I’m writing this completely off the cuff while I sit at my local lounge, West Coast Cigars.
The other day, I came across a Cigar Aficionado reel while scrolling through my feed. The guys were talking about expensive sticks that weren’t worth the price, then contrasting them with cigars that delivered a smoking experience far beyond what their price would suggest.
One of those was the Cohiba Rubicon.
I thought to myself, Cohiba? I’m not too sure about that. Up to that point, I hadn’t had a non-Cuban Cohiba that I liked. Red Dot? Ick. Blue? Less ick. Black? Not bad, but nothing special. But there was something about how those guys praised the Rubicon that intrigued me enough to give one a try.
So I went down to my local lounge today and grabbed a Toro off the shelf. I got settled, punched the cigar, and lit it up. Not a bad start. A little pedestrian and uninspiring, so I wasn’t expecting much.
Then I hit the first half inch, and the cigar exploded with flavor. Tropical fruit, nuts, baking spices, citrus, coffee, earth, and floral sweetness.
Holy shit!
I won’t get into the nitty-gritty because I’m going to do a formal review. But as I smoked through the rest of it, I couldn’t believe the progression. There was a remarkable range of flavors and plenty of movement, with everything working beautifully together. I especially loved what the spice did: very gentle at the start, then rising steadily all the way to the end. The body was full, with strength building from medium to medium-plus.
To say that this cigar surprised me would be an understatement.
What makes me laugh is that the Rubicon is Cohiba’s lowest-priced offering, yet it has more character than cigars I’ve smoked for three times the price. And make no mistake, its price doesn’t make it great.
It’s a great cigar that just happens to be inexpensive.
There was some real intention put into this blend, and my reaction to it is similar to the reaction I had to the Macanudo Sumatra. This can’t be a Cohiba! They’re supposed to suck! But there’s no suckage in this cigar. Far from it.
I’ve avoided non-Cuban Cohibas like the plague, but I’m so impressed by the Rubicon that I just ordered a box. At $103 from Cigar Page, it’s a no-brainer.
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