Cigars.ie

Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva vs. Cohiba Siglo VI 2003

In the 11th Habanos festival, the latest addition of the Reserva line was launced; the Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva. The Siglo VI Gran Reserva was rolled with aged tobacco that was harvested in 2003. The cigar was first seen and smoked during the Gala dinner, where every attendant was gifted two cigars in a lacquered presentation box. The first impressions of the cigar were overwhelming, some going as far as describing it as one of the best cigars to come out of the island. When the cigar was released to the market, the reviews were more conservative, describing it as  the smoothest and richest Cohiba to ever been made.

But how would the Grand Reserva size up to a regular Cohiba Siglo VI from 2003? Would the 7 years of aging give the 2003 Siglo VI an advantage, or would the cream of the 2003 crop make the Gran Reserva a winner? We put the two cigars in the test to find out which one is better.

Appearance and Construction
2003 Cohiba Siglo VI 14/15
Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva 15/15

Both cigars look the par! I could not find anything that was not perfect on the Siglo VI Gran Reserva. The chocolate brown wrapper, the oily and smooth feel, the absence of any wrinkles or prominent veins, make this cigar a masterpiece. The 03 Siglo VI inevitably looses the first battle, not by far, mainly because of the wrapper quality. Both cigars are well constructed, with a firm bunch and a good prelight draw. The wrapper on the 03 Siglo VI has a sweet earthy taste and alight coffee aroma, while the Siglo VI Gran Reserva has a beautiful scent of wood and earth and a sweet flavour.

Draw & Burn
2003 Cohiba Siglo VI 24/25
Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva 23/25

Surprisingly the 03 Siglo VI manages to pull this one off… The draw is flawless all the way through and the cigar does not go off at all. The ash is solid, dark grey in colour with a yellow hue and stays on the cigar until it reaches an inch in length. The burn is even all the way through and the combustion is complete, with the cigar delivering an ample amount of smoke with a think and creamy finish.

On the other hand, the Siglo VI Gran Reserva is not far from its older brother. It draws well, delivering slightly less volume of smoke than the 03 Siglo VI. The burn is a tad uneven, without causing any problems and it is only at the end that the cigar needs to be relit only once. The ash is solid and dark grey and the finish is long and sweet.

Flavour & Body
2003 Cohiba Siglo VI 22/25
Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva 23/25

Interestingly, the two cigars are very very different. While the 03 Siglo VI is a typical Cohiba, spicy, earthy and strong, the Siglo VI Gran Reserva is super smooth and refind, lacking some strength; until the last third.

The 03 Siglo VI starts as you would expect from a premium Cohiba; medium to full body and strong flavours of earth and spicies, with a long and creamy finish. On the second third the cigar turns into full bodies and becomes more complex. Vanilla and wood are closely following the spicy and earthy dominant flavours in a well balanced outcome. Towards the end, the 03 Siglo VI is even stronger and more complex. Cedar and caramel are only some of the new flavours appearing on the last third, with earth and spicies still dominating. A delicious cigar for the smoker that prefers a strong and spicy cigar.

The Siglo VI Gran Reserva starts off completely different. Medium strength and body and very mellow and sweet flavours. Sweet honey dominates, with tobacco, wood and earth following and a long and sweet finish. On the second third, the body does not change. It remains medium but presents an unparalleled complexity. The flavours of the first third are still present, followed by nuts and liquorish. I could be going on for pages about the flavours that it reminded me of during the second third. On the last third, the cigar explodes and from medium body it turns into full. Sheer power that made me break a sweat. The flavours described earlier were amplified towards the end and the cigar became slightly hot.

Overall Impression
2003 Cohiba Siglo VI 32/35
Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva 34/35

Although the two Siglo VI’s share the same name, they are two completely different cigars. The ‘03 is a very strong and flavourfull cigar from end to end, while the Gran Reserva is as mellow as a cigar can be. The  explosion towards the end took me by surprise, as nothing was indicating that in the first and second third. If this strength was equally divided in the whole length of the cigar and if there was a little more spiciness, the Siglo VI Gran Reserva could easily move up close to 100 points.

TOTAL
2003 Cohiba Siglo VI 92/100
Cohiba Siglo VI Gran Reserva 95/100
The overall score reflects to my opinion of the winner. While the ‘03 Siglo VI is in my opinion the best from all the crops, the Siglo VI Gran Reserva is a level above. I haven’t smoked all the rest to be able to say that it is the best cuban cigar ever made, but I imagine it wouldn’t be too far away from it.