Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Bhk 54

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    1,786
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default Bhk 54

    Background
    Cohiba started out making cigars for Castro. Those cigar sizes plus a few others are the ‘linea clasica’ (or something like that) of today’s Cohiba. Then there was the ‘Siglo’ series, which started out as the same-sized-Davidoff. (Cuba wanted (essentially) control of Davidoff. Davidoff burned all his Cuban cigar stock and moved production to Henke Kelner in the Domincan Republic.) A ‘Maduro 5’ (or ‘Maduro $’) line was added a few years ago.

    Also a few years ago, Cohiba celebrated some anniversary by making a few humidors of cigars at roughly $500 of today’s dollars. Per cigar, before tax. This was the original Behike.

    Last year, Cohiba brought out the $150 (or so) Gran Reserva Cohiba. (This year it is the Monte#2, using tobacco from 2005). While both the Behike and the Gran Reservas are supposed to be awesome cigars, who gives a flying f*ck at those prices!

    However, there is a market for ultra-premium cigars at high-end Padron prices (before taxes), and the new ‘Behike’ line is priced for that market. The line is not a limited edition; Behike's will be a regular Cohiba line.

    The claim to fame for the Behike (besides the price) is that upper leaves of the tobacco plant are used, i.e., it is a ligero cigar. (Ligero in the usual sense, not the Cuban shade-grown sense.)

    Review
    This box is from December 2010 and thus isn’t part of the original release (spring 2010).

    The cap had a creamy, buttery taste, quite rich. The foot smelt of damn good tobacco.

    Draw and construction were perfect, and, unusually for a Cuban, the band un-did easily.

    Upon toasting, the room scent of the cigar was of, well, damn good tobacco. Nothing artificial.

    First impression was that this was a strong cigar, not as strong as a JdN Antano 1970, but getting there. Next was the powerful ligero-ness of the cigar, like an Oliva V or a LGD.

    But neither strength nor power is the dominant characteristic of the BHK.

    In a nutshell, the BHK was an incredibly complex cigar with absolutely no harshness. However, it didn't seem to be a deep cigar – there was a breadth of flavours, but not a depth of flavour. This lack of depth may change with age. While the cigar had an every-changing harmony of flavours, I didn’t nub it.

    The Behike is a very accessible cigar – I think that almost anyone can smoke it and enjoy it. It smoked well at two months after the box date. Whether it is worth the price - well, if a Padron 80th is worth the money, then the Behike is worth the money as well. Myself, I’ll probably wait five years before I smoke the next one from this box.

    Pics descriptions:
    - cute box, heavily lacquered
    - yup, cigars in a box
    - five minutes after lighting
    - about 80 minutes later

    Update October 2016:
    My memory is far from perfect, but this one seemed to be pretty much like the one I smoked in 2011 ROTT - but possibly more intense.
    First third - trademark Cohiba "grassiness" very evident. Very enjoyable. Band glue tore the wrapper, annoying.
    Second third - much less grassiness, predominant taste almost like an aged Opus X crossed with an aged JdN 1970, but smoother. Felt like the cigar needed a complement, went with Courvoisier V.S.O.P.; good pairing.
    Last third - honestly, a bit too buzzed by then. Put the cognac aside. Cuban "twang" - yeah, I know, WTF is that taste - built up slowly and then came on strong like a freight train and then slowly subsided into, well, just plain damn good tobacco, best taken in very slow puffs - but the "show" was over by the last inch and a half. Like before, not a cigar that makes you want to burn your fingers on the nub, but smooth and silky right to the end.

    Cigars-review.org ranks the BHK 54 in 50th overall, and I think that is a fair assessment at this time, given the cigars that are ranked higher/similar/lower that I've smoked. I think that I'll put the rest of the box back to sleep for another five years.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20110226341.jpg 
Views:	206 
Size:	72.1 KB 
ID:	2273   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20110226336.jpg 
Views:	221 
Size:	62.2 KB 
ID:	2272   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20110226335.jpg 
Views:	206 
Size:	59.1 KB 
ID:	2271   Click image for larger version. 

Name:	20110226360.jpg 
Views:	207 
Size:	54.6 KB 
ID:	2274  
    Last edited by craig; 10-11-2016 at 05:46 PM.
    Craig
    Ahhhhhhhhhhh Cigar Jesus just wept - kevin7
    A cigar storage primer | Basic Cuban cigar info

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    2,782
    Blog Entries
    7

    Default

    Thanks for the review - for some reason I can't convince my wife that it is "an investment" for me to buy a box of these...

    If you end up smoking more and not nubbing them, feel free to ship the left-over thirds to Tucson.

    -Buzz
    Quote Originally Posted by badwhale View Post
    Buzz is smoking our cigars. This probably is his triumphant scam.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Bitterville
    Posts
    7,189
    Blog Entries
    117

    Default

    Great informative review as usual, Craig.

    Thanks!
    Will
    The powers that be might take it all away
    Together we burn, together we burn away

    Uncle Tupelo

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    129 S. 7th Street Cherokee, Iowa 51012
    Posts
    1,455

    Default

    Nice review Craig
    "I'm a leaf on the wind watch how I soar."
    Hoban Washburn


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    1,786
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by buzz View Post
    Thanks for the review - for some reason I can't convince my wife that it is "an investment" for me to buy a box of these...

    If you end up smoking more and not nubbing them, feel free to ship the left-over thirds to Tucson.

    -Buzz
    The best 'investment' are probably the Gran Reserva's.

    I won't be buying these again. I'll stick to Trinidad as my preferred excessively-priced cigar.
    Craig
    Ahhhhhhhhhhh Cigar Jesus just wept - kevin7
    A cigar storage primer | Basic Cuban cigar info

  6. #6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by prophetic_joe View Post
    Nice review Craig
    Great review. You confirmed my initial thoughts on continuing to age these before I give them a try!
    I love three things in this world: UNC Basketball, my English Bulldog, and Cuban Cigars!!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    1,786
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    Cigar number two of this three-part series was the Padron 1926 serie 80th year maduro.

    This particular example came from a three-year old box. In looking over old tasting notes, I see no appreciable change in the cigar from new. At most, perhaps it has mellowed a bit.

    The great thing with Padron is you know exactly what you will be getting. All Padrons have a family look, feel, and taste. Everything about the cigar is dominated by the sun-grown wrapper that Padron grows. The regular series ("thousand") will be a bit rustic-appearing and occasionally a bit loose. The more expensive regular series will seem to be just a bit better the least expensive. (Smoke a Magnum and a 2000 if you don't believe me.) The 1964 serie will look better and smoke better than the regular series. The 1926 serie will look better and smoke better than the 1964 series. Then there are various special Padrons - the 40th, the 80th, the Family Reserve, etc.

    This 80th had a flawless sun-grown maduro wrapper, flawless construction, and a perfect draw. In smoking, there was no doubt this was a Padron, just like all other Padrons, but it was better. Complexity was in abundance with each third being almost a new (Padron) cigar. The cigar demanded one's attention.

    In comparing the 80th to the BHK, both had almost flawless presentation and construction. The BHK was a little light (and thus a bit harsh) in the last third so the 80th had a very slight edge in the smoking department. On the other hand, the 80th is, well, a Padron. A really, really, really good Padron, but it is what it is.

    Put it this way: The 80th was a better cigar than the BHK. However, I suspect Padron could make a better cigar if they had Cohiba's tobacco.
    Craig
    Ahhhhhhhhhhh Cigar Jesus just wept - kevin7
    A cigar storage primer | Basic Cuban cigar info

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Just south of nowhere.
    Posts
    1,234

    Default

    Very nice descriptions, I like the way you laid it out against the BHK.


    Live each day like it's your last, one day you'll get it right.

  9. Default

    great review.
    Last edited by bigbill1300; 03-24-2011 at 08:44 PM.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •