Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja

In 2021, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), owner of the non-Cuban-made Cohiba brand, released a limited edition line extension called Serie M, making it at the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, as opposed to the brand’s usual home, General Cigar Dominicana. It was the first Cohiba to be made in the United States, and the first time that General Cigar Co. had worked with El Titan de Bronze.

The Cohiba Serie M has since gone on to become an annual limited edition, with 2024’s release a bit of a deviation from the forest green-banded cigars that made up the first three releases. That’s because it got a new blend and a new name: the Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja.

The blend used the same Nicaraguan corojo wrapper as those first three releases, but paired it with a Nicaraguan corojo binder and a filler the came from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. It was offered in one vitola, a 6 1/2 x 54 toro gordo that General Cigar Co. calls a magnum. Pricing was set at $29.99 per cigar or $299.90 for one of the 2,500 boxes of 10 cigars.

“In collaboration with Sandy Cobas, we’re proud to build on the narrative of Cohiba Serie M by releasing a one-of-a-kind cigar that is equal parts timeless and unique,” said Sean Williams, brand ambassador for Cohiba, via a press release at the time. “With Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja, the collective expertise of El Titan de Bronze and the mastery of our Cohiba team comes to life in an artisanal blend that was created to deliver a memorable smoking experience.”

Here’s what I said about the Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja when I reviewed it in June 2024:

I didn’t anticipate just how dry the profile of the Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja would be, and while I didn’t know the blend going into the cigar, even if I did I don’t think I would have expected what I got. That said, even for a profile I’d call a bit too dry, it’s still remarkably good, particularly when the rich, thick creaminess is present to give the profile layers and connections amongst the three core drivers of the profile. I was disappointed to find the third cigar to be plagued by burn issues in its second half, as the other two burned quite well and had me optimistic that I might have dodged the issue that has hampered far too many cigars I’ve smoked recently. Still, I’m impressed by what the Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja has to offer and have no hesitation in recommending it or smoking it again.

• Cigar Reviewed: Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja
• Country of Origin: U.S.A.
• Factory: El Titan de Bronze
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Corojo)
• Binder: Nicaragua (Corojo)
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $29.99 (Box of 10, $299.90)
• Release Date: April 1, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 2,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

There’s something about the way the colors of the band—the black stripe notwithstanding—works with the color of the leaf. I thought the band was a bit more burgundy-colored as opposed to being more brown with a burgundy tint, but that’s neither here nor there. The cigar looks good visually, and my eyees are naturally pulled to the head of the cigar as there’s just the slightest peak formed, even though the fantail cap has broken off. The bands have become a bit loose on the cigar, not sliding up and down freely, but also not showing any resistance to being twisted or otherwise moved. Other than a thin vein that runs between the cap and band, there isn’t anything of note visually. The cigar is firm but not quite rock hard, as I find a couple of spots where I detect a little bit of give. The covered foot is slightly sweet but also offers a fairly generic tobacco leaf scent, as if I had walked into a sorting room and picked up the ambient aroma. The cold draw is very enjoyable, offering a flavor that is somewhere between wheat bread and a bran muffin, with a touch of both sweetness and pepper. Air moves well, with what seems like just a little restriction from the covered foot.

The Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja starts off with an enjoyable flavor that reminds me of a dry cappuccino, but it also has some earthiness and black pepper that don’t waste much time making themselves known. It’s a pretty lively profile right out of the gate, but it manages to get livelier in the first inch as the profile finds its footing. Retrohales are more pepper-forward, though it doesn’t abandon those other sensations present in the flavor, moving them into more of a supporting role. A little after an inch, a wave of thick, sweet creaminess washes over the profile, somewhere between half-and-half and condensed milk, adding a bit of sweetness as it joins the profile. Once the wave has settled, the profile is mellower and more layered than it was earlier, though the complexity is more subtle than earlier, which was kind of a loud, lots going on complexity. Retrohales aren’t affected as much, still leaning very peppery as the first chunky clump of ash drops off, and its finish is more persistent. It’s an interesting reset that separates the flavor and retrohale experiences, with the latter lighter, brighter and more intense, while the former is a bit heavier but also subdued in comparison. The creaminess carries the profile into its midpoint, while the wood profile mellows a touch more, leaving me to wonder if it’s a reset for a second-half comeback, or if the profile is going to keep getting mellower. After starting medium-plus and reaching medium-full, the flavor dials back to medium, though any of those can be amped up by a retrohale or two. The body of the smoke makes a similar journey, while strength is more consistently medium-minus. Construction is fantastic, with the draw, burn line, smoke production and combustion all very good.

While the mellowing of the Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja continues across the midway point, it’s not long past it that the flavor begins to wake back up. It’s led by a combination of dry, crisp wood and a dry, somewhat dusty earth, with pepper bringing up the rear. Meanwhile, the pepper in retrohales is a few ticks down from where it was in the first third. The two sensations are back to working together quite well, though the pepper is at isn’t quite as palate-friendly to me as it was earlier; while it’s a touch mellower, it’s also sharper, more pointed, and lingers in my nostrils. By the start of the final third, the creaminess and wood are back and fighting to rebalance the profile, and I like this new emerging complexity, particularly in how the blend is toying with intensity and placement to get where it’s trying to go. There’s another mellowing as the burn line passed where the bands would be, Not long after, I can feel my fingers getting warm from the heat coming through the cigar, and it’s only a puff or two later that I can taste the heat in the profile, signaling that the cigar is ready to be put down after about two and a half hours of very enjoyable smoking time. Flavor spans from medium to medium-full, body is medium and strength is medium-minus until the very end of the cigar, when it turns up to medium-plus. Construction remains fantastic with no complaints.

Cohiba (non-Cuban)
Cohiba Serie M
Cohiba Serie M Reserva Roja
El Titan de Bronze
General Cigar Co.
Sean Williams
Toro Extra