Last night was an excellent opportunity to try out the Cohiba Genios Maduro 5. Me and Eray Galip (founder of Cut The Cap) took a trip to the recently opened Soho Whiskey Club to check out this new Whiskey bar and cigar terrace. The review of the venue is soon to follow so stay tuned.
The Cohiba Maduro 5 line use the leaves from the top of the tobacco plant, giving them a full 5 years fermentation and also a lovely silky rich dark wrapper which just begs to be smoked (and also leaves you begging to smoke it).
This was my first Cohiba Maduro cigar so I decided to pick the largest in the line, the aesthetically pleasing Genios, and make the experience count.
The construction was excellent. Perfectly even bounce all the way through the cigar, not too soft, not too hard. Which was a little strange when I was smoking as the burn wasn’t as perfectly even as I would have expected given my initial inspection of the construction. A gorgeous silky smooth texture running your fingers along it. It definitely feels and looks like a premium cigar (and, by price, it definitely is)
At first draw the smoke was a little harsh but immediately a nice woody flavour with a hint of cocoa. A pleasing draw nonetheless, and the delightful aroma of the smoke as it floated around me really helped add to the satisfaction. It really does have a lovely smell and I can’t really say that about too many cigars. You generally only get the real satisfaction from a draw but with the Genios it was an all-senses experience.
I also paired the cigar with a dram of Ardbeg Alligator Islay Single Malt which is a heavily peated, smokey yet sweet whiskey as I was told by the Soho Whiskey Club expert bartender, Patrick (admittedly and with shame, I’m a novice when it comes to whiskey). The two actually went quite well and I loved taking a sip of the single malt right after a draw. It caused a huge flavour explosion in my mouth, a fusion of the peat, combined with the wood and cocoa was a real delight. Hat’s off to Patrick for a great recommendation.
Continuing through the cigar, I was quite surprised to find that the flavour was consistent all the way through. No pockets of spice, no developments in to any other flavours. But far from making the cigar a dull experience, the full flavour of the Genios (Geniuses when translated to English) was pleasing and I was happy to keep getting that excellent flavour for the duration of the cigar. Especially once paired with a perfect drink, you really don’t want to gamble on losing that pleasure.
As I said before, the burn wasn’t completely even, but also, I never had to relight the cigar which I absolutely hate doing. The uneven burn didn’t stray too far off and therefore I didn’t have to make any manual corrections therefore I can’t really complain about this too much.
When it comes down to the value, this is where I really have a problem with the Genios, and pretty much the entire Maduro 5 line. A Box of 25 Genios costs roughly 600GBP+ and yes it comes in a fancy black cabinet which can double up as a travel humidor, but still it seems like pure madness to pay near double the price compared to some of its competitors. Especially when as much as I have enjoyed this cigar, It’s still not my favourite.
If you fancy picking up a Cohiba Genios Maduro 5, check out Humibros.com
Thank you for taking the time to read this review and any comments are much appreciated. Don’t forget to follow the blog for all the latest news, views, and reviews. Coming shortly is our review of the Soho Whiskey Club at Vintage House.
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