Cohiba Riviera Lancero

When General Cigar Co. debuted the Cohiba Riviera brand last year, there were a number of different interesting aspects about the line. First, it was the first new regular production Cohiba line to be released since 2020. Second, the Cohiba Riveria was the first Cohiba release—Cuban or non-Cuban—to be box-pressed.

In addition, while General Cigar Dominicana factory located in Santiago, Dominican Republic usually produces the non-Cuban Cohiba brand’s cigars, the Riviera line is made at STG Estelí in Nicaragua. Finally, while the rest of the releases in the non-Cuban Cohiba brand include at least a small amount of Dominican tobacco, the Riviera line has no Dominican tobacco.

During the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show that took place earlier this year, General showed off a fourth vitola for the Riveria line, marking the first lancero in the non-Cuban Cohiba brand’s history.

The aptly named Cohiba Riviera Lancero measures 7 x 38 and is made with a wrapper grown in Mexico’s San Andrés region covering a Connecticut-seed binder grown in Honduras and a filler blend that includes what General Cigar Co. refers to as proprietary Honduran Jamastran and Honduran La Entrada, as well as tobacco from Nicaragua’s Condega and Estelí regions.

“The Lancero is a sophisticated vitola, and it was with great intention that we chose to debut this format under the Riviera line,” said Sean Williams, Cohiba’s brand ambassador, via a press release. “Cohiba Riviera embodies the brand’s style and substance in a way that is classically modern, and our resurgence of this classic size feels new and contemporary in its box-pressed format, especially under the Riviera umbrella.”

The Cohiba Riviera Lancero has an MSRP of $14.99 per cigar and it is sold in 15-count boxes. As is the case with the rest of the Cohiba Riviera line, the lanceros are being made at STG Estelí in Nicaragua and boxes started shipping to retailers on May 1.

• Cigar Reviewed: Cohiba Riviera Lancero
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: STG Estelí
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Honduras (Jamastran Valley and La Entrada) & Nicaragua (Condega and Estelí)
• Length: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 38
• Vitola: Lancero
• MSRP: $14.99 (Box of 15, $224.85)
• Release Date: May 1, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I have always loved the look of box-pressed lanceros: they are familiar but unique all at once, and the Cohiba Riviera Lanceros are great-looking examples of the vitola. All three cigars are covered in similar cinnamon-brown wrappers that are smooth to the touch, and there are very few overt veins on any of them. There is also very little oil present that I can discern, and all three cigars are nicely firm when squeezed. A sweet woodiness is the main aroma on each wrapper, followed by dank earth, barnyard, leather and creamy nuttiness. Roasted peanut shells dominate the scents from the feet, along with raisin sweetness, creamy cedar, dark chocolate and earth. After straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of cinnamon, cloves, cedar, anise, coffee bean and semisweet chocolate chip sweetness, but my second cigar has substantially more of the clove flavor than the other two.

A massive amount of spice is the first thing I notice, but there is an anise flavor in the background as well. The amount of spice does not recede as the burn line progresses—if anything, it actually gets a bit stronger—but I am still able to pick out the main flavors of sourdough bread and peanut butter, almost like the flavor when eating a plain peanut butter sandwich. Secondary flavors include creamy cedar, brewed espresso, cocoa nibs, sawdust and a slight floral note, while the retrohale features a combination of aggressive black pepper and distinct graham cracker sweetness. Interestingly, I noticed a very light lemongrass note on the finish of my first cigar every once in a while, but it was never strong enough to make any impact on the profile. Flavor ends the first third at full, while the body is at mild-plus and the strength hits a point just under medium. There are no issues whatsoever with the construction for all three cigars so far, as the razor-sharp burn lines, copious smoke production and excellent draws all work in harmony.

While the amount of spice in the profile of the cigars notieably decreases during the second third, it continues to be aggressive enough to remain a major part of the profile. However, that decrease reveals a creamier profile with more flavors, including a new main combination of cashews and powdery cocoa nibs. Additional flavors of dried tea leaves, toasted bread, cedar, cinnamon, and hay show up at various points, and while there is still a small floral note present, it is fading fast. Graham cracker sweetness and black pepper continue to dominate the retrohale, but the amount of black pepper has been cut in half while the sweetness has increased slightly, leading to a more balanced profile overall. Flavor remains at full, but the body increases to land at a solid medium, and the strength jumps to medium-plus. My first cigar gets into enough trouble that it needs a minor burn correction early on, but the burn on the other two cigars is flawless, and all three continue to feature excellent draws and more than enough thick smoke.

Creamy cashews and cocoa nibs easily retain their places at the top of the profile for the entirety of the final third, followed by secondary flavors that include a more distinct cinnamon note as well as salted potato chips, dry straw, barnyard and coffee beans. The amount of spice continues to decrease—it is a significant difference compared to the first third—as does the amount of black pepper on the retrohale, while the amount of graham cracker sweetness has increased slightly. Once again, both the body and strength increase—they end up at medium-plus and medium-full, respectively—but flavor remains at full until the end of the cigar. After the slight hiccup in the second third, there are no more burn issues across all three cigars, while the draws and smoke production continue on their excellent paths until I am finished.

Final Notes

• General Cigar Co. sells the non-Cuban Cohiba brand in the U.S., while Habanos S.A. sells the Cuban Cohiba brand in countries other than the U.S.
• The Cohiba Riviera line also marked the first time that a Cohiba release was released with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper.
• I really, really love this vitola, as I have found the combination of length, small ring gauge and extreme box-press to be quite enjoyable.
• This will be a great option for a redux review at some point in the future to see if the spiciness from the first third dies down, allowing more sweetness to emerge.

• While smoking my second cigar, I noticed that some of the wrapper came off when I removed the band. There was some minor damage, but to the cigar’s credit, the burn line barely wavered when it hit the affected area and there were no issues that came from it.
• Having said the above, the construction on these three cigars was fantastic in just about every regard; in fact, other than a minor correction during the second third of my first cigar, the burn lines looked like the ones you see in the photographs above, and the draws were excellent.

• These cigars are listed as being 7 x 38 vitolas, and while none of them hit either one of those metrics exactly, all three cigars were fairly consistent with one another.
• General Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time averaged a relatively quick one hour and 16 minutes for all three cigars.
• Site sponsors Cigars Direct, Famous Smoke Shop, JR Cigars and Smokingpipes have the Cohiba Riviera Lancero in stock on their respective websites.