Today, we are reviewing the Cohiba Rubicon in the Box-Pressed Robusto format. For those familiar with Cohiba, this brand is considered the most ultra-premium within the STG portfolio. In other words, these are some of the more expensive cigars offered by STG. In 2025, news emerged about a new cigar called the Cohiba Rubicon. This offering is being introduced at a price point under $10. Specifically, the pricing ranges from $8.49 to $9.49 SRP.
I wasn’t totally shocked by the move. Back in 2017, STG introduced the Cohiba Blue. At that time, the price point for Cohiba Blue was $9.00 to $11.00. Since then, Blue has increased in price, and the Rubicon came in at a lower price point than when Blue was introduced. I was uncertain about how the marketplace would react to Rubicon, especially since I had always perceived a mixed response to Cohiba Blue. However, once Rubicon was launched, I noticed a vastly different reaction—Rubicon quickly became a favorite among many consumers.
Cohiba is currently sold from the Forged Cigar Company side of Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG). At the time Rubicon was introduced, Cohiba was under STG’s General Cigar Company umbrella.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Rubicon Box-Pressed Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The Rubicon features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over U.S. Broadleaf binder. The filler consists of Dominican Piloto, Honduran tobaccos from La Entrada and Jamastra, as well as Nicaraguan tobaccos from Estelí. While most of General Cigar’s Cohiba line is produced in the Dominican Republic, Rubicon is manufactured at Honduras American Tobacco S.A. (HATSA) in Danlí, Honduras.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder: U.S. Broadleaf
- Fillers: Dominican Piloto, Honduran (La Entrada and Jamastran), Nicaraguan (Estelí)
- Country of Origin: Honduras
- Factory: Honduras American Tobacco S.A. (HATSA)
Vitolas Offered
Rubicon is offered in 20-count boxes and is available in three sizes: Box Pressed Robusto, Toro, and Gigante. The Toro and Gigante sizes are not box-pressed.
- Box-Pressed Robusto: 5 1/2 x 55
- Toro: 6 x 54
- Gigante: 6 x 60
Appearance (*)
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Rubicon Robusto Box-Pressed was on the dark side. This dark reddish hue had a near mahogany color to it. The wrapper has an elegant look – something that I think is essential to anything you put the Cohiba name on. There was a light sheen of oil on the surface. Upon examining the wrapper, I also noticed a light sheen of oil. The surface of the wrapper had some thin visible veins. The dark color of the wrapper was enough to minimize most of the wrapper seams. As for the box-press, it had a slight rounding, but I wouldn’t quite call it a classic Cuban press.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Rubicon Robusto Box-Pressed. Once the cap was detached, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered notes of leather, natural tobacco, and earth. Overall, I found this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast the footer of the Rubicon Robusto Box-Pressed and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Tasting Notes
Out of the gate, the Rubicon Box-Pressed Robusto delivered quite an assortment of flavors. This included natural tobacco, earth, mesquite, cedar, and white pepper. There was a richness to the natural tobacco. The earth, mesquite, cedar, and white pepper were secondary notes. Meanwhile, on the retro-hale, there was an additional layer of wood and mixed pepper notes.
As the Rubicon Box-Pressed Robusto moved into the second third, the natural tobacco notes remained primary. Meanwhile, there was an increase in the cedar notes. Toward the midway point, the cedar notes joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. As the cigar moved toward the end of the second third, the cedar took over. There was a bitter and slightly harsh component to these cedar notes. Meanwhile, the natural tobacco joined the mesquite, earth, and pepper in the background.
There wasn’t much time in the final third. The cedar notes still had some bitter and harsh qualities. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was still not pleasant. The mesquite, earth, natural tobacco, and pepper helped mitigate some of this. As the Rubicon Box-Pressed Robusto came to a close, it finished with a soft and cool nub.
Burn
While the burn of the Rubicon Box-Pressed started without issues, each of the four samples I smoked developed problems before reaching the midway point, and this issue was quite consistent.
The burn path tended to meander off a straight path. There were some cases of tunneling. This also resulted in frequent touchups. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose either. The ash had a mix of light and dark gray colors. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature remained ideal.
Draw
Although the burn of the Rubicon Box-Pressed Robusto had some issues, the positive aspect was its draw, which performed quite well. It offered a slight resistance, which I personally enjoy. Additionally, it was a low-maintenance cigar, allowing me to easily enjoy its flavor.
Strength and Body
The Rubicon Box-Pressed Robusto started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. Both the strength and body increased in a slow, linear fashion. The body increased at a more rapid pace, and by the second half, the cigar was delivering medium to full-bodied flavors. The strength was higher in the second half, but still in the medium range.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
If you had asked me whether the Cohiba Red Dot logo would look good against an orange background, I probably would have said no. However, I really like how it looks against the orange. It looks good on both the band and the box. I also like how the dark wrapper contrasts against the orange.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
Once again, I had a cigar experience that was a tale of two cigars. The first third had really good flavors, and I thought this would continue throughout the smoking experience. As the cigar reached the midway point, the burn issues developed and remained. By the second half, some of the bitterness and harshness developed. I can’t say if the two are tied together, but they certainly did not help the smoking experience. In the end, I still opted to recommend trying a sample. The $8.49 price point is attractive, and perhaps the issues I had I can chalk up to being a handmade product. The beginning of the cigar is enough to make me try this again in this size or some of the others. I’m hoping it’s related to the batch.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Earth, Mesquite, Pepper
- Burn: Fair
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 87
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
