Ten Facts About Cohiba Behike, Cuba’s Top Cigar Brand
No other cigar brand in the world draws more attention than the Cohiba Behike line from Cuba. Behikes score quite well in our taste tests, sell for hundreds of dollars per cigar and are exceptionally rare. Here are 10 facts you may not know about Cuba’s most collectible cigar brand.
It’s Older Than You Think
The year 2025 was celebrated as the 15th anniversary of Behike, with a grand dinner in Cuba and a special selection of Cohiba Behikes adorned with 15th anniversary bands. But the first Cohiba Behike was actually released 20 years ago, in 2006.
The original Cohiba Behike was a one-shot release, a commemorative smoke celebrating 40 years of the Cohiba brand. Production was limited to 4,000 individually numbered cigars (shown above), which were presented in humidors made by Elie Bleu. Only 100 humidors were made, each containing 40 cigars. The cigars had pigtails, measured 7 1/2 inches long by 52 ring gauge, and sold for 15,000 euros ($17,000) at the time. Those humidors later sold for tens of thousands of dollars apiece.
The Name Means “Chief”
The word behike comes from the Taino tribe that was indigenous to Cuba. The Taino head is a symbol of Cohiba, and a behike was a doctor or chief of the tribe.
They Sell For Hundreds Of Dollars Each
Cohiba Behikes have historically been among Cuba’s most expensive cigars, and they continue to grow ever more pricey. Today, the smallest size, the Cohiba BHK 52, sells for $263 per cigar, the 54 is $328 and the 56 goes for $365, and that’s in locations that are not marking them up, which is common. That means the cheapest legitimate price you can find for a box of 10 is $2,600 and you can expect to pay more than $3,600 for a box of the 56. Even at those eye-popping prices, they are one of the hardest cigars in the world to buy. And there’s a fatter, more expensive size that is even more expensive.
There Is Now A Fourth Size
For 15 years the Behike BHK line was a trio, but now there is a fourth size that’s bigger than the others. The Cohiba Behike BHK 58 (seen at far right, below) measures 7 inches long by 58 ring gauge. It’s fatter and longer than the others. You can buy it as part of a sampler pack of four (one of each size), which sells for more than $2,000 in Switzerland, but it has yet to sell on its own.
Behikes Contain A Special Type Of Tobacco
All Cohiba Behike cigars are said to contain some medio tiempo tobacco, small leaves that grow atop some, but not all tobacco plants. Prior to this project, medio tiempo in Cuba was just processed with other ligero tobaccos, but later Cuba began treating it with more care and using it as a special ingredient in the Behike line. Because it sprouts on the corona level of the plant, it’s especially strong and concentrated.
They Don’t Come In Boxes Of 25
Cohiba Behike BHK cigars come in glossy boxes of 10, not the standard 25 you see for most Cuban cigars. There’s also a gift pack containing four cigars, one of each size, including the BHK 58, which had its preview in the winter of 2025 but—as of this writing—has yet to appear on the market as a solo size. A common counterfeit has Behikes in boxes of 25. Don’t buy them.
It Holds The Record For Most Expensive Humidor Ever
The name Behike pulls like no other in the cigar world, and at the 2025 Habanos Festival auction (the last one held, as the 2026 Festival was postponed) a Behike humidor filled with 100 cigars sold for 4.6 million euros, worth $4.8 million at the time (and more than $5 million at today’s exchange rates). It’s a world record.
The Smallest Size Received Our Highest Rating
Good things sometimes come in small packages, and the smallest size in the Cohiba Behike BHK line, the BHK 52, is the most heralded in Cigar Aficionado taste tests. It measures only 4 3/4 inches long, with a 52 ring gauge, and was named Cigar of the Year for 2010, with a score of 97 points.
The BHK 56 Has Never Scored Higher Than 90 Points
Biggest isn’t always best. In this case, it’s the opposite. While it’s considerably popular and prohibitively expensive, the Cohiba Behike BHK 56 has always lagged behind the others in terms of blind tastings via Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider. We’ve rated the cigar multiple times over the years, and it has never scored higher than 90 points. In its first taste test, it scored only 85 points.
They Are Heavily Counterfeited
Given their scarcity and the unyielding demand for the product, Behikes are a prime target for counterfeiters. The Cubans have gone to great lengths to try to stop this, with high technology that includes holograms and chips in the cigar bands. Be certain of your sources when buying, and remember there are no bargains to be had when purchasing a real Behike. As is true with most luxury products, if the price seems reasonable, then you’re not buying the real thing. And the much-used “factory back-door connection” often pitched to justify the cheap price is the oldest line in the fake Cuban book.
