Cohiba Wide Shorts Cuban Cigars Review: The King of Havana in a Bold New Format
Overview
When Cohiba releases a new vitola, the cigar world pays attention. The Cohiba Wide Shorts is one of the brand's most distinctive and playful formats — a short, fat Robusto Gordo that packs an enormous amount of tobacco into a compact frame. Cohiba, Cuba's most prestigious and iconic brand, was originally created in 1966 exclusively for Fidel Castro and Cuban diplomats before becoming available to the public in 1982. Every Cohiba is produced at El Laguito factory in Havana using only the finest tobacco leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region, with an additional fermentation step that gives the brand its signature smooth, refined character. The Wide Shorts delivers all of that prestige in a format that is as bold as it is approachable.
Cigar Profile
- Origin: Cuba (Havana)
- Factory: El Laguito
- Format: Short Robusto / Robusto Gordo (55 ring gauge × 4" length)
- Wrapper: Cuban Colorado (rich, silky)
- Strength: Medium to Full
- Smoking Time: 45–60 minutes
- Presented as: 6-pack
Tasting Notes
First Third
The Wide Shorts opens with the unmistakable Cohiba signature — a creamy, polished smoothness that immediately sets it apart from lesser cigars. The cold draw reveals dark honey, roasted coffee, and a whisper of cocoa. Once lit, the first third delivers toasted cedar, cream, white pepper, and a beautifully refined earthiness. The wide ring gauge produces a cool, generous draw that is effortless from the first puff. The smoke is thick, aromatic, and deeply satisfying.
Second Third
The heart of the Wide Shorts is where Cohiba's legendary triple fermentation process truly reveals itself. The profile deepens and broadens: dark chocolate, roasted nuts, leather, and a developing dried fruit sweetness layer over the cedar and cream base. There's a complexity here that belies the cigar's compact size — each draw reveals something new. The burn is razor-sharp, the ash dense and pale grey, holding in long, impressive columns.
Final Third
The finish is rich, warming, and deeply memorable. Espresso, dark cocoa, charred oak, and a lingering spiced honey sweetness converge in a finale that is both powerful and refined. Strength builds confidently into the medium-full range — never aggressive, always authoritative. This is Cohiba at its most expressive.
Scores
| Category | Score (out of 10) |
|---|---|
| 🌿 Construction & Draw | 9.5/10 |
| 🔥 Burn & Ash | 9.5/10 |
| 👃 Aroma | 10/10 |
| 👅 Flavour Complexity | 9.5/10 |
| 💷 Value for Money | 8/10 |
| ⭐ Overall | 94/100 |
Recommended Pairings
🥃 Bourbon Pairing
The Cohiba Wide Shorts is the most prestigious cigar in our review series, and it deserves a bourbon of equal standing. Our definitive pairing is Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year — its extraordinary depth of aged vanilla, butterscotch, dried apricot, toasted oak, and gentle spice is a near-perfect complement to the cigar's own complexity and refinement. Both are benchmarks of their respective crafts, and together they create a pairing experience that is genuinely world-class.
For a more accessible but equally worthy alternative, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection – Eagle Rare 17 Year or Woodford Reserve Master's Collection are outstanding choices. For an everyday luxury pairing, Blanton's Gold Edition or Michter's US*1 Single Barrel Bourbon will not disappoint.
🍷 Cognac Pairing (Bonus)
Given Cohiba's status as the world's most prestigious cigar brand, a pairing with a Hennessy XO or Rémy Martin XO is a classic combination that has graced the finest smoking rooms in the world. The dried fruit, oak, and spice of a fine XO Cognac is a natural companion for the Wide Shorts' rich, complex profile.
☕ Non-Alcoholic Pairing
A single-origin Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee — served as a long black or Americano — is one of the world's great luxury pairings for a premium Cohiba. Its clean, bright acidity and gentle sweetness provide a beautiful counterpoint to the cigar's richer, darker notes.
🍫 Snack Pairing
Venezuelan or Madagascan single-origin dark chocolate (72–75%) is the ideal accompaniment — its fruit-forward bitterness amplifies the cigar's cocoa and dried fruit notes without competing. A small glass of 20-year Tawny Port alongside the final third is an indulgence that needs no justification.
Suggested Occasion
The Cohiba Wide Shorts is a cigar for life's most significant moments. Its prestige, complexity, and the sheer pleasure of smoking Cuba's most iconic brand make it the natural choice for a landmark celebration — a significant birthday, a business triumph, a retirement, or any occasion that demands the very best.
The 6-pack format makes it particularly well-suited to sharing among a group of discerning friends — a post-dinner cigar session where the Wide Shorts takes centre stage alongside a bottle of Pappy or a fine Cognac is an evening that will be talked about for years.
For weddings, the Cohiba Wide Shorts is the ultimate premium cigar offering. Whether presented as a luxury gift for the groom, featured in a VIP cigar lounge, or given as a centrepiece wedding favour for the most distinguished guests, the Cohiba name alone elevates any occasion. The 6-pack presentation is also ideal as a groomsmen gift — pair with a bottle of Blanton's Gold for a gift set of genuine distinction.
Final Verdict
The Cohiba Wide Shorts is, quite simply, one of the finest cigars Cuba produces. It combines the legendary Cohiba pedigree with a bold, generous format that showcases the brand's triple-fermented tobacco at its very best. It is not an everyday smoke — nor should it be. It is a cigar to be savoured, celebrated, and remembered. If you are going to smoke one truly exceptional Cuban cigar this year, make it this one.
Rated 94/100 — Exceptional. The Finest in Our Series. Unreservedly Recommended.