Recommended Posts

Posted

DSC_0508.jpg

DSC_0612.jpg

DSC_0704.jpg

Additional photographs on cigarphoto.net

Back at the beginning of FEB2011, I kicked off the Cigar Photography blog with few Cohiba Behike 54 photographs and I promised to come back to this cigar in June. The time has come ! I wanted this 5 pack to sit for at least 6 months to get recommended rest. Box Date is JUN2010, it was added to my collection back in DEC2010 and it was pulled out in JUN2011. In addition, my son turned 1 at the beginning of June and I wanted to celebrate his birthday with something different. Cohiba Behike was selected to be that lucky specimen. Enough of the history !

In visual appearance department, Cohiba Behike is definitely an attractive cigar. A very unique band and carefully applied pigtail add that extra umph to the overall package. Although there were some visible seams and veins, I was laser focused on the band and overall presentation. The cigar was rolled very well without any noticeable soft / hard spots. Draw was slightly snug for my preference but I did notice improvement with time. As for as burn goes, I was not impressed. I can appreciate the fact that we are smoking hand-made products but I have smoked many cigars at fraction of the cost which were razor-sharp. Cohiba Behike was far from it. It had its ups and downs, burned straight, then went wavy, then corrected itself, then back to wavy, etc. In flavor department, definitely spice from the beginning to finish with a peak in the middle. I was able to extract woody, earthy, and slightly chocolaty notes throughout the experience. Creamy in texture smoke was very limited up front but increased in volume with time.

Now, one will probably ask the obvious – Is it worth the price tag of $40 ?. In my personal and humble opinion, no ! I pulled the cigar out of the box with extremely high expectation and at the end, I was left disappointed. Did it burn ok ? Tasted ok ? Looked ok ? Absolutely Yes ! Did it delivery 4 times the experience of $10 cigar ? Absolutely Not ! I have split the box with a friend and unfortunately his experience was the same. I poked around the net and found mixed feedback. Some swear by it, some are aligned with my thoughts. Clearly I’m not the only one. I’m glad I still have 4 left and I plan on smoking them to recognize my son’s birthdays. I would recommend trying at least 1-2 Cohiba Behikes but I would certainly not chase a box.

Construction > Great

Burn > Decent

Enjoy > Yes

Recommend > Yes

Buy > Couple singles (* N/A in USA *)

Posted

I think the BHK line needs sleep to be "great". I'm also left wondering if that initial batch which sold out instantly was of better quality than the recent releases. If the scarce Medio Tiempo leaf is what make these special, just how much of it do they really have and how much of it goes into a each cigar? A whole leaf? A sliver for "taste".

IMO they're not the best "bang for the buck" in terms of enjoyment. If a year or two of rest improves them significantly, then perhaps they'll be worth the investment.

Has anyone smoked a BHK from the original release and compared it to a recent one?

Posted

Thanks for sharing the experience. Love the photography...

Posted

Thanks for the comments guys !

Has anyone smoked a BHK from the original release and compared it to a recent one?

I haven't but that is a good point. Would love to lay my hands on original release and compare.

Posted
I liked the cigar, but it did not tickle my balls. I would like to smoke the original.

This may be a silly question, but which cigar tickled your balls??

Posted
I think the BHK line needs sleep to be "great". I'm also left wondering if that initial batch which sold out instantly was of better quality than the recent releases. If the scarce Medio Tiempo leaf is what make these special, just how much of it do they really have and how much of it goes into a each cigar? A whole leaf? A sliver for "taste".

IMO they're not the best "bang for the buck" in terms of enjoyment. If a year or two of rest improves them significantly, then perhaps they'll be worth the investment.

Has anyone smoked a BHK from the original release and compared it to a recent one?

I totally agree with you on this I don't think the BHK is the best out there i have had so many good cigars for less money but we will have to see how they are with age and I didn't get one form the original release and my 52 was crap :2thumbs:

Posted

Thanks for posting these amazing pictures! Is it off topic to ask what camera and lens was used? It would be much appreciated.

I find it also to be a great tasting cigar, however the one I smoked had a very early peak. I'll stick with the bigger brother BHK 56 since it lasted much longer for me.

Posted
Thanks for posting these amazing pictures! Is it off topic to ask what camera and lens was used? It would be much appreciated.

Thanks ! If you go to the blog and click on each picture (slideshow will appear), you will find EXIF data. Nikon D3 + 60mm macro at f/2.8.

Thanks !

Posted
Thanks ! If you go to the blog and click on each picture (slideshow will appear), you will find EXIF data. Nikon D3 + 60mm macro at f/2.8.

Thanks !

Sweet! I'd better find a good macro lens for my D-700 then.

Posted

Nice review, and brilliant photos!

I've got one of these from the original batch which I picked up at the launch party in London. I have yet to bring myself to smoke it. It would definitely be interesting to find out how the originals and later releases stack up against each other. Maybe I'll pick another one up at some stage to do a side-by-side review (well actually, maybe not at their retail prices here in the UK...)

  • 2 months later...
Posted

Been smoking the behike series of late. They are all great smokes but for me the 56 was an excellent smoke, the 54 better than that and the 52 was perhaps the best I ever had. Would like to try the origional release but

happy the ones I get here in Tokyo (2010 I believe).

Posted

ah, one more point on the behike series:

I say they are exceptional, especially the 52, but I do NOT say they are a value for the money.

They are not intended, perhaps, to be bang-for-buck winners like a high-end sports car is not

good on milage. If the money is not a concern, the 52 is amazing.

  • 4 months later...
Posted

I have smoked the behike 54's from 2010, but I personally think that the new behike 54's from 2011 with the dark wrappers are amazing and I am more impressed than the cigars from 2010. Just my thoughts, the cost still hurts, but I continue to smoke 3 behike 54's per weekcigar.gif

post-6949-0-01540100-1328837361.jpg

post-6949-0-80715100-1328837531.jpg

post-6949-0-64310500-1328837559.jpg

post-6949-0-93845400-1328837572.jpg

Posted

Thanks for the comments guys !

I haven't but that is a good point. Would love to lay my hands on original release and compare.

I Recently purchased a box of 52 dated 2011 i recomend you keep your money in your pocket there is a great difference between a 2010 release and 2011

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Community Software by Invision Power Services, Inc.