As it's usually extremely hot here in the summer, too much so to smoke in the afternoon, I figured I'd take advantage of one of the rare days it's cooled off a bit and light up something I hadn't tried this evening. Slowly been working my way through everything in the Cohiba line, and as I was recently gifted with a panatelas, I settled on this little fella over a Rafael Gonzales Coronas Extra I'd also considered burning.
Prelight, construction appeared to be excellent, as was the aroma. The wrapper appeared a nice medium brown, with fine veining and a little bit of tooth. Triple cap was well executed, leaving one able to clip it and leave more than enough to have no worries of unraveling. Testing the draw, I was unsurprised to find it fairly firm considering the small ring size, but not so much that I thought it would be problematic.
Upon lighting, my suspicions proved correct. Though a little tighter than I would have liked, it was nothing to worry about. I'd guessed the flavors would be similar to that of it's somewhat larger brother, the exquisito, and that first draw rewarded me with a rich espresso flavor along with hints of spice and honey. As I continued smoking, I was really impressed with the volume of blue-grey smoke it emitted, and though the initial burn was a little uneven, it quickly corrected itself.
About 40% of the way down, the espresso flavors mellowed considerably, and in came notes of grass and wood, and even some creamyness that reminded me of the Trinidad Reyes. The ash was a nice medium grey, and very firm. As it burned down, the draw did loosen up a tad, but not as much as I would have preferred. By the time it was done, it had taken me about 30 minutes to smoke, with slightly burnt fingers from nubbing, as I didn't want the experience to end.
While not as powerful a smoke as the exquisito, I'd still rate it as medium to full. It seems when people talk about Cohibas these days, it is mainly with regards to the Siglo line up. However, if you're looking for something a bit different, I'd highly recommend branching out and giving the panatelas a try, as well as the exquisito, coronas especiales, and lanceros.
Edited to correct my use of coronas extra where I meant coronas especiales!
Prelight, construction appeared to be excellent, as was the aroma. The wrapper appeared a nice medium brown, with fine veining and a little bit of tooth. Triple cap was well executed, leaving one able to clip it and leave more than enough to have no worries of unraveling. Testing the draw, I was unsurprised to find it fairly firm considering the small ring size, but not so much that I thought it would be problematic.
Upon lighting, my suspicions proved correct. Though a little tighter than I would have liked, it was nothing to worry about. I'd guessed the flavors would be similar to that of it's somewhat larger brother, the exquisito, and that first draw rewarded me with a rich espresso flavor along with hints of spice and honey. As I continued smoking, I was really impressed with the volume of blue-grey smoke it emitted, and though the initial burn was a little uneven, it quickly corrected itself.
About 40% of the way down, the espresso flavors mellowed considerably, and in came notes of grass and wood, and even some creamyness that reminded me of the Trinidad Reyes. The ash was a nice medium grey, and very firm. As it burned down, the draw did loosen up a tad, but not as much as I would have preferred. By the time it was done, it had taken me about 30 minutes to smoke, with slightly burnt fingers from nubbing, as I didn't want the experience to end.
While not as powerful a smoke as the exquisito, I'd still rate it as medium to full. It seems when people talk about Cohibas these days, it is mainly with regards to the Siglo line up. However, if you're looking for something a bit different, I'd highly recommend branching out and giving the panatelas a try, as well as the exquisito, coronas especiales, and lanceros.
Edited to correct my use of coronas extra where I meant coronas especiales!
