Cohiba Siglo V EBP MAR 22

[oneizzzz]

I certainly feel lucky to have been able to buy this box of Siglo V.  Obviously Cohibas are rare these days.  To some, and I would include myself in this category, that makes them more desirable, mysterious, and rewarding to find and acquire.  They're also expensive.  To some, and I would include myself in this category as well, the price point can sometimes trick us into thinking they are always of supreme quality.

According to various posts I've read on FOH, something that separates the Siglo V from the rest of the Cohiba line (excepting perhaps the Piramides Extra) is their consistency.  Our gracious host himself has said that he has never had a dud of either Siglo V or CPE.  Reading this strengthened my desire to find a box.  The endorsement of the Siglo V by members here ultimately gave me the nudge I needed to purchase this box! 

I can't know for sure how much my unconscious beliefs about price, quality, and rarity influence my affection for Cohiba, but I do love them.  When I want something special - a cigar that I think will taste delicious and offer me the joy of smoking fine rolled tobacco - I most often reach for a Cohiba.  Usually I pick out a Siglo III.  I prefer milder examples - light wrapper and not spicy.  I have a box of Siglo III (EOL FEB 21) with dark, oily wrappers.  The dark chocolate flavor in those is delicious, but it overshadows the honey and floral flavors I've come to love in Cohiba cigars.  Anyway, as I was unpacking this box of Siglo V, I anticipated with some resignation dark wrappers.  Certainly when I was beginning this hobby, I assumed in terms of wrappers that darker meant better.  I didn't begin to appreciate light wrappers until I read this thread:

Luckily my expectation to find dark wrappers was unrealistic.  Upon opening my new box of Siglo V, I was simply delighted to find beautiful golden wrappers!!

Yesterday, I picked out one to smoke, but didn't get the chance to light it up.  I did keep it with me.  I found myself smelling the wrapper so much.  Lemon!  I rarely get citrus from my cigars.  Even though it is a commonly cited Cohiba flavor profile, for some reason it just doesn't present obviously to my palate.  But as I kept smelling this wrapper, I kept smelling lemon zest!

I lit it up today and it smoked exquisitely.  The construction and combustion were excellent.  The draw was snug, but I prefer it that way.  The only criticism I can offer in terms of construction is that, during the first third, the smoke output per draw was relatively low.  

I didn't take notes as I smoked it, but it was an amazingly flavorful and delicious cigar.  To me, the rare misadventures in flavor throughout the cigar actually indicate its fine quality.  My only criticisms are these: in the second third there was some cardboard dullness for about 5mm, and in the final third, there were a few draws in which I tasted bitterness.

Aside from those deviations, this Siglo V offered flavors of vanilla, milk chocolate, sweet milky floral tea, and yeasty, lightly-peated fermented dough.  For such a young cigar, the evolution blew me away.  The first third was quite light in body and it was easy to retrohale the smoke.  By the final third, it had developed a rich honey/chocolate flavor with a stronger pudding-like texture on my palate.  It wasn't bitter, spicy, or hot though - just richer.  I haven't experienced that distinction much before.  

My favorite part of this smoke was the aroma.  I found myself sort of naughtily trying to inhale the wisps of smoke coming off the lit end.  It smelled so delicous - like fine, warm, freshly refined cocoa.  As I drew smoke from this Siglo V, I found myself trying to immerse my palate even more fully in the smoke - finding new ways to circulate the smoke through my nose, throat, and mouth!  It was simply decadent!

Having smoked this Siglo V, I feel quite happy to have bought the box from which it came.  I can only hope the rest are as good as this one!  Thank you to all who have shared their love for the Siglo V, as it was your words which ultimately motivated me to acquire some of my own.

[JohnS]

Thank you for this extensive and excellent review, @oneizzzz!