CA Review Panel: Weller by Cohiba 2022

THE CIGAR ADVISOR TASTING GUIDE TO WELLER BY COHIBA 2022 CIGARS

The Weller by Cohiba 2022 Backstory

A Cohiba and Buffalo Trace super-premium collaboration that’s more than just a cigar.

When we think of “infused cigars,” most of our minds jump straight to Drew Estate’s Acid, Tatiana, or even CAO Flavours. However, there’s another realm premiums like this inhabit, and Weller by Cohiba 2022 is its latest ambassador. The realm we’re talking about: barrel-aging.

While it’s not precisely the same process as traditional infusion, these cigars include tobaccos that are aged in wooden barrels once containing bourbon, whiskey, or cognac. Consequently, the alcohol and oak wood from the barrels itself imprint themselves into the tobacco’s flavor profile. It’s the same way your cigars are influenced by the Spanish cedar lining of your humidor.

In the case of Cohiba Weller 2022, U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf leaves are aged inside Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels from their distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. These barrels are shipped directly to the Dominican Republic. That way, the tobaccos inside of them age in the same climate as the rest of the blend for consistency.

“For our second expression of Weller by Cohiba, we set out to deepen the connection between the cigar and the spirit, and we did this through our proprietary barrel aging process for tobacco,” said Cohiba Brand Ambassador, Sean Williams. “In allowing the binder leaf to age in bourbon barrels, we have added another dimension to the smoking experience which offers rich notes of cedar, honey and a subtle spice that come to life on the palate and in the aroma.”

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Weller by Cohiba 2022 – Cigar Details

Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
Size Reviewed: 6” x 50 (Toro)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, & Honduras

Construction: Gary and Pullo agreed the cigar was seamless; all felt their sample was well-made.
Draw: Paul and Gary both noted that the draw was excellent—no resistance. Pullo found some resistance in his sample.
Pre-Light & Toasting Flavors: All Advisors agreed it was predominantly raisin-y.
Key Cigar Flavors: We each found the cigar earthy with caramel, meat, and coffee flavors standing out among most of our reviews.
Smoke Aroma: Unanimously sweet.
Burn & Ash Color/Quality: Flawless burn across the board with a stacked, marbled ash.

Presented in boxes of 10

John Pullo’s Tasting Notes…

Summary: Opening puffs fire off heavy notes of oak and earth, but soon add a honey sweetness. Velvety smoke leaves a slightly spicy finish. This Cohiba only burns at mellow-plus, but you’ll notice it build to be a little more meaty in both body and actual flavor. Flavors are earth, oak, meat and sweet. That savory character continues into the second third, where it’s joined by leather and salted dry roasted peanuts. These flavors don’t linger on the finish, but the spice does.

The last of the Weller is probably the most straightforward part of the cigar: charred oak leads in, the sweetness is more caramel-y, plus ground coffee and earth. in with an oaky char. It’s a very round and full set of flavors, and the smoke is still plenty smooth.

I’m not getting any bourbon infusion effect out of the blend, though – the closest is that inside-the-barrel sensation of charred oak. The retrohale gets a little closer, exhibiting some of the same floral and spicy-sweet characteristics that a good bourbon would.

Weller by Cohiba 2022 is very tastefully done, and genuinely impressive…what makes it stand out, is that so many other cigars this full and rich have a lot of strength to them – strength you may not want. Combine that mellow-medium approachability with the Cohiba Weller’s diverse flavor profile, and it’s easy to like this cigar no matter what your go-to smoke is, or what your ideal profile is. A cigar like this doesn’t come around too often, so this may be one of those times to buck the price tag and just smoke it to smoke it, no matter what the cost.

Gary Korb’s Tasting Notes…

When it comes to those who enjoy whiskey with their cigar, Weller by Cohiba was built for bourbon. My Toro opened with a lightning bolt of red pepper and a lingering peppery finish. However, the spice settled down pretty quickly. After letting the cigar rest a bit, the pepper yielded to notes of sweet tobacco and a hint of espresso. By the first inch, the sweetness continued, the espresso intensified, and a spicy-earthy combo joined-in. To that point, the smoke was also uber-smooth and creamy. A liberal amount of dense smoke ensued as the early stage flavors eased into a mostly sweet-spicy, medium-bodied smoke.

Midway in, the “sweet tobacco” was closer to brown sugar along with baking spices, espresso, and a little earth. No doubt, the Ecuador Sumatra wrapper and Connecticut Broadleaf binder combine for a good portion of the cigar’s sweetness. I don’t usually retrohale anymore, but I did so several times. For me it was very smooth, almost airy and lightly sweet.

Once in the final inches, I realized how slow and steady this cigar burns. That seemed unusual, especially because of the dense smoke output. Still smooth, creamy, and balanced, more earth moves in, but there’s still some underlying sweetness and espresso in the mix. The strength also ticked-up a notch to medium-plus. At the nub the sweetness faded entirely, leaving a mostly creamy and earthy smoke with a hint of espresso. Sometimes, I’ll smoke what I call “a perfect cigar” and this Weller by Cohiba was pretty much in the pocket, and here’s why: My session lasted about as long as the average movie. Also, since the filler tobaccos are weighted in favor of Honduras—there are three: La Entrada, Jamastran, and Olancho San Agustin. That also appealed to me. Plus, the cigar met all of my rating criteria. I also like that the Weller’s flavor profile and body will appeal to most cigar smokers’ palates. Like most Cohiba releases, the brand isn’t shy about its luxury-class prices; and on top of that, the Weller is also a limited edition. So, even if you don’t want to splurge for a box, Weller by Cohiba is one of those cigars you’ll want to have around for those special occasions at the very least.

Paul Lukens’ Tasting Notes…

Summary: Weller by Cohiba promised to combine two of my favorite pursuits—a great cigar and a bourbon that’s its equal.

The aroma off the wrapper gave the suggestion of a good bourbon—slightly sweet, oaky, and spicy. On lighting, Weller by Cohiba immediately impressed with light black pepper offset by baking spice and a raisin or fermented fruit sweetness. At about an inch or so, a strong black coffee note gains prominence soon to be followed by roasted nuts, dark chocolate, and earth. The first section of Weller by Cohiba was medium-bodied, balanced, rich, and tantalizingly pleasant.

As Weller by Cohiba entered its second phase, the medley of palate pleasing tasting notes kept chugging along. The profile transitioned with charred meat in the forefront and black pepper, raisin sweetness, earth, leather, and dark chocolate taking turns in the spotlight. As the midsection of Weller by Cohiba drew to a close, the overall body and intensity remained at medium while the overall richness and balance is off the charts.

The last portion of Weller by Cohiba was remarkable for its overall balance of sweet, savory, and just enough spice to keep things interesting. There isn’t anything new popping up, just more of the same premium cigar goodness. Weller by Cohiba already proved everything it needed to in the first portions, now it was stretching its legs and daring me not to pick it up again. All the flavors I listed prior are present in one form or another, and they all make Weller by Cohiba one of those cigars that you can’t wait to smoke again.

With all that gushing, you’d think I’d say that Weller by Cohiba is nearly perfect and to run—post haste—to acquire as many as you can. If this were a $10 or under cigar, that might be the case. As such, Weller by Cohiba is a luxury cigar whose price—while still reasonable within that realm—might be beyond what some enthusiasts are willing to fork over for a stick (no matter how good it may be).

But, if you’re looking to treat yourself and splurge on a high-end, fully flavored, medium-bodied cigar—you won’t go wrong with Weller by Cohiba.