The best-selling Cuban Cigar brand in the world may be Montecristo, but the most famous is undoubtedly Cohiba. What began as Castro’s private reserve and became his gifts to visiting dignitaries has now established itself as the gold standard for Havana cigars. In the early 1990s, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ journey to The Americas, the Siglo line was created, and today offers a medium-strength expression of Cohiba flavours.
The Siglo I is the smallest in the range, at 4 inches by 40 ring gauge, and will smoke for around 25 minutes. It’s the perfect introduction to this ultimate luxury brand, as well as an excellent touch of opulence when short on time. This particular line is not quite as strong as the rest of the Cohiba portfolio, but is equally delicious.
Premium tubes are used for this most premium of brands
Construction: 9/10
- A smooth, caramel-coloured colorado wrapper, a perfect fill throughout and that famous gold band shining in the sunshine made this a very appealing cigar to the eye. Even the tube it came housed in is of an extra quality than standard Habanos, further enhancing the appeal.
Draw: 8/10
- There were points in the beginning where this cigar required a fair amount of encouragement to deliver its smoke, but this loosened up as the cigar warmed through.
Combustion: 10/10
- Burn line always dead straight, a gentle smoulder that never threatened to go too quickly, and never dying when left to rest for a moment between puffs.
The ash was fairly solid on this cigar
Ash: 4/5
- Reasonably solid and light grey in colour. Occasionally the ash became a touch flaky, but not to the real detriment of the cigar.
Smoke: 5/5
- The smoke that flowed from the cigar, despite needing a bit of extra encouragement at the start, was aromatic and thick.
Flavour: 22/25
- Lots of delicious flavours packed into this little cigar, and an impressive development when we consider the short format and relatively small amount of tobacco. The medium strength and bright mix of flavours make this an ideal mid-to-late afternoon smoke.
Overall: 31/35
- This cigar delivered exactly what we would expect from Cohiba: a little extra luxury in terms of presentation, a fine blend of flavours and excellent build and burn. Even quick cigar breaks deserve to be great ones, and this little stick is the ideal way to ensure it.
This is a truly opulent cigar for a short smoke break
Final Score: 89/100
- Cohiba cigars come with a big reputation, and pressure on each and every stick to love up to it. Thankfully, this one did. The first third was filled with cream, caramel and vanilla – like a fine butter shortbread. There was the occasional flash of a grassy sweetness to the aftertaste, but this soon dissipated as the cigar progressed. Over time the flavours warmed and matured, and by the middle third I could taste rich oak and cinnamon spice. This developed even further as the cigar entered its final third, cinnamon being replaced by nutmeg and pepper lingering on the front of the tongue after each puff. I smoked this cigar alongside a late-afternoon latte on a sunny Sunday, and was glad I did. The gentle opulence of the flavours and appearance fit the scene remarkably well.