Cohiba Robusto....unbelievable

What do you think about a cigar that everyone holds up as the quintessential cuban cigar that you smoke and smoke and never find one that performs up to standards?  Not fake, just not the finest cuban cigar everytime.  My experience hasn't really been hit and miss, it's been MISS.  I have not had more than about ten in my life, but I have yet to have one that just belw me away.  Well, until Thanksgiving, anyway.  I have not enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family for 4 years.  I work a go-kart race that takes place over Thanksgiving, and while I am not a big fan of Thanksgiving, nor am I a fan of driving ten hours to see family for one weekend, then turning around and doing it again in a month's time for Christmas, I do miss having this weekend to myself.  And the stress of producing all this TV content doesn't make it much better..  So in a way, I have not missed Thanksgiving.  But I have missed my family.

I was sitting on a "balcony" at a Super8 Motel on Thursday night.  I had just finished producing a 90 minute live show from the race track and I was beat from a week of doing 3 other shows live, and had two 12 hour broadcasts coming Friday and Saturday night.  I needed a REAL cigar.  So I poured myself a few fingers of Basil Hayden and rocks, and cut and lit a 2004 Cohiba Robusto.  From the first puff I knew things were about to change.  And they did.  Loads of creamy sweet tobacco flavor with cinnamon and vanilla came bursting out of the smoke.  This went on for a full inch, then the cigar began to ramp up in strength and intensity of flavor.  As I smoked away into the second inch, I was assaulted by coffee, toffee, chocolate, toasty tobacco and cuban twang like no other cigar I had ever had.  I was speechless.  Mostly because I was alone, there was no one to talk to anyway...it was a cold rainy night, I was in sock feet and I was drinking cold whiskey.  But man, what a cigar.  I knew that AHnohld loves this cigar, although as California governator, he had had to sneak around a bit to get them.  But here was a cigar that I could enjoy.  Not a movie star, not a rich man, just a man with great connections and a love of havana tobacco.  As I smoked along, I experienced a tremendous, perfect draw, burn and flavor, all in one perfect smoke.  As the cigar drew near the end, it never lost it's fantastic flavor or its ability to put a smile of disbelief on my face.  I pushed the band up and continued until it just got too cold to smoke.  I slid off the band and threw it in my shaving kit.  I wanted to remember this cigar.  I have smoked a few of these and never once had this kind of experience.  If you listen to the communist propaganda, you would think it's like this every time you light a Cohiba.  I am here to tell you that's a lot of hooey.  but THIS cigar...wow.  An easy 95 points!!!