Cohiba Spectre 2022

In 2018, General Cigar Co. released the first cigar in a series that would become known not only for including some of the most expensive cigars in the company’s portfolio but also for some of the most innovative packaging in the industry. Each of the four members in the Spectre line has been a different size, a different blend, and has been presented in extremely unique boxes.

While not the most expensive non-Cuban Cohiba of late, the Cohiba Spectre is the halo product for what is General Cigar Co.’s flagship line. In order to fulfill that halo role, General Cigar Co. has pulled out all the stops for the various releases. This has included large, heavy and intricate packaging, which is perhaps the most notable part of the releases beyond the prices. On the tobacco side, the cigars have used some of the company’s oldest tobacco, sometimes barrel-aged, and some Spectres have been rolled by just a single pair of workers; this year’s version was produced by two pairs. All of this has come with a price. The original release, in 2018, had an MSRP of $90 per cigar and that pricing has steadily climbed as the years have gone on.

In February, General announced the newest addition to the line, the Cohiba Spectre 2022, which—as the name implies—was initially scheduled to be shipped last year but was delayed until this year. The cigar is a 6 x 52 toro made with a Brazilian wrapper, marking the first time General Cigar Co. has used a Brazilian wrapper for one of its Cohiba blends. In addition, the blend includes a binder made up of a hybrid of pelo de oro and Connecticut-seed tobacco that was grown in Mao, Dominican Republic. Finally, the filler blend includes three different Dominican piloto cubano leaves from Honduras—Jamastran, La Entrada and Olancho San Agustin—along with viso and ligero from Estelí, Nicaragua.

“Cohiba Spectre 2022 embodies our tradition of creating exceptional smoking experiences,” said Sean Williams, brand ambassador for Cohiba, in a press release. “We spent two years developing this extraordinary cigar, calling upon our passion for tobacco, commitment to craftsmanship and our love of design. As with previous Cohiba Spectre releases, the 2022 expression is peerless, and can never be replicated.”

Then there is the packaging. As with previous versions, the cigars themselves are packed in individual tubes; this year, those tubes are gold and silver and made of metal. That is hardly the star of the show as this release is a cigar box that moves. Pressing the red dot of the Cohiba logo activates an electronic motor that raises and lowers the tubes out of the box. Once the system is raised all the way up, all you need to do is open up the top flap piece and you can remove the tubes one by one.

Each Cohiba Spectre 2022 carries an MSRP of $129.99 and the release is limited to 600 10-count boxes that began shipping to retailers in March of this year.

• Cigar Reviewed: Cohiba Spectre 2022
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
• Wrapper: Brazil
• Binder: Dominican Republic (Connecticut-seed Pelo de Oro)
• Filler: Honduras (Jamastran, La Entrada and Olancho San Agustin) & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $129.99 (Box of 10, $1,299.99)
• Release Date: March 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 600 Boxes of 10 Cigars (6,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Along with a milk chocolate brown wrapper, the Cohiba Spectre 2023 also sports a somewhat ostentatious dual-layer gold band that is connected by the brand’s red dot in the center. The wrappers are dry and mostly smooth to the touch with just a bit of tooth, and all three cigars have a nice amount of give when squeezed. After visual inspections, I find a large soft spot on the left side just under the main band of one cigar, but the other two have no issues in that regard. Aromas from the wrappers include sweet cedar, leather tack, barnyard, earth, vanilla sweetness and a slight vegetal note. A strong dark chocolate note leads off the scents emanating from the feet, followed by creamy nuttiness, brewed black coffee, hay, cedar, nutmeg and milk chocolate sweetness. Finally, after straight cuts the cold draws bring flavors of cashews, cocoa nibs, espresso beans, black pepper and sweet—albeit fairly generic—dark fruit.

I am more than a little surprised when the first thing I taste as I put the cigar in my mouth for the first time and start toasting the foot is the tell-tale sweetness that can only be caused by a sweetened cap. Thankfully, it is far from overwhelming and does not get in the way of me tasting a combination of significant spice on my tongue combined with earth and nuttiness as I light the foot. Those notes are replaced by main flavors of cashews and cedar, followed by secondary notes that include earth, nutmeg, hay, ground coffee beans and powdery cocoa nibs. On the retrohale, I taste a small amount of black pepper and some raisin sweetness, but neither are strong enough to really affect the profile in any major way, at least at this point. Flavor ends the first third at a solid medium while the strength is at just under medium and the body is at a point halfway between mild and medium. In terms of construction, the burn lines are a bit wonky but don’t become problematic enough to need correcting, while all three cigars feature excellent draws and plentiful amounts of smoke.

Both the sweetness from the cap and the spice that were present in the first third are long gone by the time the second third begins, but those are not the only changes in the profile, as a distinct earthiness replaces the cashew flavor, joining the cedar note sitting on top of the profile. Additional flavors of generic nuttiness, nutmeg, hay, ground coffee beans and cocoa nibs flit in and out at various points. While the amount of black pepper on the retrohale remains the same, the raisin sweetness has increased noticeably. Flavor increases to medium-full, strength increases a bit to land at a solid medium and the body increases to a point just under medium. Unfortunately, all three of the three cigars run into some noticeable burn issues that necessitate a couple of touch-ups each, but the combination of smoke production and draws on all three continue to impress.

An interesting mineral saltiness shows up on my lips as all three cigars enter the final third, and the spice from the first third is back as well on my tongue as well, albeit not nearly as strong as before. The main flavors in the profile continue to be a combination of earth and cedar, although the latter is slowly overtaking the former as the burn line progresses to the end. Secondary flavors include charred meat, dark chocolate, generic nuttiness, coffee grounds, barnyard, leather and sourdough bread, while the retrohale shows no changes whatsoever compared to the previous third. The strength increases again to end at a point just over the medium mark, while the flavor and body stay put at medium-full and just under medium, respectively. Thankfully, the burn improves dramatically for all three cigars, so there are no issues in that regard, while the draws and smoke production remain excellent until I put the nubs down with an inch remaining.

Final Notes

• While the $129.99 price point of the Cohiba Spectre 2022 is certainly noteworthy, it is not enough to make it the most expensive General Cigar Co. Cohiba release. That honor goes to the Cohiba C8, which was priced at $249.99 per cigar, although it should be noted that the latter price included an S.T. Dupont lighter and cutter.
• Although the packaging for each of the previous Spectre cigars has been extremely impressive, the 2022 version is on a whole different level. With its combination of visual appeal and mechanical actions, I have honestly never seen anything like it in the cigar industry, and that includes Cuba, which features some of the most expensive and unique cigar packaging on the planet.
• For those wondering about humidification, each tube contains a tiny Integra Boost humidity pack.
• The box has a built-in battery, though I didn’t see any specifications of how powerful of one. It is charged via USB-C and the box can open and close either via battery or USB-C power. There’s an on/off switch on the back to help preserve the battery life and a light indicator to let you know if the box is powered on.
• Speaking of the packaging, the box for the Cohiba Spectre 2021 tied for first place on halfwheel’s 2021 Packaging Awards, alongside the Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Year of the Tiger. In fact, all three of the Cohiba Spectre releases have either tied for or finished first outright on halfwheel’s packaging awards for the years they were released. You can see view 2018 awards at this link, while the 2019 list is here.
• According to General Cigar, just two pairs at its massive General Cigar Dominicana factory made all of the 6,000 Cohiba Spectre 2023 cigars: Rosmery Gomez and Bernavel Sanches were the two bunchers, while Isabel Rodriguez and Carmen Carolina Toribio were the rollers.
• Because of its propensity to develop mold, pelo de oro is no longer grown in Cuba but has been grown in other countries, oftentimes capitalizing on the idea that its growth is banned in Cuba. General Cigar Co. says this cigar uses a hybrid tobacco that is a proprietary seed for the company.
• I have to admit I was a bit surprised when I tasted the (very lightly) sweetened cap on all three of these cigars, but perhaps I should not have been, as it showed up in one of the Cohiba Spectre CS19 cigars that Charlie Minato reviewed. For what it is worth, I found the flavor to be extremely light, it disappeared fairly quickly, and it did not impact the profile in any meaningful way that I could discern.
• As we have noted many times over the years, the price of a cigar is not taken into account for any of halfwheel’s reviews.
• General Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged just under two hours, at one hour and 56 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Cohiba Spectre 2022, site sponsor Corona Cigar Co. has them in stock.