Cohiba Robusto 2011 Mature Storage

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

Notice: How a cigar tastes is influenced by personal taste preferences, taste memories, the shape of the day, what you have eaten or drunk before. Even the lighting mood in the room has an influence on the experienced taste. The notes described here therefore do not have to match your own impressions.

Fact Sheet Cohiba Robusto 2011 Ageing

• Format: Robusto (length: 124 mm / ring size: 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
  • Notice: 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 cigar: Google Search >

Personal impressions in taste

First half

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

Second half

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

What is "retronasal"?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the taste. What it is and, why it works and how to do it please read here. Especially look at the ZiZo vacuum technology. Incredible increase in the enjoyment of the cigar!

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 pacifier. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke enters the mouth. But this passes over the tongue and goes right through the nose. I tried it on about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practicing: the smoke got to the back of my larynx several times when I did this. It was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's an accomplished technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means "savory", "spicy", "essence", "meaty". This blending of taste sensations is perceived in the middle of the tongue. You can find a good article about it on Wikipedia. 

Acclimatization recommendation: minimum maturing time 5 years in the box in the humidor

Cuban cigars and the important maturation phase

Cuban cigars are super tasty after rolling for the first 1 - 3 months. 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 have hardly any resting period. Depending on the brand and format, the maturation phase in the home humidor takes between 2 to 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 single cigar in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda in it. Then you put it closed in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavor very quickly. This is proven in this article with experiments.

What is the Boxing Date of the cigar (BD)?

On the back of the box is a stamp. There you can see when the cigars were placed in the box. From this date Cuban cigars are excellent to taste within 1 - 3 months. If you did not buy a whole box, please ask your dealer for the boxing date.

Note: The boxing date can also be placed 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.