Stogie Reviews: Cohiba Puro Dominicana Robusto
4 Nov 2008
It seems that Dominican puros have been all the rage of late. Certainly the trend can be traced back to the introduction of the Fuente Opus X in the mid-90’s, which busted the commonly held notion that top-quality wrappers couldn’t be grown in the Dominican Republic.
Recently a host of Dominican puros (cigars with Dominican wrappers, binders, and fillers) have come to market, including cigars by La Flor Dominicana, Davidoff, and Cuvee. This year at the IPCPR trade show, the two largest premium cigar makers—Altadis and General Cigars—introduced their first Dominican puros, the Mi Dominicana and the Cohiba Puro Dominicana, respectively.
The Cohiba Puro Dominicana is the fourth line in General’s “Red Dot” Cohiba brand whose name has been the subject of much litigation. The blend comes in four sizes: Corona, Churchill, Toro, and the 5.5 inch by 50 ring gauge Robusto that’s the subject of this review.
The cigar features a Colorado brown wrapper with dark, almost black veins that’s grown in General’s own fields. According to the cigar’s promotional materials, the “tobaccos have been aged in tercios and charcoaled wooden barrels to enhance their natural flavor.”
Pre-light, I find a unique blend of musty earth, sweet molasses, and pepper. It is very firm to the touch, the same as most of General Cigar’s Dominican-made smokes. One feature I’ve found in all of the Dominican Cohibas, including this one, is a head that is noticeably rounded for a parejo.
Once lit, I find a burst of full flavor with lots of chewy leather and spice on the lips. Soon the spice fades and the cigar becomes more toasty and medium-bodied. From time to time, some bitterness works into an otherwise smooth flavor profile.
The draw is noticably tight, but only occasionally difficult to draw from. The burn is even and the ash steady for half an inch.
Overall, the Cohiba Dominican Puro is a nice smoke, but hardly sensational. Given that the robusto sells for $17 each, I would hope for better. At half that price, I would give it a strong recommendation, but considering the host of tremendous cigars available for considerably less, I have a hard time believing that this will be a regular smoke for most people.
Between generally pleasant flavors, average construction, and an overly high price, the Cohiba Puro Dominicana Robusto earns a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]
photo credit: Stogie Guys
Finally, an election-free news outlet!
Re: Padronnie; Amen, brother, amen 🙂
Dear sir,
I never could understand how this brand, together
with Trinidad (DR), are still on the market. Cohiba and Trinidad Dominican are the worst cigars on the U.S. market,worst, the price they sell for. Even a
Henry Clay(HON) at 3 dollars is a finer smoke.
There are so many better cigars out there.
Those cigars do not deserve to be smoked by cigar lovers. I have been smoking for 38 years (mainly
Habanos) and I enjoy smoking cigars from other cigar countries, Tatuaje, Juan Lopez, Oliva etc etc.
Of course this is only my opinion and I thank you for reading me out, but I stand by it. Life is too short to smoke bad cigars such as these, save your money and buy a real cigar . thank you.
Best regards,
Guy Buscéma
Calvisson, France
I have to agree, even if you can afford it, it's impossible to justify these prices even if you really enjoy a mild cigar. I feel the same about most Macanudo cigars as well — 'way over priced for super mild one-trick pony smokes.
I've found the Red Dot Cohibas I've tried…Corona Especial, Extra Viejo 652, and Extra Viejo 660 Pyramid…to be very hard on the draw, so much so that any enjoyment of the cigar is greatly compromised as a result.
I've experienced the same issue with more than a couple of Red Dots I purchased via mail order outlets. I found that a draw poker would remedy the issue. Just remember to go slow and steady to insure the poker goes straight and true.
Gentlemen, thank you for your opinions. I was about to make a serious mistake searching out this new (to me) cigar for a very special occasion. I'll continue the search. Thank you again. Your input is most valued.
I got the itchiest butt east of the Mississippi!
QUESTION……I recently bought a Cohiba Puro Dominicana Churchill at a local tobacconist. Later I order 5 from Cigar International for $75 with shipping. The ones I got from CI the wrapper was alot darker than the one I bought in the store. Now I know that has happened to me before with Oliva Masterblend 3. The store bought one was lighter in color than what I bought from CI because the way this guy has the humidor in his store. The sunlight lighten it. But the Cohiba I bought somewhere else. Will the wrapper just lighten if it's sitting out in the store humidor after months?????