Cohiba Behike BHK52

COHIBA BEHIKE BHK 52
4.7 x 52

The Cohiba Behike... Ahh... the name rings true with prestige, scarcity, quality. Originally the Behike name was used for the Cohiba 40th anniversary cigar, a 7.6x52 mammoth, rolled entirely by one roller, packaged in gorgeous custom humidors of 40 cigars, with only 100 humidors total being made. These cigars fetch well over $1,000 US EACH today. Starting in 2010 however, Habanos released an entirely new line of regular (albeit annually limited) production cigars under the Cohiba marca, the Behike BHK series. Available in three sizes, the BHK line makes use of the Medio Tiempo leaf, a small pair of leaves that sometimes (and not always) appear at the very top of a tobacco plant, apparently imbuing the BHK with a unique flavor element. The Medio Tiempo is a component that had fallen out of use in Cuban cigar production, often sorted in with the rest of the ligero, or discarded entirely, because it is small, and only occasionally appears on a plant. The folks responsible for the BHK came upon the medio tiempo in old blend books, and decided to reinstate it, and thus the Behike BHK was born. The BHK 52, the smallest size, was named Cigar Aficionado's cigar of the year for 2010, and has received great praise (or hype?) since coming to market in early 2010. Having just celebrated a birthday, I figured it was as good an excuse as any to light one, and give it a really close, in depth look.

This particular example of the BHK 52 features a caramel brown wrapper, with a dusting of tooth, and almost no visible veins. The flag tailed cap is beautifully, evenly applied, and the general construction, as Cohiba should be, is pretty much flawless to look at. In the hand it is fully packed, but light, firm to squeeze, but not hard. The aroma from the foot is a gentle toasty tobacco, with just a slight hay and dirt to it. The draw offers just a slight snug resistance, and tastes of hay, cream, almonds, and a very slight honey. A quick bit about the band, which is absolutely gorgeous, in its intense contrasting black and white, with beautiful gold accents and lettering, as well as the holograms which not only serve as aesthetic embellishment, but also as a counterfeiting deterrent.

Lit at 2:40pm

Right away the flavors explode on the palate, though it is not an overly strong cigar, or full in body, the tastebuds are greeted with a dark caramel and sweet hay, followed by leather, and finally a little cinnamon spice, that lingers through a long, cedar and almond finish. This particular stick may be just a TOUCH under humidified, as the wrapper seems a little delicate. The burn ran a touch for the first few draws but within about 10 minutes everything has sorted itself out to an even line. The draw is great, and smoke production is... voluminous. The finish seems to have actually gotten spicier, more heat involved, just over the course of the first third. The ash is dark, mostly black, and dense. It has held already for over an inch, and not yet fallen.

Getting near the halfway mark the mouthfeel has gotten thicker, like a fresh, whipped cream. The flavor profile has also taken on a woodier, nuttier character than was present at the beginning. There is still a sweet cream and honey on the draw, but they quickly move into a slightly tangy cedar, and roasted almond, with a cinnamon and pepper on the finish that is maybe just a little rougher around the edges than I expected. That said, these are still not very old cigars (September 2010), and Cohiba as a rule seems to benefit from at least two or three years, so I would say this is actually performing wonderfully.

Moving to the final third, things sort of ramp up a bit. The flavor profile gets darker, with caramel getting a touch burnt, the cream and honey fading, a bit of leather becoming more apparent, and the almonds getting roasted a little darker. A little dark chocolate also joins the mix for good measure seemingly, which is a nice addition, and adds some certain complexity to things. The draw remains open but firm, and smoke production continues to be outstanding. The burn line throughout the cigar has wavered at times, getting crazy for a few draws before eventually evening back out. The ash continues to hold for pretty much an entire third of the cigar at a time. The finish has gotten significantly spicier, a little bit of hot pepper, balanced by cinnamon and/or nutmeg at times, really bringing everything together.

In the end the only thing I can think is that I wish I had more of these on hand, to really be able to see where they go in a year, or three, or five. The BHK 52 is smoking beautifully right now, with a touch of youth popping up here and there, but ultimately, it already has achieved a phenomenal balance of flavor, body, and feel, and in my opinion has the potential to only get better from here. I only pray that they continue to maintain this level of quality in the future. Ended at 4pm on the dot, for a total smoke time of one hour twenty minutes. I wish that maybe it had burned slower, but it is also a little cold out today, so my finger tips are glad it is a shorter vitola.

Cohiba Siglo I

COHIBA SIGLO I
4x40 Half Corona

It is a fantastic day outside, and I have decided to smoke something sort of special to enjoy it, the Cohiba Siglo I. In all fairness, this will be my first experience with the Cuban Cohiba brand. Needless to say, I'm excited to see if this little minuto lives up to the brand name hype. The Cohiba brand is certainly one of, if not the most, well known cigar marcas to come out of Cuba. The Siglo line is a series of 6 sizes, ranging from this half corona up to the massive canonazo Siglo VI, with pretty much everything in between filling out the other 4 sizes.

This cigar features a golden caramel colored wrapper, with a fine hairy tooth all over it, and a slick oil sheen to it. The wrapper features only a fine network of veins, and no blemishes or sunspots. The construction is fantastic, featuring a well lined triple cap, and tight, straight seams. The foot offers a fine, bready toast aroma, with just a slight floral nuance, as well as a hearty tobacco scent. The cold draw is just slightly snug, and offers a wide range of subtlety, from acidic citrus and grass flavors, to smooth cream and chocolate.

Lit at 1:40pm

The Siglo I lights very easily, toasting in mere seconds, and immediately offers a big blast of smoke, and flavors of sweet cream, dark chocolate, and a touch of citrus and grass, with a dash of a spice bite on the finish. This cigar is impressively well balanced even right here at the start.

The first third brings cocoa and black coffee core flavors, with citrus and floral dashes here and there (especially through the nose), and a delicate cream undertone to everything ties it all together. The burn is fantastic, never wavering. The draw is just a hair tighter than medium, and produces massive amounts of smoke. The ash holds well for just about the entire first third, and falls, leaving a clean, straight line, in a big chunk into the ash tray.

Getting a few draws into the second third, the basic flavor profile remains the same coffee and cocoa core, with floral and citrus notes, but with the addition of a dark, woody element. The creamy texture, flavor, and overall feel to this cigar still serves to just accentuate the subtle nuances, and really set this one a bit beyond other cigars it's size, which in many cases just do not have time to achieve this sort of complexity. The spicy finish initially present sort of comes and goes, never lingering for long, but popping in just to make sure you are still paying attention every once in a few draws.

In the final third, the only real change is that the stick starts to get a little hot which is likely just due to the size, ring gauge specifically. The burn and draw have remained consistently great throughout, and the flavor profile, while not changing a whole lot, has retained a level of complexity that I have never gotten, and never expected to get, from a cigar of this vitola.

Ended at 2:40, for a total smoke time of an hour. This, admittedly, was smoking pretty slowly, likely slower than many people would smoke a cigar of this size.

Perhaps the only real downside to this cigar is the cost. At 7 or 8 dollars each, they are a bit steep for the size, and resulting smoke time. For me personally, however, the vitola is actually one of my favorites, and the cost is worth it to have some of these on hand for when I want something special, but small.