There are two cigars called Cohiba, and only one of them is what most serious aficionados mean when they ask for “the best.” The Cuban Cohiba, born in 1966 as a private blend for Fidel Castro’s inner circle before Habanos S.A. released it commercially in 1982, remains the most recognized cigar name on the planet. The non-Cuban version, produced by General Cigar under a separate trademark, is a different tobacco entirely. This guide covers only the real thing: the Habanos-made Cuban Cohiba, ranked five deep, from the everyday benchmark to the line’s most exclusive release.
If you want to confirm what you are actually holding before you light it, our guide to spotting a fake Cohiba covers the six signs that separate an authentic box from a counterfeit.
Our Top 5 Cuban Cohiba Cigars
| Rank | Cigar | Line | Cigar Aficionado |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cohiba Behike | Behike | 97 pts (BHK 52, 2010 Cigar of the Year) |
| 2 | Cohiba Siglo VI | Línea 1492 | 93 pts |
| 3 | Cohiba Robusto | Línea Clásica | 93 pts (2019 Top 25, No. 4) |
| 4 | Cohiba Medio Siglo | Línea 1492 | 93 pts |
| 5 | Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos | Cohiba Maduro | 93 pts (2007 Top 25, No. 6) |
Scores from Cigar Aficionado’s blind tastings, the closest thing the industry has to an independent benchmark. Ratings reflect a single batch tasted at a point in time and can vary by year, so treat them as a strong signal, not gospel.
1. Cohiba Behike: The Pinnacle of the Line
If money and availability are no object, the Cohiba Behike is the answer, and there is no serious debate about it. Released in 2010 to mark Cohiba’s 45th anniversary, the Behike was the first commercial cigar to use medio tiempo, a rare, small leaf that grows only at the very top of certain tobacco plants under ideal conditions. Not every plant produces it, which is part of why the Behike remains one of the hardest Habanos to secure.
The line comes in three ring gauges, BHK 52, BHK 54, and BHK 56, all sharing the same pigtail cap and the same blend built around that medio tiempo leaf. Expect a medium-bodied smoke with pronounced sweetness, wood, and a texture that feels denser than any other Cohiba. The BHK 52 is the one to know: it debuted as Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year in 2010 with a 97-point score, still one of the highest in the outlet’s history, though later blind tastings of the line have landed in the low-to-mid 90s, a reminder that even Habanos’ best cigar varies box to box. We carry the Cohiba Behike 52 and the Cohiba Behike 54, both in boxes of 10.
Our take: the Behike is one of the few cigars that genuinely earns its reputation rather than living off it. What stands out to us is not raw power, it is texture: the medio tiempo gives it a density and a slow-building sweetness that no other Cohiba matches. It is not the cigar we reach for casually, but on the rare occasion a box shows up in good condition, it is worth every bit of the wait.
2. Cohiba Siglo VI: The Flagship Gordo
The Línea 1492 was built to modernize Cohiba for the era of thicker ring gauges, and the Cohiba Siglo VI is its most celebrated result. At 5.5 x 52, it is a wide, dense Gordo that gives the blend room to layer cedar, honey, and light nuttiness across a long, unhurried smoke.
Where the Robusto delivers Cohiba’s house style quickly and directly, the Siglo VI takes its time. The extra ring gauge slows the burn and lets the profile shift gradually, which is why many collectors consider it the truest expression of what the brand’s post-1992 blend was designed to do. It has scored 93 points in Cigar Aficionado tastings, including the tubo presentation, and was the first Cohiba to break the 50 ring gauge barrier when it launched. It is not cheap and it is not always easy to find, but when a box turns up in good condition, it rarely disappoints.
Our take: if we had to pick one Cohiba to age for five years and forget about, it would be this one. The Siglo VI rewards patience more than any other size in the range, and a well-rested box shows a roundness and a honeyed sweetness that a young one simply does not have yet.
3. Cohiba Robusto: The Benchmark
Ask any longtime Habanos smoker to name a single Cohiba and most will say the Cohiba Robusto. At 4.9 x 50, it sits in the Línea Clásica, the original range built around the brand’s founding blend, and it remains the most consistently well-constructed shape in the entire Cuban Cohiba portfolio.
The Robusto’s shorter format concentrates the classic Cohiba house style: creamy texture, a faint perfumed sweetness, and a medium body that never tips into heavy. It has scored 90 points or higher in Cigar Aficionado tastings seven times over the decades and landed a 93-point score on the outlet’s 2019 Top 25 list, and it is the size most reviewers reach for when scoring the brand, because its draw and burn are the most reliable across different production batches. If you have never tried a genuine Cuban Cohiba, this is the vitola to start with.
Our take: this is the Cohiba we recommend most often, and not just because it is the most available. It is the size where you can actually taste what the blend is trying to do without a wide ring gauge diluting it or a long burn tiring your palate out. If someone asks us for one Cohiba to define the brand, this is it.
4. Cohiba Medio Siglo: The Modern Favorite
Released to mark Cohiba’s 50th anniversary, the Cohiba Medio Siglo is a short, wide Gordo at 4 x 52 that has quietly become one of the brand’s best-selling shapes, and it is consistently one of our own top movers as well. The compressed format packs a surprising amount of complexity into a 45 to 55 minute smoke: pepper on the front end, creaminess through the middle, and a finish that stays smooth rather than sharp.
Because the ring gauge is so wide relative to its length, the Medio Siglo burns cooler than its size suggests, making it approachable even for smokers who find some Cohibas too intense. Cigar Aficionado has scored it 93 points, putting it on par with the Siglo VI and the Robusto despite its shorter format and lower price point. We stock it both in boxes and as tubos, which keep the wrapper protected until you are ready to smoke.
Our take: pound for pound, this is the best value in the Cohiba range. It gives you the full Línea 1492 experience in under an hour, and we have sold through more boxes of this one than almost any other Cohiba in the catalog, which tells you something the rating alone does not.
5. Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos: The Different One
Every Cohiba on this list so far shares the same natural wrapper family. The Cohiba Maduro line breaks that pattern entirely, and the 5 Secretos is the shape most smokers try first. At 4.4 x 46, it is smaller than the rest of this list, but the darker, longer-fermented wrapper gives it a completely different personality: more sweetness, more earth, and a rounder finish than the Línea Clásica or Línea 1492 blends.
It earns its place here not because it is the most powerful or the most prestigious Cohiba, but because it proves the brand is not one-dimensional. Cigar Aficionado ranked it sixth on its 2007 Top 25 list with a 93-point score, remarkable for what is one of the smallest cigars Cohiba has ever released. If your only reference point for Cohiba is the Robusto or the Siglo VI, the Maduro line is worth exploring precisely because it tastes like a different cigar wearing a familiar band.
Our take: we like putting this one in front of smokers who think they already know Cohiba. The maduro wrapper strips away the perfumed, creamy signature people expect and replaces it with something darker and more direct, and watching that reaction never gets old.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Cohiba cigar overall?
For prestige and rarity, the Cohiba Behike is the widely accepted answer. For the truest, most reliable expression of Cohiba’s house style, most aficionados point to the Cohiba Robusto, which is why it remains the benchmark size for the brand.
What is the difference between Cuban and non-Cuban Cohiba?
Cuban Cohiba is produced by Habanos S.A. using 100% Cuban-grown tobacco under the blend originally developed in the 1960s. The non-Cuban Cohiba is a separate brand owned by General Cigar, made with Dominican and other non-Cuban tobaccos under a different recipe. The two share a name due to a long-running trademark dispute, but the tobacco, flavor, and origin are entirely different.
What makes the Cohiba Behike so expensive?
The Behike blend includes medio tiempo, a rare leaf that only develops at the top of certain tobacco plants under specific growing conditions. Not every harvest produces enough of it, which limits production and keeps demand consistently ahead of supply.
Can I legally buy Cuban Cohiba cigars?
Availability depends on where you live. For a full breakdown of the rules that apply in the United States specifically, see our guide on whether Cuban cigars are legal in the US.
