A New And Affordable Cohiba
The idiom “crossing the Rubicon” is a historical reference to Julius Caesar crossing the river that separated Cisalpine Gaul from Italy in 49 BC, but colloquially means “passing the point of no return.” How either one applies to the new Cohiba Rubicon is not quite clear, but the upcoming line from General Cigar Co.—with its bright orange bands and glossy boxes—has strode straight into wallet-friendly territory, as every size retails for less than $10 each. It’s surprising given the nature of the Cohiba cigar brand, which is more commonly known for hitting the upper echelons of price rather than this relative bargain.
Cohiba Rubicon’s blend consists of an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper; a Connecticut Broadleaf binder; and a filler combination of Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan leaf. The Dominican component is Piloto Cubano while the Honduran tobaccos are from La Entrada and Jamastran. Its Nicaraguan leaf was grown in Estelí. General says this will be a medium-bodied line of cigars.
Made in Honduras at the HATSA factory, the Cohiba Rubicon comes packaged in 20-count boxes and will launch on the first of August in three sizes: a box-pressed Robusto, measuring 5 1/2 inches by 55 ring gauge; a Toro, at 6 by 54; and a 6-by-60 called Gigante. They have suggested retail prices of $8.49, $8.99 and $9.49, respectively.
This isn’t the first wallet-friendly Cohiba. Recall Cohiba Blue, the Honduran-heavy cigar that came out in 2017 as the least expensive Cohiba at the time. Rubicon is now General’s least expensive Cohiba on the market, and a stark contrast to the last Cohiba release, Cohiba Spectre, which has a sticker price of $150 per cigar. Those are made in the Dominican Republic.
All non-Cuban Cohibas are distributed by General Cigar Co., a subsidiary of parent company Scandinavian Tobacco Group.
