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A brief study on the effects of time and age on a cigar.
I thought I'd put away the smilies for a minute (only a minute mind), and post a review on the Cohiba 2003 DC EL for anyone with nothing better to do then read my meandering musings.
Having just re-visited this cigar after a break of nearly two years, I thought I'd post up my observations on how the effects of time and age seem to have changed and altered this cigars taste and flavour. . for anyone interested (or suffering from insomnia).
N.B. Some cigars were harmed in the making of this review. Sorry!
The latest 'casualty' came from a box I bought from an LCDH in Berlin in early 2005 after trying (and enjoying) Cohiba's previous Maduro offering, the 2001 EL Piramides.
Although the initial intention was to age them, I did what I always do and smoked one straight out of the box as a benchmark (I know, no patience). Still, it made for a most memorable and decadent evening - watching 'Cabaret' in a Berlin nightclub - pre-smoking ban (Story for another day).
Back then, I found it packed a fair wallop. Not because it was overly strong (mostly medium), but more because its size (7⅝ Inches ? 49 Ring Guage) required you to spend at least an hour and a half getting to know it (Nearer two hours for a slow smoker).
The one thing that struck me, aside from the fact that Cohiba clearly struggled producing attractive 'Maduro' wrappers back then (These, the 2001 Piramides and 2004 Sublimes were all a little 'rough' in comparison with the more recent 'Maduro 5' range), was the 'bold and brassy' nature of the flavours. Lots of bitter chocolate and coffee, leather and earth, and nearer the end, peppery spiciness.
Since then, I've smoked maybe one or two a year, with the last one being almost two years ago.
So, what about now, have the effects of time conspired to 'tame' the beast?
Well, 'Yes' . . . in a nut-shell.
It's not that I'm complaining though, I still enjoyed it just as much, but for very different reasons.
Gone are the 'in-your-face' bitter chocolate and espresso flavours, replaced instead with a 'smooth', creamy (and sweeter) milk-chocolate element. The espresso now more of a cappuccino. The spice (when it finally started to materialise - in the final third), was warmer, more like the heat you get from cinnamon or ginger than peppercorn.
One flavour new to the mix (perhaps previously drowned out), was a very pleasant 'Hazelnut' taste that remained through-out.
The saltiness, which had always been there, now worked to compliment these more subtle flavours in a way that really helped to keep the interest (Without it, I think it might have been easy to get distracted).
Once, I'd have considered this an 'after-dinner' smoke to be paired with a Cognac or Armagnac, but not now. This one I had after a light lunch and washed it down with a coffee or two - perfectly fine. I'd even recommend it to any novices looking to try out a DC sized cigar.
The downside.
Just because time has mellowed this stick doesn't mean its necessarily improved it.
It was, and still is, a good cigar (but I suspect it won't go down in history as a great one). It doesn't have the 'grassy' or 'barnyard' flavours that consumers typically associate with Cohiba or Cubans, nor can I find any way to understand (or justify) the price these things are going for.
My advice? Try one if you come across one, they're a fascinating smoke, but don't buy a box in order to do so (unless it's realistically priced).
Right, where are those smilies?
I thought I'd put away the smilies for a minute (only a minute mind), and post a review on the Cohiba 2003 DC EL for anyone with nothing better to do then read my meandering musings.
Having just re-visited this cigar after a break of nearly two years, I thought I'd post up my observations on how the effects of time and age seem to have changed and altered this cigars taste and flavour. . for anyone interested (or suffering from insomnia).
N.B. Some cigars were harmed in the making of this review. Sorry!
The latest 'casualty' came from a box I bought from an LCDH in Berlin in early 2005 after trying (and enjoying) Cohiba's previous Maduro offering, the 2001 EL Piramides.
Although the initial intention was to age them, I did what I always do and smoked one straight out of the box as a benchmark (I know, no patience). Still, it made for a most memorable and decadent evening - watching 'Cabaret' in a Berlin nightclub - pre-smoking ban (Story for another day).
Back then, I found it packed a fair wallop. Not because it was overly strong (mostly medium), but more because its size (7⅝ Inches ? 49 Ring Guage) required you to spend at least an hour and a half getting to know it (Nearer two hours for a slow smoker).
The one thing that struck me, aside from the fact that Cohiba clearly struggled producing attractive 'Maduro' wrappers back then (These, the 2001 Piramides and 2004 Sublimes were all a little 'rough' in comparison with the more recent 'Maduro 5' range), was the 'bold and brassy' nature of the flavours. Lots of bitter chocolate and coffee, leather and earth, and nearer the end, peppery spiciness.
Since then, I've smoked maybe one or two a year, with the last one being almost two years ago.
So, what about now, have the effects of time conspired to 'tame' the beast?
Well, 'Yes' . . . in a nut-shell.
It's not that I'm complaining though, I still enjoyed it just as much, but for very different reasons.
Gone are the 'in-your-face' bitter chocolate and espresso flavours, replaced instead with a 'smooth', creamy (and sweeter) milk-chocolate element. The espresso now more of a cappuccino. The spice (when it finally started to materialise - in the final third), was warmer, more like the heat you get from cinnamon or ginger than peppercorn.
One flavour new to the mix (perhaps previously drowned out), was a very pleasant 'Hazelnut' taste that remained through-out.
The saltiness, which had always been there, now worked to compliment these more subtle flavours in a way that really helped to keep the interest (Without it, I think it might have been easy to get distracted).
Once, I'd have considered this an 'after-dinner' smoke to be paired with a Cognac or Armagnac, but not now. This one I had after a light lunch and washed it down with a coffee or two - perfectly fine. I'd even recommend it to any novices looking to try out a DC sized cigar.
The downside.
Just because time has mellowed this stick doesn't mean its necessarily improved it.
It was, and still is, a good cigar (but I suspect it won't go down in history as a great one). It doesn't have the 'grassy' or 'barnyard' flavours that consumers typically associate with Cohiba or Cubans, nor can I find any way to understand (or justify) the price these things are going for.
My advice? Try one if you come across one, they're a fascinating smoke, but don't buy a box in order to do so (unless it's realistically priced).
Right, where are those smilies?
????
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