Origin : Cuba
Factory Name : Lonsdale
Size : 170 x 17.07 mm
Ring : 43
Weight : 11.86 g
Hand-Made
Price : ~$15 each

Partagas 8-9-8 was one of my major discoveries in 2010; I found it so good that I even decided to integrate it into my best Cubans of the year list. After releasing the list I decided to take one every month from the 2008 box I had. I felt that it was the perfect cigar to relax and think about what would the next month bring. One year later, I almost finished the box and the Partagas 8-9-8 is again among the best smokes I had this year.

Appearance : 
This cigar has a 5-star presentation, I have rarely seen such an oily wrapper covered by small quantities of plume. Not too hard to the touch and slightly bumpy, it exhales an irresistible sour (barnyard) smell.

Construction : 
Although the pre-draw was usually tight, none of the cigars were plugged. On a couple of sticks from the box the draw was tighter than usual, but no big deal. On the other hand, last time that I talked to a seller in my B&M, he told me the construction can be hit or miss on these ones. A good idea may be to open the box before buying if you have a chance to do this.

Flavor : 
The pre-draw is pleasant and announces some spice with butter notes. Time to light the cigar! It’s rather easy, thanks to a small ring gauge. First puffs are not that powerful, but the flavors soon become much more complex (lovely leather and spice notes). The intensity is growing as well, although retrohaling remains possible. The second third is very well balanced, with earthy flavors trying to dominate the bouquet and offering a very rich smoking experience. There is also some subtle sweetness in the second third, something close to cocoa and chocolate. The “sweet spot” is at the beginning of the last third, where the cigar is nothing short of full-bodied and the mix is very rich in terms of flavor. The finish continues to deliver, a dram of Scotch might be a good idea at this point.

Value : 
Partagas 8-9-8 is not a cheap cigar by any means, but considering the format and the smoking time (around 1 hour 20 minutes in my case), this is not too expensive either. I’m currently hunting a pre-2007 box to see whether they can be any better than this.

Overall Rating : 
This is an excellent cigars for these long evenings where you can find an hour and a half just for yourself. These occasions are very precious for me and I always want to have a reliable cigar to help me plan things for the month ahead.

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• Trinidad Robusto T
• Partagas Shorts
• Montecristo No. 5
• Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios
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Origin : Cuba
Format : Robusto
Size : 4.8 x 50
Ring : 50
Hand-Made
Price : ~$13-15 each

Trinidad Robusto T was introduced in 2009 to finally offer a robusto vitola within the Trinidad line. As soon as some lucky ones started getting their hands on these sticks, positive reviews flooded the cigar press. At the same time, Montecristo Open were getting high marks in cigar publications all over the world, to be literally destroyed both in the blogosphere and on cigar forums a couple of weeks later. So, is this another “Open” or a true success?

Appearance : 
This Trinidad looks fantastic. The light brown wrapper has elegant thin veins running all over it. The triple cap with an accurate pig-tail is easily removed, opening an easy, peppery pre-draw. The cigar exhales a delicate aroma with a touch of sweetness.

Construction : 
The Robusto T is well-packed, has a perfect weight in hand and feels good in the mouth after the gigantic 54 ring-gauge RyJ Duke. It produces excellent amounts of smoke thanks to a comfortable draw with a little resistance. The burn was razor-sharp in the first third but required a couple of corrections after that. The ash easily held for over 2 inches and I was very reluctant to let it go.

Flavor : 
The very first pulls show that the tobacco is perfectly mature – there is no greenness at all. The first third is characterized by flavors of black pepper and cedar, with nutmeg as a secondary flavor. Despite an obvious power, the retro-haling reveals some sweetness. The smoke, abundant, has an exquisite toasted aroma and feels profound and smooth. In the second third, the flavors evolve, some bitter chocolate is added to the bouquet. Smooth, smooth, smooth. As I approach the last third, I reach what I called in my notes the ‘critical point’. In fact, for a few minutes the cigar appeared to lose its creaminess and I sadly noticed some obvious harshness in it. Fortunately, this didn’t last long and the smoke became even more delicious than before, thick, full-bodied and velvety. The bouquet is extremely deep and complex with the already mentioned flavors plus some animal notes. Make sure you slow down a little near the finish. Needless to say, I smoked this cigar until my fingers burned.

Value : 
It’s hard to judge the value of such a great cigar. Yes, it’s probably the most expensive robusto of the moment, but it’s also one of the best ones.

Overall Rating : 
A solid box purchase for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will make sure to stock up on these. Trinidad Robusto T is a serious candidate for the #1 Cuban cigar I smoked this year, despite the fact that the RASS, last year’s winner, continues to show great performance. This will be a tough decision!

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• Partagas Shorts
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Origin : Cuba
Format : Petit Corona (Perla)
Size : 102 x 15.87 mm
Ring : 42
Weight : 5.91 g
Hand-Made
Price : 6.30€/each

The tiny Montecristo No. 5 pleasantly surprised me. I discovered great taste variations in this 30-minutes smoke – I don’t know how they managed to pack all of these flavors in such a short stick, but I am sure happy they did.

 Appearance : 

Modest appearance, very similar to other small Montecristos. Had some very nice plume on it, which means that the cigar was properly aged (I felt it).

Construction : 
Very well constructed, I experienced a satisfying draw, an even burn and rich clouds of white smoke.

Flavor : 
The very beginning was very spicy (too spicy for my taste) and a bit harsh, but things changed after a couple of minutes of smoking. The flavor smoothed out and only a little of the spiciness was left, transforming the Montecristo No. 5 into a very light and mild cigar. By the end of the second third, notes of cocoa and roasted coffee were progressively added to the bouquet, which made it extremely delicious. A shame the last third was too short

Value : 
Montecristo No. 5 is expensive considering its small format, but is worth it.

Overall Rating : 
A great cigar to be smoked at any moment of the day. If you have a short break, go for it – 25-30 minutes and you’re done, happy and satisfied.

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Origin : Cuba
Format : Robusto
Size : 140 x 20.64 mm
Ring : 52
Wrapper : Maduro aged 5 years
Hand-Made
Price : ~18€ each

I’m bringing you something special today. Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios, a custom robusto-sized cigar introduced in 2007, is indeed an elite treat. At over $20 each, it is not an everyday smoke (well, at least for me) and I only reward myself with one on very important occasions.

Appearance : 
They simply say “smoke me”. The wrapper, obtained after 5 years of natural fermentation (it is darker in color than most Cuban wrappers as only the upper leaves of the plant are used), is oily and immediately indicates the potential of this cigar. The pre-draw is very rich and essentially woody.

Construction : 
At this price point, I’d hate to find an unsmokeable cigar. Fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint. The draw is never too tight although slight variations are possible. The same can be said about the burn – no correction is needed but the burn line is not always 100% straight.

Flavor : 
Full-bodied from the very beginning, the Genios slowly deploys heavy flavors of dark wood and fallen leaves with entertaining peppery shots. The second third is less nervous and the spice is more present. The balance is perfectly respected. The finish is very soothing despite the lack of evolution. As you can see, the aromatic complexity is not why I love this cigar so much. I love it because the flavors that are there are very rich and profound, just as I like them.

Value : 
The price is quite prohibitive, truth to be said. I can’t afford more than 3-5 per year; however I don’t feel the need to smoke this kind of cigar daily – I prefer refreshing my memory from time to time and seeing whether my opinion changes. So far, it has not.

Overall Rating : 
While I can’t give it the highest grade because of the price point, I still think that the Cohiba Genios is a must-try cigar. Power and elegance at the same time, this cigar is truly seducing.

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• Trinidad Robusto T
• Partagas Shorts
• Partagas 8-9-8
• Montecristo No. 5
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Origin : Cuba
Factory Name : Petit Corona (Minutos)
Size : 110 x 16.67 mm
Ring : 42
Weight : 7.46 g
Hand-Made
Box code : OCT 2007
Price : ~$6-8 each

Partagas Shorts is an interesting small vitola, another good fit for cold winter months. Although the factory name is minuto, don’t expect to finish it in less than half an hour – if you take it slowly as I’d recommend you will need around 40 minutes to fully enjoy one. Behind an unobtrusive appearance hides a surprisingly rich flavor profile.

Appearance : 
The Shorts sport a typical Partagas-color wrapper with rare imperfections. The cigar itself is very hard to the touch and box-pressed. It has a very faint tobacco smell. The pre-draw is on the tighter side, mostly woody.

Construction : 
The cigar allows a clean cut and is easy to light with just one wooden match (I usually use two on bigger sizes). Although the draw is, as I expected given the very hard physical aspect, quite tight, the amount of produced smoke is satisfying. The burn is very slow and self-correcting, requiring no touch-ups.

Flavor : 
The beginning is very tonic, I feel a lot of spice coupled with wood. The power is in the background. The first third contains more spice than necessary, I attenuated it by pairing the cigar with a sweet latte – the mix is delicious. In the second third, one might find vanilla, honey and chocolate flavors – regrettably, they are hard to make out as the main flavors, spice and wood, are really strong. As the second third arrives to its end, the woody notes become a bit dry and a risk of harshness is present. The power is perceptible. Spice returns in the last third, making it more balanced.
I noticed that (as it is often the case) the flavor is very different depending on the age of cigars. In the “Overall” section I posted my thoughts on aging process for Partagas Shorts - scroll down.

Value : 
They can be found at $5 per stick if bought in cabinets of 50. Try a few and if you are satisfied it might be an interesting solution.

Overall Rating : 
Overall, it’s a decent cigar. It needs to be properly aged however to be fully enjoyed – what I suggest is to try one from the box every 2-3 weeks and as soon as the excessive spice/wood mellow out and you are able to find delicious honey, chocolate (and even nutty) flavors, work on the box before it’s too late.

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Origin : Cuba
Format : Petit Robusto
Size : 119 (4.7”) x 20.64 mm
Ring : 52
Hand-Made
Price : $40+ each

On my last visit to the local shop, I just couldn’t resist. I must admit that if I didn’t have a cigar blog, I would have probably passed on it. Spending over $40 on a single cigar is not among my habits. However, this is a Cohiba, this is a Behike (it used to be the most expensive cigar in the world a few years ago!) and I have a way to tell thousands of cigar aficionados how it smokes – and this makes it worth the price.

Cohiba Behike was (re)released in 2010 during the XII Festival del Habano. The term Behike was first found in a travel note written somewhere in the 16th century and it designated a tribal chief. The characteristic feature of this cigar is the use of “medio tiempo” leaves in the blend. These rare upper leaves which are supposed to receive more sun light are expected to add a distinct taste to the cigar. According to Habanos, this is the reason why Behikes will be produced in very limited quantities every year.

Presented in black lacquered boxes of 10, three vitolas are available: Cohiba Behike 52 (Petit Robusto, 4.7 x 52), Cohiba Behike 54 (Robusto Extra, 5.7 x 54) and the giant jaw-breaker Cohiba Behike 56 (Double Robusto, 6.5 x 56). Today, I will be tasting the Cohiba Behike 52.

Appearance : 
This was one of the reason I couldn’t leave the cigar shop without it.Cohiba Behike looks extremely good, sporting a silky, shiny wrapper with very thin veins. The pigtail is accurate and immediately makes me think about a Trinidad Robusto T, close in size. The band, specifically designed for this blend, has two security holograms and is also pretty impressive.

Construction : 
A look at the foot immediately indicates that this cigar is crafted by someone who knows what he (or she) is doing. No soft spots whatsoever; I think that this is the kind of cigar where one can forget about construction issues.

Flavor : 
The wrapper exhales a pleasant smell of barnyard. After reluctantly cutting the pigtail, I discover a round pre-draw with notes of grass and hay. The resistance is perfect. The first pulls bring a delicate spiciness with a sweet background. I am tempted to say that at this moment the cigar is medium-bodied. It definitely has the trademark Cohiba flavors that one can found in the Cohiba Robusto, for example, but they seem to be (much) more elegant. As I approach the end of the first third, the – very ample – smoke becomes creamier and creamier. It is considerably less sweet and starts to develop leathery and woody flavors, just as much as needed. The bouquet is moderately complex at the half point.Cohiba Behike significantly gains in complexity in the last third, which offers balanced flavors of earth, bitter chocolate and just a bit of leather. Of course, I am smoking it to the nub.

Value : 
Well… Cohiba first created the Maduro 5 series which was already way too expensive. With Behike, Habanos is aiming even higher. I can’t approve spending that much money on a cigar, even though it’s a great one.

Overall Rating : 
Was it a good cigar? Yes. Was it a great one? Definitely. Will I get a box of these? Probably not. Due to the price and the bling-bling appearance (box) I have a feeling that these cigars are either made for novice aficionados (I do think that their flavor profile can be enjoyed by newbies) with unlimited budgets or for being gifted and/or received as a gift. Make sure you let your friends know about this release a couple of weeks before your birthday…

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