Cohiba Black Robusto

Cohiba Black Robusto represents a modern interpretation of one of the cigar world’s most storied names. While Cohiba’s origins trace back to Cuba in the 1960s as a private blend created for Fidel Castro, the Cohiba Black line reflects the evolution of the brand in the non-Cuban market. Now produced under Forged Cigar Company, this robusto is crafted in the Dominican Republic and delivers a full-flavored, contemporary smoking experience. The cigar is wrapped in a dark, oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that immediately signals richness and depth. Beneath it lies a Dominican Piloto Cubano binder, aged in tercios for three years, paired with fillers of Dominican Piloto Cubano and Mexican San Andrés tobaccos, also aged using the same traditional method.

On the palate, Cohiba Black offers bold yet refined flavors of dark chocolate, leather, and espresso, supported by earthy undertones and a subtle natural sweetness. The smoke is dense and aromatic, with excellent construction and a steady burn throughout. Full in strength but balanced, this cigar rewards slow smoking and careful attention. It pairs exceptionally well with a structured red wine such as a Syrah, whose dark fruit and spice mirror the cigar’s depth and intensity.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.