Cigars.ie

Cohiba Sublime Extra

A couple of months ago, I wrote a preview of the Cohiba Sublime Extra, the vitola featured in the 2008 Habanos Collection Series, or Habanos Book. It was only a few days later that the guys from cigarone.com offered me a single stick for a full tasting review. I happily accepted the offer and received this beautiful cigar after a short while. After sitting in the humidor for six weeks, resting from its journey, while I was waiting in vain for a sunny day, I felt it was time to give it a try.

The Sublime Extra is one impressive cigar, a model of craftsmanship. The wrapper feels silky and oily and has some smooth veins and wrinkles. It is very well rolled, without any knots or soft spots throughout its huge 7.2″ of length. Delicious strong aromas of honey are present on the foot of the cigar, while wood and citrus are present on the -almost one inch wide- foot.

The cigar lights up easily. The draw is as good as it can get; decent amount of resistance, with plenty of thick, creamy smoke delivered. The cigar burns evenly and consistently. It tastes like a good aged Cohiba, with complex and intense flavours. Freshly cut grass hits your palette on the first third, along with hints of wood and sweet fruits. The cool, fresh finish of the cigar, along with its medium body, makes you smoke it quite fast.

Half an hour after lighting the cigar, you get into the second third. The tastes become more intense and the sweetness and freshness turns into spiciness. Being more complex, the cigar urges you to slow down your smoking pace and couple of sips on your favorite drink. Spices and pepper take the stage and the cigar turns into full bodied.

Towards the end, the cigar hits its sweetspot. The texture is more creamy and thick than before and the flavors are more intense and complex. Pepper and spices, fruits and grass, wood, earth and leather, all well balanced, are some of the flavors I could identify. Full bodied, the last third requires slow smoking pace; it took me an hour and 1ten minutes before reaching the last inch and getting too hot. Two hours and 45 minutes after lighting the cigar, I finally put it to rest.

Definitely, a cigar for the experienced smoker who has the gut to withstand the full body and the intensity of the flavors. A must have before smoking the cigar is a good meal and a refreshing drink. The rarity of the cigar makes the smoking experience unique. A great smoke, so similar to other Cohibas, and yet so different from everything else I have smoked.

The high price tag brings high anticipation for this cigar, and I can honestly say that I would have expected slightly more from it. Maybe some richer texture and some more complexity. This should take anything from the whole experience and I can only rate it with 5 stars in the relevant category. I would feel it is unfair to rate this cigar value. It’s high price is justified by its rarity and collectivity. Like all Habanos Books, it is expected to rise rapidly over the next few years. A big thank you to the guys from cigarone.com for giving me the opportunity to review this unique cigar. They are still in stock so grab them before they are gone!