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Home > What's New > Connoisseur's Corner, December 2004
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Connoisseur's Corner, December 2004
Posted: Monday, February 14, 2005
Reprinted from the December 2004 issue of Cigar Aficionado
The best cigar in this taste test is a true rarity, a 16-year-old Cohiba Robusto. The Cohiba brand is one of Cuba's youngest, and in 1988 the cigar was still being made in the Partagas factory, in very small quantities (and with a very different cigar band.) This one scored 94.
The oldest cigar in the group is also the thinnest. The 1971 Don Candido Atado has only a 32 ring gauge. Thirty years ago the cigar was considered slim, but in today's cigar world, where thickness is ever more prized, such lean cigars are increasingly uncommon.
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Cohiba Robusto (1988)
94 Man, this is a smoke! It was made when Cohiba Robusto was a tiny-production smoke out of Partagas. It's very, very spicy, as if someone put white pepper in it. Great cedary notes with loads of flavors. It goes on for minutes on your palate.
--James Suckling
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La Gloria Cubana Tainos (1995)
93 I bought this cigar in Havana about six years ago and it is still going strong. It's an excellent smoke. It shows lots of tea, cedar and tobacco character with a slightly almond and dry earth character. Rich and flavorful. It's fresh, with a caressing, textured finish.
--James Suckling
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Hoyo de Monterrey Royal Coronation (1990)
93 What a fantastic corona! This cost $25 for a box of 25 in Havana five years ago. Fabulous flavors of honey, toffee and cedar. Full-bodied and rich, but soft and round. Very long in the mouth.
--James Suckling
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Ramon Allones Specially Selected (1995)
93 A beautiful looking cigar that comes from the end of Cuba's strong run of cigars. It has an earthy, slightly burnt aftertaste on the palate that warms up to a deep richness. It has a sharp, clean finish.
--Marvin R. Shanken
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Don Candido Atado (1971)
91 Sometimes a small thin cigar does the trick, even with a lot of age. This smoke measures 32 ring by 6 3/4 inches long and shows a soft texture with plenty of tea and cedar character. It is almost honey-like. Lovely.
--James Suckling
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Punch Gran Cru (1996)
89 This was from an original box of Punch Gran Cru, a Honduran torpedo that I got shortly after its release. It has a smooth rounded flavor, with an easy draw. There is a soft touch of spice and a top note of sweet leather, with a cedar wood finish. It has lost some harshness that it had early on.
--Gordon Mott
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