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So, I don't really have too much of an amazing story behind this one. Just a bit of wonderful generosity by a fellow forum member, who tossed in one of these in a trade. I am always amazed at how generous the people are here. If only they'd put us in charge, we'd solve world hunger in about a week. I actually hadn't smoked a Cohiba in some time, and have never had a Siglo II, so I was thrilled to get a chance to try this cigar. Preliminaries: Cohiba Siglo II Mareva/Petit Corona 5 1/8" x 42. Nice golden wrapper color. I'd peg it as Colorado Claro. It's not perfect, as it has a bit of mottling, and some veins visible just under the skin. The art deco styling on the band is classy as always, though I don't know how I feel about the holograms on the new ones. Takes to flame easily, and the draw is perfect. The intial few puffs have a bit of astringency and spice on the retrohale, but no spice on the palate. It starts off as a pretty straight medium in flavor strength and body. I can almost taste a bit of the lemongrass flavor associated with this brand, but I could just be talking myself into it. The main flavor I'm getting is sort of like a Danish cookie. It's pleasant and satisfying. Not getting many high notes. It's pretty subtle so far. As I near the half way point, the cigar is becoming a bit more rich, but I'm still more savory than sweet. I think the lemongrass notes I got earlier were just me jiving myself. This is a pleasant enough cigar, but why does it cost nearly as much as a double corona? Construction and burn have both been excellent. Into the final 3rd, and the body and flavor intensity have kicked up a notch. I'm having a hell of a time describing the flavors. It is still very enjoyable, but I understand why many review publications require 3 or more examples before publishing a review. Initially, I would have described this as a nice morning or afternoon smoke, but this final third has shown it could hold its own as an evening smoke as well. It is almost reminding me of a Partagas now, though more french baguette than sourdough. It's a nice smoke. I think I prefer a sweeter profile, but I'd absolutely keep a 5 pack of these around. Final smoke time is going to be around 65 minutes. So many thanks to the gentleman who included this. I really appreciate it.

VITOLA: Petite Corona BOX CODE: ABR 13 INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: Nice well applied triple cap, beautifully rolled and feels just right in your hand. Cut the cap with my recently acquired Burl Wood finish Palio cutter which yields the cleanest cuts I've seen thus far. Draw is slightly firm, just the way I like it. COLD DRAW: Hay, good quality tobacco and hint of that signature Cohiba grassiness. FIRST FEW PUFFS: Takes nicely to the flame, toasted hay on the initial draw, a dark coffee bean essence, a woody finish. Medium mouthfeel, not a lot of smoke output - on the light side of medium but I'm pleased thus far. We're off to a good start. 1ST THIRD: Nice creamy texture to the smoke, getting that dark roasted slightly bitter coffee bean essence. The signature Cohiba marca grassiness is starting to shine through on the retro hale. Leaves a very nice lingering mouthfeel with a toasted wood finish on the sides of the tongue and cheeks. Detecting a slight hint of sweetness in the background. It's very subtle but let's you know it's there. With age this will really shine through; I would say 3 to 5 years and if you're a patient person unlike me 5+ years will really let all the Flavors harmonize with each other. I'm glad I have a second box which I've put to rest to see what this 5+ years of aging is all about. The ash is light grey, flakey and holds well pretty ok. Burn us slightly uneven as is always the case with most CCs. I must admit that with taking tasting notes and pictures as I go, I'm not giving this cigar the full attention it deserves. The toasty wordiness seems to be dominating, blending together with the slight grassiness and dark coffee bean essence on the retro hale. As I move to the 2nd third, the grassiness and coffee bean essence is taking over as the dominant flavor profile. Took a picture just before the ash fell on its own and another with the fallen ash on the garage floor in the background. 2ND THIRD: The Cohiba signature grassiness is really dominating now. It's that sort of dark, brash and young grassiness everyone talks about in young Cohibas. The interplay between grassiness and woodiness as the dominant flavor is dancing back and forth, competing with each other as the main attraction. A nice creamy mouthfeel to the smoke. Strength wise the Siglo II starts out on the lighter side of medium and builds to the fuller side of medium as it proceeds further down length-wise. The dark coffee bean essence is now dominating. Not much of a transition and not a whole lot of complexity but you know this cigar has the legs and robustness of Flavors to age well. FINAL 3RD: The grassiness takes over as the dominant flavor. The youth and brashness of this cigar really starts to show at this point. The strength builds a bit now and I would classify it as on the upper side of medium. Definitely has that young mongrel quality to it. OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Not a whole lot of complexity but always satisfying even when young with about a year of age on them. The current production sticks seems to be smoking well now but after a month or two they seem to be transitioning to that green period where they need to be put to sleep for a revisit 6 months in to see how they are coming along. I would rate it an 84 for now, with legs for much higher scores down the road. Despite youth and brashness I doubt this box will see significant age. A great pairing with your morning coffee or not sherry'd single malt. For me it's always a satisfying smoke that puts a smile on my face and gets me to my Zen state. Would love to hear everyone else's thoughts on his these are smoking for you now? Lets hope the pictures come through here. Enjoy and bear with me as this is my first review here.