Cohiba Robusto 2011 ageing

Maturing Cuban cigars is an important topic for beginners; or for experienced cigar connoisseurs who do not yet have much experience with Cuban cigars. I came across a great video on the YouTube channel of zigarren-online.ch today. There the Difference demonstrates how a Cohiba Robusto from 2011 tastes compared to one from 2020. I immediately grabbed a Cohiba Robusto, also from 2011, and watched the video while I enjoyed it. As a tip for you, here is my eBook on the subject of ageing Cuban cigars, please click on the cover:

Reading tip: Here you can find more free eBooks about Cuban cigars >

A cigar test is subjective

Note: How a cigar tastes is influenced by personal taste preferences, taste memories, the form of the day, what you have eaten or drunk beforehand. Even the lighting in the room has an influence on the flavour you experience. The notes described here therefore do not necessarily correspond to your own impressions.

Fact Sheet Cohiba Robusto 2011 Ageing

• Format: Robusto (length: 124 mm / ring gauge: 50)
• Tobacco: Complete Cuba
• Boxing Date (BD): SEP 11
• Price: Status April 2021
  • fresh cigars CHF 32.80 / box of 25 CHF 820.00
  • fresh cigars EUR 23,60 / box of 25 EUR 590,00
  • Note: BD OCT 09: English pounds approx. 650.00 (approx. CHF 835.00) at an online auction in 2020. The price at online auctions can vary greatly depending on demand.
• Buy a cigar: Google Search >

Personal impressions of the flavour

First half

• Tongue, palate: slightly nutty / delicate dark cocoa / even slightly creamy / typical Cohiba and subtle grass flavour
• Retronasal: Wood and grassy
• R+ ZiZo vacuum technology: Spicy / roasted flavours of smouldering wood
• Umami: juicy, roasted
• Strength 3/5

Second half

• The flavour nuances become more dominant, especially cocoa and spice. The typical Cohiba grass flavour becomes stronger.

What is „retronasal“?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the flavour. What it is, why it works and how to do it please read here. Take a look at the ZiZo vacuum technology in particular. Incredible enhancement of cigar enjoyment!

What is the „R+ ZiZo vacuum technology“?

This is the consummate pleasure of a cigar. Hard to describe. I'll try. Here's an example: a baby sucking on a dummy. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke gets into the mouth. But it passes over the tongue and goes straight through the nose. I tried it with about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practising: the smoke hit the back of my larynx several times. That was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's a perfect technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means „savouriness“, „spicy“, „essence“, „meaty“. This mixture of taste sensations is perceived on the centre of the tongue. You can find a good article about this on Wikipedia. 

Acclimatisation recommendation: minimum maturation time 5 years in the box in the humidor

Cuban cigars and the important ageing phase

Cuban cigars are super tasty for the first 1 - 3 months after rolling. After that, the cigar begins to mature. The tobacco used is not yet ready for tasting. Cuba has too few resources. The tobacco cannot mature as long as it should. The cigars are rolled and hardly have a resting phase. Depending on the brand and format, the maturing phase in the humidor at home takes between 2 and over 8 years (or even longer). Very important: this is not a fault of the cigar.

If you buy single copies

Place the cigar with the cellophane in the humidor. If your cigar does not have cellophane: Put them in tubos and then in the humidor. Or you can put the individual cigars in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda inside. You then seal it and place it in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavour very quickly. This is demonstrated in this article with experiments.

What is the boxing date of the cigar (BD)?

There is a stamp on the back of the box. There you can see when the cigars were placed in the box. From this point onwards, Cuban cigars are excellent for tasting within 1 - 3 months. If you have not bought a whole box, please ask your retailer for the boxing date.

Note: The boxing date can also be affixed in other places. E.g. on the outer carton.

Conclusion

It's always something special when I taste a mature Cuban cigar. I also like the taste of very fresh Cuban cigars as long as they are between 1 - max. 3 months young from the boxing date. After the maturing period, however, it is always a completely different cigar and a great pleasure. I came across a great video on the YouTube channel of zigarren-online.ch today. There the Difference demonstrates how a Cohiba Robusto from 2011 tastes compared to one from 2020.