Review: Cohiba Esplendidos (2010)

[Cigar Surgeon]

This Cohiba Esplendidos from 2010 came by way of a good friend who set me up with a Cuban taster pack of sorts. He asked to remain anonymous.

Nose:

That Cuban sweetness couple with undertones of cedar. Careful examination and I pick up some hay but very faintly. The nose is quite light, very subtle.

Construction:

This Cohiba Esplendidos is from 2010, comes in a Churchill vitola and measures 7” by 47 ring gauge. The Esplendidos was originally released in 1989 and is a current production cigar. It has gone through 3 band revisions, Standard B, C and now D.

Flavor:

First Third

This Cohiba has a bit of a peppery start. There are nutty notes with a sharp finish on the tongue. As the first third progresses the pepper declines from a medium intensity down to a very low intensity.
I would describe the first third is quite savory, very smooth. After approximately 45 minutes to an hour the pepper comes back at the back of my throat.
Middle Third

The second third is still nutty and I start to taste the hay that I nosed. The hay lingers and as the middle continues it goes from light to medium intensity. The profile takes an abrupt change at the middle towards earthy and dry with some bitterness. The hay mixes in with some grassiness that sticks around post draw with the hay.
The bitterness becomes a sort of caramelized toffee as this third winds down.
Last Third

The toffee bitterness falls off to a background flavor and the nuttiness picks up strength to medium intensity.

Burn/Draw:

I did an initial v-cut and the draw was a bit tight on an unlit draw so I made a cross cut. The draw with a cross cut was great. The Cohiba Esplendidos produced significant smoke with each draw. Unfortunately the wrapper cracked in the cold weather. Total smoking time was about 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Value:

This Cohiba Esplendidos is available in singles for $33. A cardboard box of 3 cigars is approximately $76. It is also available in boxes of 25 cigars for over $600. While I’m sure they are less expensive in Cuba than in external markets, I find the pricing quite high. There are LE or Regional releases from other brands that I feel would be superior in flavor profile for less money.

Final Word:

The first third of the Cohiba Esplendidos started out really promising but I didn’t enjoy the progression through the thirds. I found the bitterness at the end of the second third that carried into the last third not to me liking. I did enjoy the Esplendidos much more than the Robusto but as I continue to review cigars I think the Esplendidos will slowly fall down the Top Cubans of 2014 list.

Link to review with gallery: http://cigarfederation.com/profiles/blogs/review-cohiba-esplendidos-2010

 

[AlohaStyle]

Thanks for the review, I like hearing opinions about the different CC's that we all enjoy. I would be careful posting prices though since you are in Canada and prices can be much higher than other countries. Pricing can be good to discuss, but with the caveat of what country you bought them in so you can benchmark. No way I would pay $33 for a single or over $600 for a box... there are many vendors out there where these can be had cheaper.

 

[Life in smoke]

Thanks for the review!

 

[sofc]

Thanks for the review.

I know that I had a box back in the mid nineties that was from the early nineties. Best cigars I've had. Might need to try again (although I know they won't be as good.)

 

[Cigar Surgeon]

Thanks for the review, I like hearing opinions about the different CC's that we all enjoy. I would be careful posting prices though since you are in Canada and prices can be much higher than other countries. Pricing can be good to discuss, but with the caveat of what country you bought them in so you can benchmark. No way I would pay $33 for a single or over $600 for a box... there are many vendors out there where these can be had cheaper.

Prices are a guideline based on the most common suppliers. In this case a large International supplier of Cuban cigars. Canadian prices would be $85+ or more for a single.

Edit:

I just checked pricing with a friend, they're going for 575CUC in Cuba (if you can even find them). If you're finding them for much cheaper I don't think you're buying legitimate Esplendidos.

 

[AlohaStyle]

Gotcha. Yeah after I made the comment I did think that was cheap for Canadian prices. lol I see where you're getting your prices from, but still, they can be had cheaper from other legit vendors.

 

[Cigar Surgeon]

Gotcha. Yeah after I made the comment I did think that was cheap for Canadian prices. lol I see where you're getting your prices from, but still, they can be had cheaper from other legit vendors.

The only other cheaper vendor I could find had them for $545 for a 25 pack. That stills makes them $22'ish each which is quite expensive. The biggest issue is availability.