When I started to go through my notes for this review, I was torn about what to call this cigar in the title. Around the world, this cigar has been known as the ‘Cohiba Red Dot’ since the mid 1990s. The fact is, from a pure brand name perspective, it is simply called ‘Cohiba’ so I decided to stick with that. Even among people who don’t enjoy premium cigars, the name Cohiba is still known around the world. Also, the look of the band is iconic, and these cigars can still be found at a wide variety of shops around the United States and beyond. Because this cigar has been on the market so long, it is not uncommon to find these cigars with a significant amount of age on store shelves. The samples that I bought for this review seemed to have a few years on them.
In addition to the Robusto size reviewed here, Cohiba ‘Red Dot’ is also available in a wide variety of vitolas ranging from a 3.875 x 24 Minituras, to a 7 x 49 Churchill.
Cohiba Robusto
MSRP: $19.00
Size: 5 x 49
Origin: General Cigar Dominicana (Dominican Republic)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Jember (Indonesia)
Filler: Piloto Cubano (Dominican Republic)
Prologue
The cigar has a dry, almost papery texture to the light brown wrapper. There is very little tooth, with no visible oil sheen. The texture of the wrapper is characterized by numerous, albeit diminutive, vein structures. The foot smells of cedar and leather, while the wrapper mainly has a dry grass aroma.
Act I
I am surprised to get a relatively pronounced slap of black pepper spice at the beginning, but that subsides quickly. Within a few puffs, I get a little bit of a sweet note in the background, with foreground flavors and aromas like leather and roasted pecans. The retrohale has an almost metallic kind of mineral quality, with a little sweet finish.
Act II
The core flavors remain, but they are augmented and somewhat intensified. Along with the roasted nuts, I get a little bit of charred wood and some earthiness. There are some hints in the background that almost approach something like cinnamon, but it never really lands anywhere. I do still get a few aromas of leather here and there, as well. The retrohale is a little spicier now, still with some sweetness and light mineral quality.
Act III
The end of this cigar has some ramped up peppery spices, and some more of that leather. There is also a little sour bitterness more than sweetness, although some is still there. I still get aromas of roasted nuts and earthiness, and little hints of sweetness. The retrohale is now quite spicy, and mostly earth and pepper.
Epilogue
As I mentioned in the introduction of this article, if you have purchased more than 10 premium cigars in the last 20 years, chances are one of them was a Cohiba. It it popular around the world, and over the years the people behind the brand have worked hard to evolve the brand with new blends, new looks, and a fair amount of swagger. That is good for the premium cigar culture as a whole. As for the cigars I purchased for this review, they were good. I was neither blown away, nor disappointed. But as I already mentioned, these cigars were most likely a few years old and that probably did play a factor. That ends up being a real-world evaluation because a lot of shops will have older Cohiba cigars on the shelf. If you enjoy mild-medium cigars with a core flavor profile of nuttiness, earthiness, and a tiny hint of sweetness, this is one you should try. If you haven’t had one in many rears, revisit it. Maybe a fresh perspective will bring this cigar back into your weekly rotation.
Cohiba Robusto – How Bout That Cigar?
Rating: How Bout Try One?
Overall Score: 80
PAD: -2.0 (What is PAD?)
Flavor Summary: Roasted Nuts, Earth, Leather, Wood
Strength Assessment: Mild-Medium
Source: Cigars for this review were purchased by HBT Media LLC