The Good Stuff:

Weller by Cohiba is actually the second time the two have collaborated on a cigar. Different from the first version, Weller by Cohiba actually utilizes tobacco that was treated with Weller bourbon. The binder on the cigar was actually aged in Weller 12 barrels that General Cigar Co. transported from the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky to the factory in Dominican Republic. This is actually the first time a Cohiba cigar utilized barrel-aged tobacco. The blend features an Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper over a Connecticut Broadleaf binder aged in Weller 12 bourbon barrels and filler tobacco from Dominican Republic, Nicaraguan, and Honduras. The cigar comes in a single 6 x 50 format packed in boxes of 10 running $24.99 a stick. I purchased mine over from out good friends at Cuenca Cigars who at the time of writing this, still have some in stock.

• Size: 6 x 50
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
• Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf aged in Waller 12 barrels
• Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $24.99
• Pairing: Weller 12

Prelight:

The wrapper on the Weller by Cohiba is a deep, dark brown with a few lighter brown areas specially around the veining in the leaf. The wrapper’s texture is very toothy and slightly oily. As mentioned previously there are quite a few smaller veins running through the wrapper. The wrapper is laid seamlessly on itself leading up to the cigar’s round, double-wrapped cap. The cigar sports two matching black and gold stylized band. The first carries the Cohiba crest along with the Weller logo. The second simply carries the Weller crest.

The wrapper on the Weller by Cohiba gives off mostly hay/earthy and musky aromas while the foot of the cigar carries a bit of sweetness, spice, and natural tobacco. The cap took some convincing from my Xikar XO double bladed cutter, but eventually sliced clean. The cold draw produces nice notes of spice, oats, musk and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Weller by Cohiba starts out with a quick black pepper punch which fades very quickly allowing the cigar to release notes of deep musk, oak, spice and pecan over lighter notes of cherry, vanilla, and earthiness. While the bourbon flavor isn’t very dominant, I do pick it up lightly at this point. I feel I need to also point out that I smoked this cigar without the Weller 12 and this time with, and I feel like pairing it with the bourbon really allowed me to pick up more of the bourbon-flavors from within the cigar. Of course, that could just be a placebo but I thought it was worth mentioning. The daw on the Weller by Cohiba is fantastic and every tiny puff kicks out a huge cloud of thick, white smoke that hangs around for quite some time before dissipating. The burn line is dead even and razor thin and slightly wavy leaving behind a trail of very tightly compacted white and light gray ash which held on for an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Weller by Cohiba and the flavors are very similar only with some added dryness to it. The profile leads with musk, oak, and spice backed by pecan, vanilla and cherry. There is also a great red-wine dryness that keeps peeking in and out of the experience. The retrohale really helps bring that out. The cigar is still burning great without and assistance from my torch and I close out the second third with only a very mild nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Weller by Cohiba and the flavors are much of the same. Lots of musk, oak, and spice backed up by pecan, vanilla, and cherry. That red-wine flavor keeps coming in and out to he experience as well as a nice dark chocolate note that I wish was just a little more prominent. It took me almost 2 hours to smoke the Weller by Cohiba down to the nub. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat and closed out the cigar with little more than a very mild nicotine kick.

Overview:

When I smoked the Weller by Cohiba by itself I could only get whiffs and notes of the bourbon barrel aged tobacco used in the blend. It was still an enjoyable cigar on it’s own, however once I paired it with a dram of Weller 12 the cigar really opened up quite a bit and I was able to gain more of an appreciation of the cigar’s ability to pair with the bourbon. If you’re looking for a cigar that’s going to taste like bourbon, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a great cigar that will pair at an exceptional level with your favorite dram then look no further. It’s a pricey one, but is unique enough to be able to appreciate.

Pairing:

Created at the famous Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky Weller 12 is a 90 proof bourbon aged 12 years in barrels. The bourbon gives off notes of caramel, vanilla, white cherry, light candy corn and a great lasting spice.

From Above: When I smoked the Weller by Cohiba by itself I could only get whiffs and notes of the bourbon barrel aged tobacco used in the blend. It was still an enjoyable cigar on it’s own, however once I paired it with a dram of Weller 12 the cigar really opened up quite a bit and I was able to gain more of an appreciation of the cigar’s ability to pair with the bourbon.

I feel like the complimenting flavors found in the cigar pair perfectly with the cigar itself and to fully understand the blend you’d need to pair with with a dram of Weller 12 or a similar bourbon.

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Templeton Rye

Upon first impression, the unique, small batch rye whiskey presents a rye spiciness and almost bittersweet taste that is found in the rye grain. Other impressions are dried fruit, toffee, caramel notes and allspice flavors.

Color: Deep amber
Nose: Mellow, yet complex balance
Taste: Dense mixture of spiciness with sweet undertones of dried fruit, toffee, and caramel
Finish: Clean and spicy
ABV: 40%
Size: 750ml
Price: $39.99
Pairing: Espinosa Laranja Reserve (read cigar review here)

I paired the Templeton Rye with the Laranja reserve due to the spicy overtones, cedar, and citrus I found in the cigar smoking experience. First off, the spice marries up perfectly with the spice in the Templeton Rye while the dried fruit mashed up well with the citrus in the smoke. The cedar from the cigar mixed in perfectly and gave the pairing a nice oakiness while the caramel from the Templeton Rye added some much needed sweetness to the mixture.

Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey

Since 1782 the Teeling family have been crafting Irish Whiskey. The Teeling’s are renowned for their vision in doing things differently and their Whiskeys embody this entrepreneurial spirit. This small batch bottling consists of hand selected casks which are given further maturation in ex-Flor de Cana Rum barrels imparting an extra sweet and smooth flavour unique to Irish Whiskey. By bottling at 46% with no chill filtration completes an Irish Whiskey of true character.

Nose: An inviting nose where vanilla and spice dances with bright sweet notes of Rum
Taste: While being very approachable the influence of the rum cask and higher percentage alcohol creates a unique smooth, sweet, slightly woody marriage that sparkles on the tongue
Finish: Slightly moorish, sweet spice finish complimented by woody undertones
ABV: 46%
Size: 750ml
Price: $39.99 – $44.99
Pairing: Joya De Nicaragua Joya Red (read full cigar review here)

The Teeling Small batch got a go with Joya de Nicaragua’s Joya Red, easily one of my favorite cigars I smoked this year. The pairing was simple, the Joya offers a smooth, creamy, milky, solid experience which is exactly what this whiskey delivers. I picked up lots of woodiness in both the cigar, and the Teeling. The sweetness from the Whiskey really picked up the experience while all the pepper and spice from the cigar really helped carry this pairing along.

Four Roses Single Barrel

A premium Single Barrel Bourbon with a taste that begs to be savored again and again. Its taste is complex, full bodied and surprisingly smooth with a delicate long finish that is unbelievably mellow. Contains hints of ripe plum and cherry tastes with fruity, spicy aromas including maple syrup and cocoa. Drink straight up or on the rocks.

Color: Deep brown with red tints
Nose: Fruity, spicy, floral, cocoa, maple syrup, moderately woody.
Taste: Hints of ripe plum & cherries, robust, full body, mellow.
Finish: Smooth & delicately long.
ABV: 50%
Size: 750ml
Price: $35.99 – $39.99
Pairing: Illusione *G* Gigantes (read cigar review here)

Easily my favorite pairing out of the three. First off, the Four Roses Single Barrel is a decently complex little beast. The heavy sweetness and cherries mashed up perfect with similar, dominant flavors in the Gigantes. The cigar offered some awesome spice that helped me pick up some of the more dormant spice in the Four Roses, while the bourbon lifted up the cigar with a really thick, syrupy palate.

We often post pairings here on Casas Fumando and have always been advocates on finding the right pairing for your cigar smoking experience. Our friends over at Famous Smoke Shop recently released a very easy to use tool which helps you choose the right pairing for your cigar or drink. Check it out here: https://www.famous-smoke.com/cigar-pairing 

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