Tried a Short Story and a Cohiba "special" last night

[Oblofusc]

Short story--smooth, nicely constructed, a good cigar to be sure, but as with other AF's I've tried lately, just not enough flavor for me to consider it a really good cigar. Also, I am just not a fan of the boutoille (sp?) shape. It always feels like I'm gonna lose hold of it. Maybe it's not very exciting, but I prefer the plain old parejo.

Cohiba--I say "special" because there was a box of Cohibas (Dominican of course, about 44 ring, 5", medium-light brown wrapper) in the "today's specials" section at the bottom of the humidor in my local B&M which were marked down to $7.00 from $14.25. I figured there was a reason for the markdown but thought what the heck, it's been a looong time since I smoked anything with a "Cohiba" band on it.

Anyway, this Dominican Cohiba bowled me over--it was absolutely GREAT! The wrapper did split along one side early into the smoke, but that was purely cosmetic and may have been the reason for the markdown. Other than the split wrapper, the construction was great--smooth and seemingly really tight, yet it yielded a good draw. Great burn, loads of smoke, and just a wonderful mixture of tastes with no harshness, bitterness, or bite whatsoever. A magnificent smoke!

 

[ctaylor]

I have a bunch of those cohiba red dots in my humi now. Its been a while since I've had one, but they are a nice and smooth smoke. $7 was a steal too.

 

[tedski]

Cohiba--I say "special" because there was a box of Cohibas (Dominican of course, about 44 ring, 5", medium-light brown wrapper) in the "today's specials" section at the bottom of the humidor in my local B&M which were marked down to $7.00 from $14.25.

It's funny how DR Cohibas are more expensive than Cuban Cohibas. I've never had a DR version - and at those prices, I never will.

As far as the Short Story, I agree these are not "wow" smokes, but I have always found them to be a consistently good, medium bodied cigar ... and a decent value at $4 + change.