Cohiba Robusto 2009

Most people who know habanos say that it is a waste of a good cigar to smoke a Cohiba before it's passed it's 5th birthday, and I am with them for the most part.  But real curiousity wells up now and again, as well as a recognition that reading the impressions of others often compels one to try a cigar a bit early.  And so it was with this Cohiba Robusto.  That and a ragged foot.  When I see a cigar damaged like that, I think about how little is lost in turning it to ash.  And how much is to be gained. 

It lit up with some effort, because while breaking one rule, I see no harm in breaking another.  I could dry this one out overnight and let it come up to a more combustible state.  But I often wonder when I smoke a dried cigar, dried on purpose, and it is less than spectacular, if I wasted it by believing so devoutly in my maxim, 'a dry havana is the best-tasting havana.'  So I smoked it up right out of the cabinet, moist and generating all manner of funky barnyard aromas.  It was a dark, deep, rich brown, perfectly rolled, but slightly split at the foot.  It is firm and without any soft spots. 

The first impressions are of brute strength and sweet, honeyed nuance.  It is a dense and rich smoke with a short finish, with hints of toffee and cream.  It burns with a ragged, scalloped edge, and requires a difficult smoking technique.  I have to sip the smoke, barely breathing in to harvest all of the beautiful subtlety, but occcasionally giving it a good hard puff to keep it burning.  This requires a good bit of purging to keep the smoke delicate and cool, but it is worth it.  How such a strong cigar can give up such light and delicious flavor is a wonderful thing to behold.  It is a real powerhouse and makes a hot bath a true Friday night treat.  And for once, I did not let the stick roll off the edge of the tub and into the water. A flat edge on the tub would be better for the dodgy chances one must take.  But a round edge keeps both the lit end and the portion I must put into my mouth away from the porcelain.  I think that's best.

As the cigar burns down past halfway, the power really picks up.  A daunting prospect considering the strength it displayed from the outset. Yikes.  But in a good way.  The finish turns a bit to wine and tobacco, with a first appearance of the grassy flavors that the brand is known for.   There is little of the honey sweetness and the sweet element is more of molasses. 

At this point it begins to go out after every 15 or twenty puffs, and with barely 1/4 inch to go before the band, I let it go to it's end with no hard feelings or sadness.  But there is a great deal of cold sweat and a touch of queasiness.  This cigar has real power.  Delicious, scary power.  A fine cigar that I have no trouble awarding a 92.  Well done.  The rest will have to wait at least a year before I revisit them.  It will be worth the wait, it's clear.