Tasting Note

The Siglo line of Cohiba has been around for more than 16 years, and Linea 1492—the official name for the group of five—is one of the prestigious brand's most successful names among true Habanos aficionados. Unofficially, the cigar line was started to replace the famous Davidoff Chateau series that was discontinued in 1991 along with the rest of the Swiss-based cigar merchant's range. Production has been confined almost exclusively to the rolling rooms of the Partagas factory across the street from Havana's capitol building. The Siglo V— called dalias in the rolling rooms—is the longest of the five smokes, identical in size to the ever-popular Partagas 8-9-8. However, the cigar delivers a richer and more refined character because of the special handling given to the tobacco for all Cohiba cigars. The filler and wrapper leaves are selected from the best plantations in Pinar del Río and then processed in a more precise way. The main point is that some of the filler tobacco undergoes a small, special fermentation process while it is held in Havana after being shipped in bales from tobacco warehouses in the provinces. The late Avelino Lara, who ran the Cohiba factory when the Siglo quintet was launched, called it "the special of the special for Cohiba." The Siglo V Tubo was the best Cohiba and best Cuban cigar we reviewed in 2009.