Brand: General Cigar
Line: Cohiba "Red Dot"
Vitola: Lonsdale Grande 6.5 X 42
Origin: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Filler: Dominican Pilato Cuban
Binder: Rare Indonesion Jember
Strength: Medium
Flavor: Medium/Medium-full
Drink: Cola
Price: $175-$190
Prelight: This is a review of the Cohiba Lonsdale (a great size), one of the cigars all others are judged by. The wrapper in oily to the touch, just right, not as "toothy" as most Cameroons to the touch. The cigar had a full wonderful feeling like it was packed right, tight head, no super hard spots. The wrapper also tasted good in the mouth, a cigar should have mouth appeal, it should feel and taste well, before you light it.
Lighting: After toasting, the cigar was ready to light, which it did well (I have been working on this lately). The first puffs were not as strong as I had thought they would be, after all this is a "Cohiba" a real manly strong smoke only for the initiated. This is a cigar like any other, it is what it is, a well made "normal" premium cigar. The cigar tried to burn a little crooked, and had to be corrected at first light.
Construction: This is one of the best made cigars I have ever smoked. The body was firm, with just the right amount of give to the touch. The head was firm and well capped. The African Cameroon wrapper feels so good to the touch (Cameroon wrappers are my favorite). Good draw, but just a little tight for me, the draw opened up as I smoked, but I tend to rush my smoking, something I am working on. This cigar has great mouth appeal, you can see in the pictures a ring around the cap were I held it in my teeth.
Burn: The burn was good overall, it started out uneven and I had to touch up at the beginning, and that was it. Good burn thru rest of smoke. Ash nice and long, salt and pepper, a little more salt than pepper. A nice amount of smoke.
Flavor: The Cohiba had notes of cream and coffee, citrus, a little pepper flavor and some kind of spice I could not make out. The savory wrapper had a mild pleasant flavor, I just loved it. wrapper taste is more important than most people think. A little trick, lick your lips while smoking your cigar, it should be pleasant, a good taste, if not something is wrong. Smoke had a pleasant smell, very mild.
Conclusion: This is one of the cigars all others are judged against, and I think it lived up to its reputation. Some people complain about bad experiences with Cohiba’s, I have yet to have a bad one, even a plugged one, which can happen with any brand. From the first draw to the last, the Cohiba exhibited all the quality of a excellent well constructed premium cigar that lives up to its pedigree.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve smoked a bunch of the little pint-sized tinned versions of this cigar. Those aren’t half bad either, not a bad choice for a short smoke.
Sadly, I’ve yet to smoke a Cohiba Red Dot.
Perhaps the reason Famous Smoke sent me a sampler which included two of the Red Dot Coronas is because they were seconds or needed a lot of humidor time ?
The first had numerous problems and wasnt at all impressive compared to its old Cuban counterpart so I laid down the other for a future date. In fact re-reading you review I might try it out soon or when this English weather stops flooding us out.
Rgds – Roy.R, Essex. UK
I smoke the robusto on occasion. It is definitely a decent smoke and I pretty much taste what Carl senses with the Lonsdale. With the exception of salty I barely noticed any. The pepper is only very slight in the begining with a bolder stronger taste in the last couple inches. Bolder but not a strong burning sensation to the lips. Very pleasant.
As Carl said, it would never live up to its older counterpart. I think it stands up well to the newer Cuban version as far as quality goes. The older Cuban version was smoother and a bit more complex, impossible to duplicate due to the tobacco used. A genuine older version “havana” is not as much the “he man” tear your head off smoke so many people thought it was and neither are the Red Dot cohibas.
My son and I both just recently smoked a Cohiba Red Dot Toro Tubo (10-OCT-2009).
We were both disappointed.
The draw was very tight on both sticks. It took me two “puffs” to get a decent amount of smoke out of these.
The taste was a tad bland also.
We overpaid $20 a stick for these. Not worth it in my opinion. For the price and reputation of Cohiba Cigars, I was expecting these to knock my socks off.
I’ll stick with the H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon for my money.