 5th avenue (Quinta) and Constituyentes
Phone: 9841111873

- click on photographs (slideshow / EXIF)-

Tags: cigar, cigar construction, cigar flavor, cigar images, cigar photographs, cigar photography, cigar photos, cigar pictures, cigar review, cigar smoking photos, cigars, cohiba, cohiba behike 54, cohiba cigars, cohiba lanceros cigar, cohiba siglo VI, cuba, cuban cigar binder, cuban cigar filler, cuban cigar wrapper, cuban cigars, La Casa del Habano, laguito no.1, mexico trip, photography, playa del carmen, stogie, stogie review, tobacco, visible cigar wrapper veins

Cohiba lanceros

Mar 30

Posted by admin in Cohiba lanceros | 3 Comments

It is time for another ‘forbidden fruit. This week we are photographing and reviewing the one and only – Cohiba lanceros. This Laguito No.1, wrapped in leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region, was initially an exclusive to Cuban regime and used as a diplomatic gift to other Heads of States. The cigar was officially named around 1969 and became commercially available around 1984. Currently it is available in a box of 25 / 50 and a pack of 3 / 5. Obviously there are special releases like Commemorative Humidors and count in those will vary. Two samples smoked for this reviewed came from JUN2001 release and were wrapped in a Standard Band C vs current Band D. Main differences: non-embossed paper / dot rows / La Habana vs. Habana / orange-ish vs. yellow finish (depicted below).

Visually, just like the Cohiba Siglo VI, was not that spectacular. Nothing like Cohiba Behike. Decent construction with clearly visible seams & veins. I did not feel any hard or soft spots upon further inspection. After clipping the cap and lighting the cigar, I was introduced to a relatively tight draw which continued to improve throughout the smoke. In flavor department, the Cohiba lanceros was full of grassy and floral notes as well as hints of woodiness and nuttiness. Definitely a noticeable creamy finish to the smoke. The ash was fairly long considering lancero format, yet a bit “dirty” / dark grey. There was a decent amount of smoke output, especially after draw opened up.

Overall, good experience. I continue to enjoy properly rolled lanceros with good burn and good draw. Personally I wouldn’t purchase a box but I would definitely add few to occasional rotation.

Country of Origin: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba
Length: 7.6″
Ring: 38

Construction > Good
Burn > Good
Enjoy > Yes
Recommend > Yes
Buy > Yes

Please consider the following post:
* Cohiba Behike
* Cohiba Siglo VI

- click on photographs (slideshow / EXIF)-

Tags: cigar, cigar construction, cigar flavor, cigar images, cigar photographs, cigar photography, cigar photos, cigar pictures, cigar review, cigar smoking photos, cigars, cohiba, cohiba behike 54, cohiba cigars, cohiba lanceros cigar, cohiba siglo VI, cuba, cuban cigar binder, cuban cigar filler, cuban cigar wrapper, cuban cigars, jose oliva, laguito no.1, photography, stogie, stogie review, tobacco, visible cigar wrapper veins

Cohiba Siglo VI

Oct 4

Posted by admin in Cohiba Siglo VI | 8 Comments

- click on photographs (slideshow / EXIF)-

It is time for another ‘forbidden fruit.’ This time we are smoking Cohiba Siglo VI. Many will call this specimen ‘The Cuban’ cigar that every smoker should enjoy at least once in his/her life. High expectation, right ?

Visually, nothing spectacular. Decent construction with clearly visible seams & veins. Cohiba Siglo VI’s noticeably toothy wrapper was relatively thin and one could easily feel bumps and soft spots underneath. After clipping the cap, noticeably tight draw to the point where I kept rolling the cigar in my fingers to manually introduce a better air flow. I have struggled with this for at least 25min and if it wasn’t for the review, I would have pitched it. I’m glad my patience runs high when I smoke cigars. Second third opened up and flavors started pouring in one after another. Grassy sweetness, delicate spice, coffee, earth, paired up with thick and rich smoke. Definitely an eye opener. Construction wise, same as above. Average wavy beginning and then major u-turn. Almost perfect burn with ~2″ dark grey ash with tons of smoke.

This was definitely a roller-coaster, similar to Montecristo Sublimes LE 2008. I hate to make general statements but I’m faced with the same issue when it comes to cuban cigars – inconsistency. When you get a good one, it is one special smoke but unfortunately that percentage within a box is low. When I pick a cuban sample out of a box, I hope for good burn and good draw. With non-cubans, those two most of the time are given and I hope for enjoyable flavors. In the end, Cohiba Siglo VI’s beginning was forgettable but the middle and end put this cigar on the map and back in my rotation. Try it for yourself.

Country of Origin: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba
Length: 6″
Ring: 52

Construction > OK
Burn > Good
Enjoy > Mixed
Recommend > Yes
Buy > 5pack

Please consider the following post:
* Cohiba Behike 54
* Cohiba Genios

Humidor Update (2011 Part 1)

Sep 16

Posted by admin in Humidor Update | 8 Comments

- click on photographs -

CigarPhoto.Net is now 6+ months into cigar photography, smoking, reviewing, etc. Although we occasionally receive pre-releases from various manufacturers, 99% of what is aging in our humidors came through our personal wallet. Back in JAN2011 we unveiled this blog and our Humidors. Few months and many boxes later, humidors/coolidor are packed to gills. As I said in my Intro, cigar researching and ultimately purchasing is as equally enjoyable as cigar smoking. Attending events, participating in online forums and social media, expending circle of fellow cigar ‘aficionados’ surely didn’t help in keeping this hobby in check. I’m actively thinking about cabinet humidor purchase (Aristocrat or Avello ?) to add an extra cushion. While this is in works, please find recent bulk arrivals. There was obviously a lot of singles that were purchased / smoked immediately that were not photographed for blog’s humidor update. However, you can keep track of those purchases and experiences via Facebook Fan Page and / or Twitter. Below boxes / 5packs came through random sources: Ruben’s Smoke Stack, Federal Cigars, Fume Cigars, Hava CigarShop, Saints & Sinners, Cigar Mas Fino, and various online cigar communities. Enjoy !

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Cohiba Behike 54

Jun 16

Posted by admin in Cohiba Behike | 11 Comments

- 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