Cohiba Spectre 2022 Shipping in March (Update)

Update (Feb. 3, 2023) — After receiving this press release, we asked General Cigar Co. about a few things, one of which was the name of the cigar. That’s because the cigar was described as “Spectre 2023” but the box clearly says “Spectre 2022.” General Cigar Co. has since clarified that the cigar is Spectre 2022, even though its shipping was delayed until March 2023. Furthermore, the company has clarified the binder is a hybrid pelo de oro and Connecticut-seed tobacco, not simply pelo de oro. This story was originally published on Feb. 2, 2023.

Cohiba Spectre, arguably the flagship cigar from General Cigar Co., has been released in 2018, 2019 and 2021—each time using a different blend. The Cohiba Spectre 2022 is a 6 x 52 toro that uses a Brazilian wrapper, the first time General Cigar Co. has used a Brazilian wrapper for Cohiba. Underneath that is an even more obscure tobacco: a hybrid of pelo de oro, a Cuban-seed varietal, and Connecticut-seed tobacco that was grown in Mao, Dominican Republic. 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 hybrid is a proprietary seed for the company.

The filler blend includes Dominican piloto cubano, three leaves from Honduras—Jamastran, La Entrada and Olancho San Agustin—along with viso and ligero from Estelí, Nicaragua.

General Cigar Co. says just two pairs at its massive General Cigar Dominicana factory made all 6,000 cigars. Rosmery Gomez and Bernavel Sanches were the two bunchers, while Isabel Rodriguez and Carmen Carolina Toribio were the rollers for the cigars.

With an MSRP of $129.99 per cigar, it will be the most expensive Cohiba Spectre to date, though it won’t be the most expensive General Cigar Co. Cohiba release. That honor goes to the Cohiba C8, which was priced at $249.99 per cigar, though that price included an S.T.Dupont lighter and cutter.

As with other Spectre releases, the Cohiba Spectre 2022 uses some of General Cigar Co.’s most ambitious packaging. Each cigar is packaged in gold and silver tubes that contain an Integra Boost humidification packet. All of the tubes are presented from the box via a hydraulic system. Of note, the boxes refer to the cigar as “Cohiba Spectre 2022.”

The Cohiba Spectre 2022 is limited to 600 boxes.

“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.”