Considering the limited number of Mombacho Cosecha 2013 cigars that were actually produced (800 boxes), I’ve had a pretty good number of them since their release in mid 2018. Admittedly, some of them have been samples, but I’ve also taken advantage of a few opportunities to buy. So before I smoke my last couple, I think it’s time we gave it a proper review. One of the new fancy reviews with the number at the end.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of the review, a little background. The Mombacho Cosecha 2013 is a true vintage smoke. Vintage in the sense of wine vintages. All of the tobacco featured in this cigar was harvested in Nicaragua in 2013, though not from all the same region. If you’re a Spanish speaker, you probably already figured some of that out from the name. Cosecha conveniently means “harvest” in Spanish. It’s the second Cosecha release, following Cosecha 2012, which is made from, you guessed it, all tobacco from the 2012 crop. For more information about this cigar, take a look at our IPCPR 2018 interview with Claudio Sgroi, where he discusses the aging breakdown- tobacco leaves vs. rolled cigars- and other details. Now on to the review.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaragua 2013 Crop
Binder: Nicaragua 2013 Crop
Filler: Nicaragua 2013 Crop
Price: $21.95 MSRP

The Pre Light

The Cosecha 2013 is a great looking cigar. The orange and gold bands look really nice on the dark reddish brown wrapper leaf. I noted a few medium sized veins in the wrapper leaf, and they appeared to have been crushed. Testing the cold draw I noted dark chocolate and faint dried fruit.

The First Third

The cigar got off to a great start, and my notes on flavors got lengthy. I picked up notes of leathery tobacco, vanilla, earth, and chocolate. Sweet and tart dried fruit, red pepper, and wood appeared as the cigar progressed. In terms of the burn, it was smooth sailing- even, solid, attractive ashes. Perfect draw and good smoke volume.

The Second Third

Around the beginning of the second third, and again a little way into this portion of the cigar, there was an intriguing floral note. It seriously was something you might smell in potpourri. It didn’t last very long either time, but it certainly was an attention grabber. Aside from that, leathery tobacco, dense earth, sweet pepper, and a sweet woody finish was my experience here. But back to the combustion, the Cosecha 2013 was a little less behaved. The burn line wasn’t as even, and the ash was considerably more flaky, but issues proved to be mostly cosmetic.

The Final Third

Floral pepper and caramel notes welcomed me to the part of this cigar journey. Of course there was earth involved, and wood, and a return of some of the sweeter notes I from the first third- vanilla, raisins, tart berries. The burn continued mostly as it had in the previous third, not exactly perfect, but not really a big deal either. As the images indicate, I didn’t stop puffing until my fingers were singed.

The Verdict

As I mentioned in our list of the Top 10 Cigars of 2018, the Mombacho Cosecha 2013 very nearly made the list, and easily grabbed an honorable mention. The cigar is a little on the pricey side, but in my opinion delivers in quality and flavor that makes it money (and time) well spent. These cigars are limited, but they aren’t completely gone from the market. If you come across some in your travels, I recommend buying them. This is a box-worthy cigar, and you won’t regret buying the whole box.

Final Score: 91