Save Your Money - Good Alternatives Abound
Written: Oct 12 '04 (Updated Oct 12 '04)
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Pros: Consistent flavor and performance. Well made.
Cons: The $12.60 price per stick.
The Bottom Line: Shop around. Priced about 100% over its competition. A good cigar, but expensive and there are plenty of good alternatives.
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| 4-1-1's Full Review: Cohiba Corona Especiale |
The cigar I smoked last night had been knocking around in my humidor for the past year: The Cohiba Corona Especiale.
This Cohiba (aka "Cohiba Red Dot") was handmade at the General Cigar Dominicana factory in Santiago, the Dominican Republic, by Diaz y Cia for the General Cigar Company (www.cigarworld.com), one of the largest cigar producers/marketers in the world. Be forewarned that the Dominican Cohiba (a.k.a. "Cohiba Red Dot") is not the same thing as the Cuban brand. The Cohiba cigars that one can legally purchase in the United States are manufactured in the Dominican Republic (by the General Cigar Corporation), which company registered the brand name in the U.S. sometime in the early 1980's.
Production: Measures 6½ inches in length with a ring gauge of 42 (42/64ths of an inch in diameter. The wrapper is a dark brown African Cameroon, the binder is Mexican, and the filler blend is Dominican.
Appearance: The head is fixed with a flagleaf that is tied in a pigtail. The foot is cut and neatly trimmed. The wrapper is tightly wound and sheaths a densely packed body that contains a filler blend that is sandwiched folded. Overall construction is excellent. The wrapper has a rich, dark color similar to deeply roasted coffee beans, and the leaf's texture is fairly smooth.
Aroma: The unlit cigar features a rich cedar wood smell complimented with aromas of dried black fruit, dry violet petal, and... then there is a slightly off-putting suggestion of resin or turpentine.
Flavor & Performance: This Cohiba is a medium-bodied cigar and my smoke featured a consistently smooth and easy draw. The burn was even (although fairly hot, burning with a red-hot core), and the filler tobacco burned cleanly, yielding a soft gray ash. I conditioned this cigar in my humidor for a year before smoking. I cigar lasted a good 50-55 minutes, yielding flavors of wood, leather and mild black coffee.
Price and Availability: Available from Thompson Cigar (thompsoncigar.com) for $315 per box of 25 ($12.60 each, or in the sampler five-pack for $68 ($13.60 each). I purchased at JR Cigars (jrcigars.com), where a box of 25 is currently offered at $168.75 ($6.75).
Verdict: I give this cigar fairly high marks for appearance (17/20), and very good marks for flavor (34/40) and performance (35/40). My overall score of 86 -- 4 stars. Would pair nicely with a cup of coffee or a Black Russian (Kahlua and Vodka).
Recommendations: For something slightly milder, consider the Partagas Limited Reserve Royale (6¾ x 43 ring gauge; about $10 apiece from JR Cigars), or the Macanudo Vintage 1997 No. 2 (6-2/3 inches x 43 ring gauge; about $7 apiece from JR Cigars). I purchased all these cigars (the Cohiba, Partagas, & Macanudo) from JR Cigars as part of their "Connoisseur's Selection" sampler.
Other Corona-sized cigars that I've tried and recommend:
♥ H. Upmann 1844 Corona -- about $62 per box of 25... what a deal!
Macanudo Vintage III - 1993
Macanudo Cafe Duke of Devon
Macanudo Cafe Hampton Court
Recommended:
Yes
Cigar Name: Cohiba Corona Especiale
Cigar Rating: Better than most
Price per cigar ($US): about $12
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Epinions.com ID:
4-1-1
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Member: Tom Carr
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 1090
Trusted by: 690 members
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