In Habanos s.a.’s conception, the gran Reserva is the most exclusive and demanding line of all, made for people who know the product, who are acquainted with the cream of the crop, with the best of the best,” says angel brown vaillant, head of the El laguito factory where the Cohiba cigars are rolled. It’s a product that took raw materials hailing from the finest tobacco plantations of San Juan y Martinez and San Luis, made following exquisite cropping and curing treatments, plus prolonged natural aging under the best conditions. The result is a blend of singular attributes that gives smokers full-bodied taste and aroma that can only be guaranteed through tight quality control during the entire manufac- turing process.

Mr. brown insists: “We’re talking about supreme raw materials from the Vuelta abajo’s Vegas Finas plantations, an exquisite treatment that included a 5-year-long aging process for the filler, binder and wrapper, and the unmatched hand-rolling techniques that can only be found at El Laguito cigar factory.”

The Gran Reserva presents the Siglo VI vitola from Cohiba (ring gauge 52, 150 mm long), the perfect one for the most precious moments since it guarantees long smoking and 45-minutelong pleasure. another element that followers of the ultimate smoke can find in this habano is its collectible value due to the fancy and refined presentation of its exclusive cases containing 15 units each.

Origing tasting and other notes

Cuba’s Tobacco Institute and Habanos S.a. poured plenty of time and resources into this joint effort in the form of studies and trials until all loose ends were finally tied up for the first version –based on two different mixtures. a process of successive adjustments and precisions by the tasters of the El Laguito cigar factory followed after that. It took months of tensions and exciting hard work that eventually paid off. “In the end, the first taste was scheduled,” Mr. brown recounts, “attended by 102 participants, including experts from the Cuba Tobacco Institute, executives from Habanos S.a., the mem- bers of the sensorial panels from all cigar factories in Havana, sommeliers, distinguished Habano lovers and experienced smokers.”

Cohiba shows a well-differentiated inclination, but what actually amazed everybody during that first tasting round was the high level of coincidence and unanimity on that same mixture.”

However, a second tasting round was slated for a few days later, that time around with 94 people and “the results were similar. I mean, it was something really stunning what we were dealing with, a supreme product out of a very special mixture and based on superb raw materials. The preference levels we got in the second round were pretty unanimous, and that all by itself is extremely important.”

The 11th Habano Festival is now the perfect setting to unveil this wonder: the Cohiba Gran Reserva Siglo VI, a top- quality Habano marked by its astounding taste and aroma. and stemming from the most prestigious cigar brand that ever was, in a format highly sought after by the best connoisseurs. That’s a warranty of immense and exuberant pleasure, capped by beforehand resounding success.