ReviewsPremium & Limited

Cohiba Behike BHK 54: The $65 Question

Name: Cohiba Behike BHK 54: The $65 Question
Item: Behike BHK 54
Rating: 89
Author: Theo Bennett

Reviewed cigar

Cohiba Behike BHK 54

Brand: Cohiba
Line: Behike
Vitola: BHK 54
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban (incl. medio tiempo)
Size: 5.5 inches × 54 ring
Strength: Full
Origin: Cuba
Price: $65–110
Smoking Time: 90 min

July 29, 2026

By Theo Bennett

Last updated: July 29, 2026

Construction

Draw

Flavor

Burn

Value

Overall / 100

Who should buy

Collectors who want prestige and rare medio tiempo complexity
Smokers for whom money is not the constraint
Those with an impeccable, trusted place to buy authentic stock

Who should skip

Anyone judging on value - it's hard to call good value
Buyers without a trusted seller, given rampant fakes
Smokers who don't care about the badge

A brilliant cigar wrapped in a brutal price

The Cohiba Behike BHK 54 is, on the leaf, a superb Cuban. It uses medio tiempo - rare leaves from the very top of the plant that Habanos credits for the line's intensity - and you can taste what they are talking about. The profile runs cedar, earth, espresso, leather, and dark chocolate, medium-full and layered, built with the kind of El Laguito rolling that justifies calling it a flagship. As a smoking experience, it is the real thing.

But no honest review of this cigar can stop at the tobacco, because the price and the fakes are half the story. The BHK 54 launched in 2010 as a luxury statement, and it has become one of the most counterfeited cigars in the world. That means two things: you might pay sixty to ninety dollars or more for a single stick, and unless your shop is impeccable, you may not even be smoking a real one. The notes I have described assume an authentic, well-stored example. Plenty of people have paid Behike money for something that was never rolled in Cuba.

So where does that leave value? Polarized, and fairly so. If prestige and that medio tiempo complexity are what you are after, and money is not the constraint, the Behike delivers a genuinely special smoke. If you want most of the Cohiba character for a lot less, the Siglo VI gives you the classic profile without the rare leaf at around forty-five. And if you simply want a full-bodied Cuban benchmark and could not care less about the badge, the Partagas Serie D No. 4 is a fraction of the cost and no apology. The Behike is not overrated as a cigar. It is just very hard to call it good value, and I would rather tell you that plainly than pretend the price does not sting.

Pre-light & Cold Draw

There is a weight to unwrapping one of these, and not just because of what it cost. The BHK 54 is a stout 54-ring Cuban with an oily, faintly toothy wrapper and that distinctive triple-cap pigtail El Laguito leaves on its top rollers' work. The Behike band is heavy stock, holographic, the whole anti-counterfeit apparatus on display, because this is one of the most faked cigars alive. My example was rolled firm end to end. I snipped the pigtail, drew cold, and got clean cedar with a whisper of sweetness and no resistance at all.

First Third

The opening is the one part that shifts stick to stick, and mine landed on the softer side: a creamy, almost vanilla-edged cedar for the first inch before the cigar started to darken. I have had others open straight into leather and earth, so your mileage will vary here. What did not vary was the roll - the smoke output was generous and cool, and the burn moved clean and level from the light with none of the wander I half-expected. This is the El Laguito craftsmanship the price is supposed to buy, and at least on construction it shows up.

Second Third

The middle is where the medio tiempo does its work. Earth and espresso come up together, leather settles in underneath, and the whole profile gains a depth and a savory intensity that a normal Cuban filler does not reach. It builds without ever turning harsh. A firm medium-grey ash clung on past an inch before I set it loose. This is genuinely complex smoking, the kind that makes you slow down and pay attention, and it is the strongest argument the Behike makes for itself.

Final Third

Down the stretch a dark chocolate note folds into the earth and coffee, and the strength settles into full without spiking. It stayed cool and layered over about ninety minutes, never getting hot on me. So the cigar itself delivers. The trouble is everything around it: a real BHK 54 runs sixty-plus dollars and often far more, and I have come away from one thinking it was superb and still not sure any cigar earns that number.

Pros

Rare medio tiempo leaf delivers real depth: earth, espresso, leather, dark chocolate
Superb El Laguito construction - clean burn, cool smoke, firm ash, effortless draw
Genuinely complex, building intensity that rewards slow smoking

Cons

Brutal price: $60-90+ a single, and hard to call good value even when it delivers
One of the most counterfeited cigars alive - authenticity is a constant risk
Opening third is inconsistent stick to stick; not everyone gets the creamy start

Frequently asked questions

Is the Behike 54 worth $60-90 a stick?

As a smoking experience it's the real thing - the medio tiempo leaf gives genuine depth and complexity. But I've come away from one thinking it was superb and still not sure any cigar earns that number. I'd rather tell you that plainly than pretend the price doesn't sting.

How do I know I'm getting a real one?

You often don't, and that's the problem. The BHK 54 is one of the most counterfeited cigars alive, dressed with holographic bands and anti-counterfeit apparatus for a reason. Unless your shop is impeccable, you may be paying Behike money for something never rolled in Cuba.

What is medio tiempo and why does it matter?

They're rare leaves from the very top of the plant that Habanos credits for the line's intensity - and you can taste it. It's what gives the middle third that savory depth a normal Cuban filler doesn't reach. It's the strongest argument the cigar makes for itself.

Is there a cheaper Cohiba that gets me close?

The Siglo VI gives you the classic Cohiba character without the rare leaf at around forty-five. You lose the medio tiempo depth, but you keep the house profile for a lot less.

What if I just want a great Cuban and don't care about the name?

Then the Partagas Serie D No. 4 is a full-bodied Cuban benchmark at a fraction of the cost and no apology. The Behike isn't overrated as a cigar - it's just very hard to call good value.

Community tasting notes

No community notes yet. Be the first to share how this smoked for you.