Review of Cohiba Spectre 2024 Cigar

At a price of $149.99 per cigar, Cohiba Spectre 2024 can only be classified as an ultra-super premium cigar. These extremely limited-edition cigars are made in the Dominican Republic with a 7-Year-Aged Havana Connecticut 2017 wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder, and blend of Criollo '98 from Mao Dominican Republic (the first ever) along with San Andrés and Vuelta Abajo filler tobaccos. Cohiba Spectre 2024 cigars were released in June 2025 and are available in one Toro (6 x 52) size. To find out more about these cigars and/or to see a short video of Spectre's spectacular new collector's box of 10 cigars, please check out the press release.

The Cohiba Spectre 2024 is now the most expensive cigar that I have ever smoked, breaking my record of $90 that was set by the first Cohiba Spectre 2018 Cigar that I reviewed when they were released. These limited-edition cigars have been updated four times since 2018 (blend, price, size and/or packaging), but this MMXXIV or 2024 version released in 2025 is only the second iteration that I have had the pleasure of reviewing, out of a total of five Cohiba Spectre cigars that have now been produced by General Cigar. Before lighting up any Cohiba Spectre cigar for the first time, you know that you're in for a most memorable experience, regardless of how much you end up actually enjoying it. It's not everyday (nor every year nor even every decade) that most people will set fire to a $150-dollar roll of tobacco. The time must be right and the smoking conditions perfect.

Prior to lighting up, it may be necessary to carefully remove both the paper body band and the head band so as not to damage the cigar. It can be difficult to remove just the body band without also removing the head band that partially covers the top of the body band. If desired, the head band can be put back on the cigar while smoking.

The sample Cohiba Spectre 2024 cigar began with a full oaky flavor, the most oak in any cigar that I have ever tasted. The oak flavor was the predominant taste until about 10 minutes after lighting up, when an earthy taste gradually started to emerge. At this point, a minor touch-up was applied to keep the wrapper burning evenly and maintain the character of the cigar's unique flavors. At 25 minutes into the smoking session, I ashed the cigar for the first time. By this point, the oak and earthy flavors had become more evenly balanced, and hints of spice had also joined the mix. Shortly thereafter, the cigar went out and required a relight.

After another 25 minutes, I ashed the cigar for the second time and also applied a second touch-up to keep it burning evenly. The smoke also became just a bit smoother at this point. So far, the flavor was excellent during the first 50 minutes. The cigar was medium-to-full bodied and had a very good draw. The burn line was uneven at times and the cigar burned slowly, but held a medium-to-long flaky ash.

After an additional 10 minutes at the one-hour mark, I applied a third touch-up. A subtle sweetness soon joined in to accompany the continuous flavors of oak, earth and hints of spice. After another 15 minutes, I ashed the cigar for the third time and then evened up the burn line with a fourth touch-up. After 90 minutes of total smoking time, the cigar went out by itself with 1¾ inches remaining. The flavors at the beginning and during the first-half of the sample Cohiba Spectre 2024 cigar were the most unique and the most pleasing. Although the second half was also very enjoyable, the flavors were not quite as special.

I enjoyed the Cohiba Spectre Toro from start to finish, but it fell short of what I consider to be outstanding. Overall, I found the sample Cohiba Spectre 2024 cigar to be an excellent smoke worthy of a 4.5 rating on a 5-point scale. At a price of $150 per cigar, I admit having high expectations. However, I was not surprised that it was not the best cigar that I ever smoked, but it now has the distinction of being the most expensive as well as one of the most memorable.

As I previously indicated back in 2018, Cohiba Spectre is not a cigar for the average cigar smoker, nor a cigar to smoke on a regular basis. You could buy one for yourself to celebrate a very special occasion, or to give as a most impressive gift to a cigar-smoking relative, friend or business acquaintance. Previous releases of Cohiba Spectre cigars were scarfed up by collectors within a few days, and I suspect that many of these cigars are still resting in the humidors of cigar connoisseurs who are waiting for just the right time to smoke one.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer.