Cohiba Red Dot

Purchased: 5-pack Churchill (7 X 49)
Store: Cigars International
Price: $16.66 on a special (normally $103.25)
Buy again? On the fence…
Experience Rating: 80 (and honestly, this might be generous)

I’ll just say it: When you buy Cohiba, you pay for the name. The Red Dot is good. It’s a very pleasant smoke. But I’d take an Oliva Serie O or G, a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 or Alec Bradley The Lineage over this stick any day.

Maybe it’s the Cameroon wrapper. It’s spicy. I guess I’m not one for spicy cigars. I love chocolately Maduro wrappers and adore the sweetness of Corojo wrappers. But spicy? I don’t enjoy as much.

Like I said, it’s a good smoke. I had to relight it a few times, but I think it may have been a little moist. The quality is what I’d expect from a Cohiba, but I realize now that there’s a lot of hype surrounding the name.

Update 10/18/23: I’ve let the others sit in my humidor for a month now and the flavor has improved greatly. Oak, cedar, toast, a little spice. The mouthfeel is so much smoother than the original. So, without a doubt, this stick requires a bit of laying-down time. But even so, it’s still unremarkable. I’d smoke a Cargo or Cusano M1 over this any day, and I can get those much cheaper. But like I said, it’s not a bad smoke, it’s just okay.