Cohiba Behike, 2010 vs. 2011

[stickman]

I recently received a box of BHK 52s from April 2011 whose wrappers are noticeably darker than the ones I bought last year (March 2010). Both boxes check out as totally legit. Anyone else finding '11 BHKs to be darker than the initial release?

[cohibacal]

Ive also heard the 2011 siglo VI's are darker than normal ! Please let us know how your darker BHK's smoke ! Great cigar and the clear champ in the Behike line !!

[stickman]

I've only had one stick from each box so far, but I am very pleased to report that the BHK52 I smoked this weekend from MES ABR 11 was actually better than the stick I had several months ago from LBT MAR 10.

The opening (of the 2011 stick) didn't have as much hay as the '10, but was a little bit sweeter. But it was the middle of the cigar where the '11 really shined - so floral, so perfumey, just utterly beguiling. 'Still had lots of background nuances of tobacco and leather, but the sweet/spicy floral character was to die for! The end became earthier, with noticeable mushroom character and more leather - still hints of the floral character, but much more subdued than the middle third. I didn't get nearly that degree of complexity from the '10, fwiw.

So is it the wrapper? Is it a new batch of tobacco altogether? Is it chance chance variation? With such a small sample, it's impossible to say. I think it's likely that the '10s are probably better in general than the one I had (which was still outstanding, to be sure), but from this introduction I'm willing to bet that the '11s are likely to be just as good, or perhaps even better (i.e., more to my personal taste).

In a larger context, I'm willing to say that this '11 BHK52 was one of the best, most alluring, most complex cigars I've ever smoked. 'Not bad for such a youngster. If these improve significantly with age, I will be beside myself with joy!

[stickman]

'Just a follow-up to my statement about the '11s being darker that the '10s: after resting in the same humidor for a few months, the color difference in the sticks is much more uniform. The '11s are still just a touch darker, but the difference is dramatically less. I'm not sure if my '11s got shipped with really high humidity, or what else could account for the color difference, but whatever it was, it has greatly subsided. Just fwiw. 'Looking forward to smoking one between Christmas and New Year's.