Smaller ring gauges have become a staple of the Cuban cigar community. While many Americans might find a smaller cigar off-putting, they can in fact enhance your cigar experience by maximizing the flavor output. This is incredibly evident in Cuban Cohibas, specifically the legendary Cuban Cohiba Siglo II cigar.

This cigar was first released in a limited run in 1992, but soon found itself being released to the world two years later. It was released to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Columbus first reaching the new world. While we would call this size a petite corona, 5x42, in the Cuban cigar industry it is known as a Mareva. The Cuban Cohiba Siglo II cigar is hand rolled at the famed El Laguito factory, home of Cuban Cohiba cigars for most of the last century.

While it uses the same tobaccos as previsions Cohiba Cuban cigars, its size tends to make it a bit more mellow. Our Cohiba Siglo 2 review starts out soft, with light notes of cedar and coffee. As it smokes down, a complex yet balanced profile starts to develop, including hints of cocoa, coffee and vanilla notes. For such a small smoke, the Cuban Cohiba Siglo II cigar burned slow and straight for the entire time. Final smoke time was around and hour, and that was with no burn issues whatsoever. That is pretty impressive for a mareva.

In the US, it is obviously quite difficult to come by an authenticate Cuban cigar. However, many manufacturers out of Nicaragua are producing cigars on par with the Cuban community. From Drew estate, the already legendary Herrera Esteli Habano is rolled and blended in a traditional Cuban style, offering up many of the same flavor notes as the Cuban Cohiba Siglo II. The short corona also shares a similar size and ring gauge to the original Siglo II.

However, if you have the chance to travel around the world, make sure you stop off into a Cuban cigar store. If you have an hour or so and need a solid, quick smoke, light up the Cuban Cohiba Siglo II cigar.