Tweet
Cohiba Double Corona 2003 LE
Size: 194mm x 49 ? Prominente
Smoke time: 1 hour 30 mins
Box date: Presumably 2003. Gifted cigar from that generous hombre of cigar nobility and self appointed Defender of the Cuban Faith ? El Catador.
Note: I received this cigar, and accepted at face value that it was a Cohiba LE, but it was El Cat that gave it to me, and he has been known to be mischievous on occasion, so it could just as easily have been something he bought from a cousin of ?Carlos the cabby? and was rolled in the back streets of Panama.
This review is my keeping my promise so that Cat can get another persons view on the current smoking from his box and to help him judge how or if aging has altered this vitola.
However after a careful inspection which revealed no trace of glass shards and a preliminary sniff that detected no hint of banana I was sufficiently satisfied that the cigar was in fact a Cohiba LE, and even managed to throw off the suspicion that my benefactor would be sat sitting from somewhere Northern with a big Cheshire grin on his face knowing I?d self-deluded myself into making a cigar-dupes review.
Appearance: Rich brown, slightly rustic wrapper carrying some fairly prominent raised veins. (The wrapper colour is slightly darker and slightly courser textured than the Siglo?s). The double bands appeared loose, but for this smoke I?d taken the LE from my 69? humi and kept it for a week in a dry box which might explain that a bit.
Construction: The cigar was slightly yielding with no knots or hard spots. The pre-draw was gently resistive and left a sweet taste on the lips, however on cutting the cap the wrapper at the head began to unravel and my Torcedor glue mend meant I had to delay the smoke by 20mins while it dried. No real burn or draw problems whatsoever, once lit the burn started perfectly straight and never deviated. The mid-grey ash was compact and firm and needed few tap-offs (see photos). No re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma from the head was light barnyard over tobacco, the aroma from the foot was a much more intense version of the same.(And given I had 20mins to enjoy it I made the most of it!). First inhale and yes she?s Cuban. A fresh apple taste at the same time both sweet and sour and deliciously refreshing. A fuff or two in and sweet/sour fruitiness was joined by a taste that I?m going to describe as fresh ?alive? compost (You need to be a gardener who makes their own to understand what I mean). Nearing the end of the first third compost taste changed to became more haylike, while the sweet/sour fruit notes dominanted the smoke. Progressing into the second third the flavours become more rounded and woodier ? but still with the underlying sweet and soured fruit base ? the tobacco strength at this point I will catagorise as being light, and to my mind never went further than light/medium even at the nub. Prior to the final third I began to pick up some sour lemon followed by sour plum flavour. In the final third the general sour/sweet fruitlike flavour became woodier, deeper and a little more caramalised.
Overall: This cigar was a ?size? step up for me and initially I was a little daunted by it. However, I found it to be a bit of a gentle giant. It?s light, refreshing and a very good tasteing afternoon?s smoke. It wasn?t very complex nor progressive, the flavour though delicious was pretty linear. I found this a very easy to smoke cigar as the nicotine strength was almost non-existant and would have no problem with recommending one to a beginner or anyone wanting to try one.
Size: 194mm x 49 ? Prominente
Smoke time: 1 hour 30 mins
Box date: Presumably 2003. Gifted cigar from that generous hombre of cigar nobility and self appointed Defender of the Cuban Faith ? El Catador.
Note: I received this cigar, and accepted at face value that it was a Cohiba LE, but it was El Cat that gave it to me, and he has been known to be mischievous on occasion, so it could just as easily have been something he bought from a cousin of ?Carlos the cabby? and was rolled in the back streets of Panama.
This review is my keeping my promise so that Cat can get another persons view on the current smoking from his box and to help him judge how or if aging has altered this vitola. However after a careful inspection which revealed no trace of glass shards and a preliminary sniff that detected no hint of banana I was sufficiently satisfied that the cigar was in fact a Cohiba LE, and even managed to throw off the suspicion that my benefactor would be sat sitting from somewhere Northern with a big Cheshire grin on his face knowing I?d self-deluded myself into making a cigar-dupes review.
Appearance: Rich brown, slightly rustic wrapper carrying some fairly prominent raised veins. (The wrapper colour is slightly darker and slightly courser textured than the Siglo?s). The double bands appeared loose, but for this smoke I?d taken the LE from my 69? humi and kept it for a week in a dry box which might explain that a bit.
Construction: The cigar was slightly yielding with no knots or hard spots. The pre-draw was gently resistive and left a sweet taste on the lips, however on cutting the cap the wrapper at the head began to unravel and my Torcedor glue mend meant I had to delay the smoke by 20mins while it dried. No real burn or draw problems whatsoever, once lit the burn started perfectly straight and never deviated. The mid-grey ash was compact and firm and needed few tap-offs (see photos). No re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma from the head was light barnyard over tobacco, the aroma from the foot was a much more intense version of the same.(And given I had 20mins to enjoy it I made the most of it!). First inhale and yes she?s Cuban. A fresh apple taste at the same time both sweet and sour and deliciously refreshing. A fuff or two in and sweet/sour fruitiness was joined by a taste that I?m going to describe as fresh ?alive? compost (You need to be a gardener who makes their own to understand what I mean). Nearing the end of the first third compost taste changed to became more haylike, while the sweet/sour fruit notes dominanted the smoke. Progressing into the second third the flavours become more rounded and woodier ? but still with the underlying sweet and soured fruit base ? the tobacco strength at this point I will catagorise as being light, and to my mind never went further than light/medium even at the nub. Prior to the final third I began to pick up some sour lemon followed by sour plum flavour. In the final third the general sour/sweet fruitlike flavour became woodier, deeper and a little more caramalised.
Overall: This cigar was a ?size? step up for me and initially I was a little daunted by it. However, I found it to be a bit of a gentle giant. It?s light, refreshing and a very good tasteing afternoon?s smoke. It wasn?t very complex nor progressive, the flavour though delicious was pretty linear. I found this a very easy to smoke cigar as the nicotine strength was almost non-existant and would have no problem with recommending one to a beginner or anyone wanting to try one.
Thank you.
I think, from your thoughts, that I shall only get around to smoking one of these if I work out how to distract the guys at JJF whilst I pilfer one... 
Comment