Cohiba Blue is the latest Cohiba brand cigar from General Cigar, as of May 2017. Cohiba Blue cigars are made with Honduran OSA wrappers and binders, and a blend of filler tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic. The cigars are available in four sizes, including the Robusto (5½ x 50) sampled for this review. The SRP is $9.99 per single stick, but I have seen 5-packs online for as low as $40.95 (average of $8.19 per cigar). For more info about these cigars, please check out the press release.
Cohiba Blue is a medium bodied cigar, and if I was doing a blind taste test, I would have guessed that it was a Macanudo. This cigar is not as full as other cigars in the Cohiba line, but that is not a bad thing. I enjoy medium bodied cigars more than many full bodied sticks, especially during the warmer spring and summer months. A good medium bodied cigar can usually appeal to all levels of cigar smokers, from beginners to connoisseurs.
The cigar began with an enjoyable spicy flavor that was just about right, just a bit subdued and not in your face. The cigar also had just the right amount of natural tobacco sweetness, which revealed itself early during the smoke (right at the start in one sample, and within five minutes in another). During the first 30 minutes, the spice gradually faded as the cigar became smoother. A few earthy notes became noticeable, but these are not what I would call earthy cigars. I really enjoyed the flavors during the first half of the cigar, and liked it much more than the Cohiba Red Dot cigar, but not quite as much as the Cohiba Macassar (which is more expensive). I would rate the first 30 minutes of the Cohiba Blue with a superior rating of 4.25 points on a 5-point scale.
The flavor of these cigars began to noticeably decline after the 30-minute mark. In addition, a couple of touch-up lights were needed for one sample, and the other needed a relight and a couple of touch-ups during the second 30 minutes of the cigar. Total smoke time from start to finish was one hour for each cigar, down to 2½ inches remaining. The sample cigars had a good draw and held a medium-to-long ash. The burn was not perfectly even, but the cigars did maintain a relatively even burn, except for needing a couple of touch-ups as previously indicated. I rate the second half of this cigar with an average score of 3.5 points, but the taste had dropped to 3 points at the very end.
I recommend Cohiba Blue to all levels of cigar smokers. However, don't feel that you have the smoke the cigar for an hour down to a couple of inches or so remaining. A very good to superior Robusto cigar that can be enjoyed for 45 minutes at a price of just over $8 might not be considered a bargain, but it is the going price in today's market, especially for the latest line of Cohiba's.