THE COHIBA 50 ANNIVERSARY
‘WISH LIST’
TH
At the end of June the Sales Directors from
Habanos distributors around the world will
gather in Havana for a Marketing meeting at
which the cigars to be presented during the
2016 Habanos festival will be announced.
The February 2016 Festival will be extra special
because it will mark the 50th anniversary of the
Cohiba brand, the flagship brand of the Habanos
portfolio.
On the 40th anniversary of Cohiba the original
Behike was launched, presented in it’s spectacular
Elie Bleu humidors. These are the cigars which
today retail at London’s Wellesley Hotel for £4500
per cigar.
So before any information started to leak out
following the meeting, we decided to ask a number
of expert and Cohiba lovers what cigar they
would ideally like to be produced for this historic
anniversary.
The first person I asked was Edward Sahakian
from the Davidoff store in London. Edward
was typically stylish in his request suggesting
a memorial humidor which went right back to
the roots of Cohiba and the cigars which made
the brand special. His ideal 50th anniversary
commemorative humidor would containing three
cigars; The Lancero, the Corona Especialle and the
Panatella. His aim being to create a tribute to the
5
origins of the brand and including cigars that are
ideal for all generations and also for women.
Mitchell Orchant of C.Gars was very specific about
all elements of the vitola and the presentation
he wanted. He suggests a parejo vitola with the
smoothest colorado maduro wrapper. The cigar to
measure 61/8” with a 58 ring gauge and a pigtail
head. The blend to include double the medio
tiempo found in a BHK56 “for some anniversary
zing on the palate”. He suggests a replica of the
early Cohiba bands (see picture). He was equally
specific about the presentation; he would like 500
humidors of 50 cigars made by Elie Bleu styled
similarly to an Estuche Talado with a relief of the
El Laguito on top (see picture)
Giuseppe Ruo, from the Wellesley hotel in
London, where the original Behikes are still
available, was equally specific. He would like a
new shape never used before in the Cohiba brand:
a 109, a double robusto (184mm x 50 gauge) using
the medio tiempo for the filler as a 4th leafs,
resulting in a very elegant cigar with a good body
and a lot of aroma .