I got a festival-box sampler of BHK 52, 54, and 56, which I'd been saving for an ultra-special occasion. But I've been swayed by the opinion lately that a special occasion is the wrong time to try a cigar for the first time, even one as rare as a Behike, so I'm giving these a try over the next few months as I get the chance. I plan on reviewing all three vitolas to post here on BOTL.
Cigar: Cohiba Behike BHK 52
Vitola: Petit Robusto
Price: Expensive!
Length: 4.7"
Ring: 52
Country of Origin: Cuba
Smoke Time: Just over an hour
Pre-Light
This BHK 52 sported a very light, caramel-colored wrapper with lots of very fine veins and a nice pigtail cap. There is a small tear under the band, which you'll see a few photos down, and the binder underneath is very dark. It feels very light in the hand, almost enough to worry me that it's underfilled. However, a glance at the foot shows it is densely packed with tobacco.
Pre-light draw feels pretty loose. I dry-boxed the cigar for about 16-18 hours before smoking and it has lost some heft from the lost humidity. Before sparking the cigar all I taste is hay, not much else.
First Third
The first third is very nice but nothing to shout from the rooftops about. The smoke is thick and very creamy (both taste and texture). There is an almond taste on the finish and some nice sweetness in the background. A very mild pepper is present along with the taste of aged tobacco. Nothing too complex or challenging, and the cigar is working up to medium-bodied.
Second Third
Close to twenty minutes in, and the pepper is starting to become more dominant. The flavor is still fairly creamy but much less sweet. The BHK 52 is producing huge clouds of blue-white smoke and leaving behind a mottled dark-grey ash that is holding on well.
At this point, it's a solidly medium-bodied smoke: pleasant but still not too complex. I am starting to pick up a leather note, but this is not wowing me.
As I mentioned, there are a couple slight construction problems. First, a small tear under the band:
The second problem is that the wrapper has started to burn poorly along two thin but prominent veins. At the end of the second third through the remainder of the cigar, the wrapper tends to curl away from the cigar at these two points, causing a poor burn that occasionally needs correcting.
Final Third
A little more than 35 minutes in, I am starting to see a lot more complexity. The sweetness has faded entirely into the background, where I can discern it at all, and the flavor is a wonderful mix of leather, spice, and earth. The pepper has moderated somewhat but is still very present, especially on the finish (which is earthy). There is a hint of chocolate sneaking in toward the end.
Beyond the Final Third
[YOUTUBE][ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4yZeGHNupk"]Peter visits the "Beyond" section!! - YouTube[/ame][/YOUTUBE]
I pulled a Peter Griffin and went to the "Beyond" section, further than I probably should have smoked this cigar. It was really heating up, but I couldn't help it.
In the last 5-7 minutes after the "final" third, the BHK 52 became really layered and complex. Dark chocolate and leather started to dominate, and I just loved the flavors. The finish was long and very, very earthy.
Unfortunately, right at about 6 minutes into this "fourth third," the cigar became very bitter and hot. I was really smoking it past the point I should have been. What can I say, it's an expensive cigar and was just getting to be a 90+ smoke! :cbig:
Final Impressions
I really liked the BHK 52, especially in the final third-plus range. The petit robusto is a weird vitola and not one I usually seek out. That bias was born out here, because the cigar just didn't have enough runway to become great before it was done.
Based on this cigar, my impression of the Behike range is that if it they were a steakhouse, they'd be a Morton's or Ruth's Chris. Solid, dependable, worth going to for a special occasion -- it'll always be great but may fall short of unique. By contrast, there are lots of regular production cigars (Habanos and otherwise) that can surprise you with a mind-blowing smoke. That search for the perfect cigar in a regular production box is more fun than dropping serious coin on something like the BHK 52.
I think the larger vitolas (the BHK 54 and 56) have the capacity to surprise me, though. If the flavors I caught in the last third got going earlier, this might have risen into my top 10. Instead, the BHK 52 wasted too much time on the refined, creamy flavors of the first half.
Is this box-worthy? I don't think so, though I'll admit I don't have experience with how Habanos age. Maybe these have potential for later. I think the BHK 54 holds more promise for me (we'll see) and I'm a bit surprised that of all three, CA named this one the cigar of the year last year.
Cigar: Cohiba Behike BHK 52
Vitola: Petit Robusto
Price: Expensive!
Length: 4.7"
Ring: 52
Country of Origin: Cuba
Smoke Time: Just over an hour
Pre-Light
This BHK 52 sported a very light, caramel-colored wrapper with lots of very fine veins and a nice pigtail cap. There is a small tear under the band, which you'll see a few photos down, and the binder underneath is very dark. It feels very light in the hand, almost enough to worry me that it's underfilled. However, a glance at the foot shows it is densely packed with tobacco.
Pre-light draw feels pretty loose. I dry-boxed the cigar for about 16-18 hours before smoking and it has lost some heft from the lost humidity. Before sparking the cigar all I taste is hay, not much else.
First Third
The first third is very nice but nothing to shout from the rooftops about. The smoke is thick and very creamy (both taste and texture). There is an almond taste on the finish and some nice sweetness in the background. A very mild pepper is present along with the taste of aged tobacco. Nothing too complex or challenging, and the cigar is working up to medium-bodied.
Second Third
Close to twenty minutes in, and the pepper is starting to become more dominant. The flavor is still fairly creamy but much less sweet. The BHK 52 is producing huge clouds of blue-white smoke and leaving behind a mottled dark-grey ash that is holding on well.
At this point, it's a solidly medium-bodied smoke: pleasant but still not too complex. I am starting to pick up a leather note, but this is not wowing me.
As I mentioned, there are a couple slight construction problems. First, a small tear under the band:
The second problem is that the wrapper has started to burn poorly along two thin but prominent veins. At the end of the second third through the remainder of the cigar, the wrapper tends to curl away from the cigar at these two points, causing a poor burn that occasionally needs correcting.
Final Third
A little more than 35 minutes in, I am starting to see a lot more complexity. The sweetness has faded entirely into the background, where I can discern it at all, and the flavor is a wonderful mix of leather, spice, and earth. The pepper has moderated somewhat but is still very present, especially on the finish (which is earthy). There is a hint of chocolate sneaking in toward the end.
Beyond the Final Third
[YOUTUBE][ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4yZeGHNupk"]Peter visits the "Beyond" section!! - YouTube[/ame][/YOUTUBE]
I pulled a Peter Griffin and went to the "Beyond" section, further than I probably should have smoked this cigar. It was really heating up, but I couldn't help it.
In the last 5-7 minutes after the "final" third, the BHK 52 became really layered and complex. Dark chocolate and leather started to dominate, and I just loved the flavors. The finish was long and very, very earthy.
Unfortunately, right at about 6 minutes into this "fourth third," the cigar became very bitter and hot. I was really smoking it past the point I should have been. What can I say, it's an expensive cigar and was just getting to be a 90+ smoke! :cbig:
Final Impressions
I really liked the BHK 52, especially in the final third-plus range. The petit robusto is a weird vitola and not one I usually seek out. That bias was born out here, because the cigar just didn't have enough runway to become great before it was done.
Based on this cigar, my impression of the Behike range is that if it they were a steakhouse, they'd be a Morton's or Ruth's Chris. Solid, dependable, worth going to for a special occasion -- it'll always be great but may fall short of unique. By contrast, there are lots of regular production cigars (Habanos and otherwise) that can surprise you with a mind-blowing smoke. That search for the perfect cigar in a regular production box is more fun than dropping serious coin on something like the BHK 52.
I think the larger vitolas (the BHK 54 and 56) have the capacity to surprise me, though. If the flavors I caught in the last third got going earlier, this might have risen into my top 10. Instead, the BHK 52 wasted too much time on the refined, creamy flavors of the first half.
Is this box-worthy? I don't think so, though I'll admit I don't have experience with how Habanos age. Maybe these have potential for later. I think the BHK 54 holds more promise for me (we'll see) and I'm a bit surprised that of all three, CA named this one the cigar of the year last year.
