Cohiba Novedosos review

[cookj1]

I have some disclaimers to make before continuing.  I grabbed the Novedosos as I ran out the door to take the dog for a walk.  The Cohiba Novedosos is not what I would call a dog walker.  Scooping poop with this kind of cigar isn’t recommended.

Secondly, I like my Cohibas on the more full side.  Exquisitos, Medio Siglo, Robusto, and Sig IV and V all day for me.  Having said that, you can gauge your pallette against those cigars I prefer to get a sense for whether this is a Cohiba you prefer.

The Novedosos has already been getting lots of attention, as all new Cohibas do, and a nice indoor setting would have been preferred as I would have liked to capture more of the aromas.  To me, the Novedosos aroma is a show stopper.  I give high praise for that.

The first inch was underwhelming.  Nothing stands out but nothing is bad either.  Strength and flavour is mild.

Flavours start to change thereafter.  I start getting more pronounced notes of black tea and pepper.  I hope for some Cohiba creamy notes but they never come.

I had some burn issues in the first third but I resisted the temptation to touch them up and they corrected by the halfway mark.  Draw and burn is good and I’m getting good amounts of smoke.

By the halfway mark I can tell that this is going to take me on a journey.  The Novedosos starts to get more medium  bodied.  There’s a nice complexity to the smoke and no flavours are out-battling the others.  I start to get some almond nougat and hints of vanilla bean.

The last half grows in strength and flavour. Am I getting some hints of Sig VI?  ...1966?  
 

Near the end I’m concerned these notes are becoming too toasty.  The Novedosos finds some restraint and surprisingly doesn’t give off any ammonia.  I was worried I was smoking this too young but it manages to reign in all those complex Cohiba flavours and finishes better than it starts.  I’ve got a very pleasant after-taste on my pallette.

I’m reluctant to call this a classic but I think this has tremendous potential given some age.  I’ll be watching other reviews closely to see what others think. I think the scores will climb with time.

In short, the aromas were my favourite part of this cigar.  The journey was excellent and the rollers should be commended for this blend.  To me, however, this is just another Cohiba that will tug at your heart and your wallet.  There likely won’t be any disappointment but your wallet will be lighter.

92/100

[NSXCIGAR]

Was this one of the Spanish pre-releases? I'm not aware of these being available anywhere yet...

[cookj1]

28 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Was this one of the Spanish pre-releases? I'm not aware of these being available anywhere yet...

LCDH

[hoyopr]

Nice review J.

[JohnS]

@cookj1, that ash just doesn't look right, it looks like there was a stem pulled out prior to rolling and the cigar wasn't rolled optimally. I'd smoke another soon to see if the ash is similar. I'd hazard to guess that the answer would be 'no'.

It's very, very disappointing to have a Habanos Specialist release cigar present construction problems like this. (I'm still trying to wrap my head around a Cohiba special release that is not a Limited Edition or Gran Reserva et al, but there you go). I mean, would we enthusiasts accept this in a H.Upmann Connossieur A (or B)? There is a premium pricing on these after all.

[Connoisseur Kim]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

@cookj1, that ash just doesn't look right, it looks like there was a stem pulled out prior to rolling and the cigar wasn't rolled optimally. I'd smoke another soon to see if the ash is similar. I'd hazard to guess that the answer would be 'no'.

It's very, very disappointing to have a Habanos Specialist release cigar present construction problems like this. (I'm still trying to wrap my head around a Cohiba special release that is not a Limited Edition or Gran Reserva et al, but there you go). I mean, would we enthusiasts accept this in a H.Upmann Connossieur A (or B)? There is a premium pricing on these after all.

This happened to me when I puffed with Partagas EL17 Series No. 1. The flavour profile of this cigar seems to be excellent like other LCDH/HS releases, but I'm quite disappointed to see rolling issue from this LCDH/HS cigar.

[cookj1]

10 hours ago, hoyopr said:

Nice review J.

Thanks!

You getting out to herf anymore?

[cookj1]

9 hours ago, JohnS said:

@cookj1, that ash just doesn't look right, it looks like there was a stem pulled out prior to rolling and the cigar wasn't rolled optimally. I'd smoke another soon to see if the ash is similar. I'd hazard to guess that the answer would be 'no'.

It's very, very disappointing to have a Habanos Specialist release cigar present construction problems like this. (I'm still trying to wrap my head around a Cohiba special release that is not a Limited Edition or Gran Reserva et al, but there you go). I mean, would we enthusiasts accept this in a H.Upmann Connossieur A (or B)? There is a premium pricing on these after all.

But that's always been the knock on Cubans, hasn't it?  Premium price, poor construction.  There's something to be said about a cigar that's rolled on the thighs of Cuban virgins!  ?  And I'm not saying that's positive.

[Hoepssa]

 

Where can we buy them ? Where are those pre-release come from?