Kimfessions: Cohiba Coronas Especiales and Speakeasy Cigar Lounge

[Connoisseur Kim]

The global spread of COVID-19 has also severely devastated the cigar industry. Not only was Cuban cigar production and supply drastically reduced, but also Habanos S.A. introduced a new international pricing policy by using Hong Kong price as a reference, which led to a significant increase in worldwide Cuban cigar prices. Even worse, Korean cigar B&Ms were allowed to open till 21:00 only due to COVID-19 restrictions until April. Thankfully, I can resume Kimfessions Series and puff Cohiba Coronas Especiales from Habana Mike’s Cuban cigar gift without rushing as business hours of local cigar lounges have returned to normal from May. Time to move to De la Mano and get back to the Cuban cigar review game.

Cohiba Coronas Especiales is a Laguito No. 2 sized Panetela cigar (38 RG x 152 mm) which was one of the three early Cohiba cigars. Like Cohiba Lanceros, it was used as a special gift for VIPs (e.g. diplomats, government officials, and heads of state) by the Cuban government and was not available to the public until the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. It was also Fidel Castro’s all-time favourite cigar, according to a 1994 Cigar Aficionado interview with Fidel. Cohiba is one of my preferred CC marcas, and I have always been a big fan of long and skinny Cuban cigars, so I am excited to savour the flavour of this legendary classic Cuban beauty.

Inside the De La Mano, it had a walk-in-humidor filled with Davidoff cigars and its sub-brands like Camacho; a cabinet humidor with Davidoff cigar accessories and some Davidoff cigars; a cigar rolling table; a bar hall with lots of single malt bottles and wooden tables. Its interior was a 1920s speakeasy-inspired theme with dim lighting and jazz music like Autumn Leaves, which added classiness and poshness to this speakeasy cigar lounge. It had a vast and multifarious single malt whisky selection with rums; cognacs; cocktails; non-alcoholic drinks. Unfortunately, some single malts like The Macallan were out of stock due to low single malts supply. So, I decided to go with Glenfarclas 15-Year Old at its staff's suggestion for the drink pairing.

For Cohiba Coronas Especiales, a full honey blast; dominant wood and leather; Cuban twang; slight hint of grass notes appeared at the beginning. Then, its flavour changed to anise; cedar; citrus; hay; spice; vanilla; Keemun with a toasty texture. After that, its aroma turned into bitter chocolate, coffee, and tobacco with earthy notes throughout the end without any changes. Overall, it has every aspect of Cohiba cigars but in a more intense form and less grassy compared to Siglo II and CORO. Although it had minor issues like bitterness at the finale, it is indeed one of the excellent Cuban cigars. I can see why Fidel Castro favoured this elegant Cohiba cigar the most. 4 out of 5 worthy Magnificent Panetela!

For Glenfarclas 15-Year Old, Macallan 12-Year Old like bold and creamy sherry; peat; some fruity notes including raisins; sweet butterscotch; leather notes detected at the nose stage. As soon as I sipped this Scotch single malt whisky, I could taste rich and full-bodied oak; wood; pepper; chocolate; grape and orange; cinnamon; liquorice; citrus; nut with sherry and malty tones in my mouth. In the finish stage, its flavour profile turned into spicy cedar; stronger sherry; berry; ginger; tobacco. While it had some similarities with Macallan 12-Year Old, it packed a punch with more variety of aromas which resembled fuller-bodied Cuban cigars. It is indeed a delightful Scotch sherry ride without overpowering, and I now understand why Glenfarclas is one of the Scotch sherry monsters!

Habana Mike was one of the FOH BOTLs I met in the late 2010s on FOH. Like most FOH members, he kindly answered when I asked cigar-related questions such as “Does this Cuban cigar taste good” and “Who rolled this Cuban custom cigar”. Also, he showed his generosity by sending a surprise cigar gift to me two years ago and enjoyed my cigar-related puns (e.g. donkey dicks for ludicrous 60+ RG fat cigars) every time I popped on FOH Zoom Virtual Herf. Because of this, I was in deep sorrow when I heard about the death of Habana Mike. I thank him for allowing me to review this cigar, and may the Cuban cigars be with him eternally.

Like Led Zeppelin, reviewing Cuban cigars at the De La Mano was a great experience. Despite this speakeasy cigar lounge run by the Davidoff Cigars Korea, they allowed me to bring my Cuban stash by paying a cigar corkage fee. The atmosphere was great too, and its staff helped me pick the suitable Scotch single malt whisky for Cohiba Coronas Especiales. Besides, its wide range of liquors and a perfect ventilation system made this place refreshing and enjoyable. However, it had a cover charge per person, was farther than Led Zeppelin, and its mojito was too strong for my mum (my mum and sister ordered cocktails). Still, I highly recommend De La Mano for those who like Davidoff cigars or are looking for a posh speakeasy cigar lounge with lots of single malts in Seoul.

Address: 59, Bongeunsa-ro 44-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Hours: Mon-Sun 18:00-02:00 (6:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.)
Phone: 070-7778-6476
Cigar Corkage: 10000 KRW/cigar
Cover Charge: 5000 KRW/person
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delamano.seoul/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delamano_seoul/

Note.

• When you order a cocktail at De La Mano, you can request bartenders to make a custom cocktail with the blend you would like to have (e.g. Martini with a more sugary taste).
• There are additional two rooms in the De La Mano that provide more privacy and tables.
• You can make a reservation by either calling or sending a message to De La Mano.
• It is located in a sloped area and does not have a sign due to its Speakeasy concept. Therefore, make sure to use map applications like Google Maps if you cannot find it and move carefully when you arrive at this place.
• De La Mano is the first Asian cigar lounge winner of the Davidoff Golden Band Awards in 2021.
• It took 1 hour and 55 minutes to puff CCE, as I puffed it slowly to avoid getting too hot issue (I usually puff CCs as slowly as possible).
• I did the CCE review on the 25th of June but posted it on FOH today since I was really tired during that day.

[Connoisseur Kim]

From now on, Kimfessions Series' rating scale is switched from 0-100 points to 0-5 points for simplification and clarity. The following new rating scale look like:

• 0/5 - "Dante's Inferno": These cigars are not just godforsaken cigars. They are the worst cigars of all time that you end up feeling tortured as if you are being suffered from the eternal damnation in Dante's Inferno. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
• 1/5 - "Nightmare Fuel": These cigars are so terrifying in terms of flavour and construction that constantly haunt you like slasher villains even in your dreams. Avoid them like the plague at all costs for your safety!
• 2/5 - "Dog Rocket": These cigars have an unimpressive flavour profile that makes you feel bored as if you are doing a chore rather than puffing cigars. Do not even try to puff them unless you eagerly want to know how bad these mediocre cigars are!
• 3/5 - "Good": These cigars are nothing too special, but always solid and reliable with delivering decent flavour. "3 out of 5. Not great, not terrible."
• 4/5 - "Magnificent": These cigars may not be the greatest cigars of all time, but you can always count on them with huge confidence due to their excellent flavour profile. Buy as many boxes as you can!
• 5/5 - "Paragon of Cigars": These cigars have a heavenly flavour profile that cannot easily be found in other cigars. They are not only being considered the greatest cigars of all time like Shakespeare's works but also deserved to be in the Empyrean from Dante's Paradiso. "The experience of this sweet life."

[JohnS]

Fantastic review @Connoisseur Kim. Well done! 👍

[Connoisseur Kim]

Just now, JohnS said:

Fantastic review @Connoisseur Kim. Well done! 👍

Thanks, @JohnS! I felt glad that I finally reviewed CCE from Habana Mike's cigar gift yesterday. I also felt happy that I discovered a new tasty Scotch sherry single malt which has a pack of tasty sherry punch 😃

[joeypots]

👏👏👏👏Great job, Kim. Wonderful informative review of a great cigar and a fine smoking lounge. Going out to enjoy a cigar? Great. Going out to enjoy a cigar and a drink with your mum and sister? Priceless.

[Connoisseur Kim]

Just now, joeypots said:

👏👏👏👏Great job, Kim. Wonderful informative review of a great cigar and a fine smoking lounge. Going out to enjoy a cigar? Great. Going out to enjoy a cigar and a drink with your mum and sister? Priceless.

Thanks @joeypots! I feel glad that now Korean cigar lounges resumed normal business hours. I also agree that enjoying cigar and drink with mum and sister is a memorable cigar review experience 😄

[Ites]

Thank you @Connoisseur Kim. Brilliant, descriptive and funny review. I especially enjoyed your rating system. I've always used 1-5 in my own notes but your scale is much more defined - excellent! 

 

[Edicion]

Fantastic review, great story, thoughtful words and beautiful pictures @Connoisseur Kim!

[Connoisseur Kim]

5 hours ago, Ites said:

Thank you @Connoisseur Kim. Brilliant, descriptive and funny review. I especially enjoyed your rating system. I've always used 1-5 in my own notes but your scale is much more defined - excellent! 

Thanks @Ites! I used to use 0-100 for reviewing cigars, but I found 0-5 with detailed rating was better and less confusing. It's happy to hear my new rating scale is understandable and descriptive mate 😄😊

4 hours ago, Edicion said:

Fantastic review, great story, thoughtful words and beautiful pictures @Connoisseur Kim!

Thanks @Edicion! That cigar lounge was fantastic due to its 1920s speakeasy inspired theme and huge number of single malts collection. Along with Led Zeppelin, it's one of the places which I like to revisit in the future 😃👍

[targa88]

Great review @Connoisseur Kim, looks like an excellent location to partake for a stick and a dram.

Glenfarclas is definitely an underrated scotch (Oloroso cask, no colouring, non chill filtered + aged statement)

[GaryK 54]

Great review @Connoisseur Kim ! Nice pics, too.

I had a business dinner this past Saturday evening that interfered with my plan to join you on Zoom. I look forward to your next Kimfessions. I will keep my calendar clear so we can enjoy a cigar and conversation together. 

[Connoisseur Kim]

22 minutes ago, targa88 said:

Great review @Connoisseur Kim, looks like an excellent location to partake for a stick and a dram.

Glenfarclas is definitely an underrated scotch (Oloroso cask, no colouring, non chill filtered + aged statement)

Thanks, @targa88! De La Mano is indeed a perfect place for those who enjoy CCs and single malts combo 😃.

I agree that Glenfarclas is a quality Scotch sherry cask single malt without colouring and chill filtering, which seems to be rare these days (I was shocked when I heard the Glendronach decided to use chill filtering for their single malts). I think it's a great alternative to The Macallan since Glenfarclas is also tasty and better priced than The Macallan 😄.

[Chibearsv]

Great review!  I smoke one annually from the box I have, waiting for them to simmer down the bitterness.  5 down, 20 to go.

[Rhinoww]

Nice review. Appreciate the photos and more importantly the nod to Habana MIke. He left quite a legacy. 

[Connoisseur Kim]

7 hours ago, GaryK 54 said:

Great review @Connoisseur Kim ! Nice pics, too.

I had a business dinner this past Saturday evening that interfered with my plan to join you on Zoom. I look forward to your next Kimfessions. I will keep my calendar clear so we can enjoy a cigar and conversation together. 

Thanks, @GaryK 54! The pictures are taken with my sister's iPhone and I found the picture quality of iPhone is better than that of my Galaxy Note 8.

Hope that we can meet in the next Kimfessions Series soon as I'm a huge fan of having herfs 😃

 

7 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

Great review!  I smoke one annually from the box I have, waiting for them to simmer down the bitterness.  5 down, 20 to go.

Thanks, @Chibearsv! That CCE tasted great but became bitter at the nubbing. Hope that the bitterness will be disappeared from your box as time goes by.

7 hours ago, Rhinoww said:

Nice review. Appreciate the photos and more importantly the nod to Habana MIke. He left quite a legacy. 

Thanks, @Rhinoww! I also think Habana Mike left a valuable legacy to us. I still remember the days of having a Zoom herf with him while I was reviewing Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios in 2020.

[Goodfortune]

Enjoyed the review @Connoisseur Kim! Seems like a fun place to have a smoke and a scotch! Looking forward to more reviews from you. 🍻

[Connoisseur Kim]

2 minutes ago, Goodfortune said:

Enjoyed the review @Connoisseur Kim! Seems like a fun place to have a smoke and a scotch! Looking forward to more reviews from you. 🍻

Thanks, @Goodfortune! It is indeed a great place to enjoy cigars and scotch altogether. Can't wait to do more CC reviews buddy 😄

[El Presidente]

Well done Kim....LOVED the review 

[Connoisseur Kim]

2 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Well done Kim....LOVED the review 

Thanks, @El Presidente! It's happy to resume Kimfessions Series, and excited to do more CC reviews in near future 😄

[jhalischuk]

Great Review. Thanks! 

[Connoisseur Kim]

Just now, jhalischuk said:

Great Review. Thanks! 

Thank you for enjoying my cigar review @jhalischuk! CCE and Glefarclas 15-Year combo was a excellent cigar pairing experience 😃. Wish I have Glefarclas 15-Year single malt in my house too 😄

[Chucko8]

Fantastic review and pictures Kim. Well done mate

[Connoisseur Kim]

21 minutes ago, Chucko8 said:

Fantastic review and pictures Kim. Well done mate

Thanks, @Chucko8! That cigar lounge has a fantastic speakeasy interior which adds a classiness to my cigar reviewing experience 😃.

Hope that we can meet on FOH Zoom once again in the future 😄

[Fezztone]

Great review Kim, thanks for posting!  My 2020 CCE need some more rest but this makes me look forward to them.

[Connoisseur Kim]

9 minutes ago, Fezztone said:

Great review Kim, thanks for posting!  My 2020 CCE need some more rest but this makes me look forward to them.

Thank you for enjoying my CC review @Fezztone! I think CCE begins to shine after minimum 5 years of ageing based on its flavour profile. Hope that your CCE will be tasty as mine 😃