Cohiba Behike vs Siglo VI: Which Is Worth Your Money?

The Cohiba Siglo VI offers the best value of the two, delivering a proven, deeply complex blend at approximately $38 per cigar, while the Cohiba Behike 56 provides an unmatched smoking experience featuring the ultra-rare medio tiempo tobacco leaf at approximately $128 per cigar. Both are exceptional cigars from Cuba’s most prestigious brand. But they serve different purposes, appeal to different moments, and sit at dramatically different price points. Whether you should buy the Behike or the Siglo VI depends on what kind of smoker you are and what you expect from a $100+ cigar versus a $40 one.

I have smoked both extensively, including side-by-side comparisons with fresh boxes and boxes with two to three years of aging. Here is an honest breakdown of how they compare.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Specification	Cohiba Siglo VI	Cohiba Behike 56
Length	5 7/8 inches (150mm)	6 5/8 inches (166mm)
Ring Gauge	52	56
Vitola	Canaones (Toro)	Custom (Gran Toro)
Price Per Cigar	~$38	~$128
Box of 25 Price	~$950	~$3,200
Medio Tiempo Leaf	No	Yes
Body/Strength	Medium-Full	Full
Smoking Time	~60 minutes	~90 minutes
Primary Flavors	Cedar, leather, cream, white pepper	Dark chocolate, espresso, roasted nuts, caramel sweetness
Aging Potential	Excellent (5-10 years)	Exceptional (10-15+ years)
Best For	Everyday luxury, dinner smoke	Special occasions, celebrations
Year Introduced	2002	2010

The Siglo VI Experience

The Cohiba Siglo VI was introduced in 2002 as the flagship of the Linea 1492 (Siglo) series, and it quickly established itself as one of the finest cigars in regular production. At 5 7/8 inches with a 52 ring gauge, it is a toro format that sits perfectly in the hand and delivers a smoking time of roughly 60 minutes.

The first third opens with creamy cedar and a delicate white pepper on the retrohale. The middle brings leather, toasted almond, and a sweetness reminiscent of vanilla. By the final third, the flavors concentrate into rich earth and dark wood with lingering pepper. The transitions are seamless, and the construction is almost always impeccable: even draw, straight burn line, and a firm white ash that holds for over an inch.

What makes the Siglo VI special within the Cohiba lineup is its balance. It is complex without being overwhelming, full-flavored without being harsh, and sophisticated without being boring. It rewards attention but does not punish distraction. After more than two decades in production, it has proven itself as perhaps the most consistent high-end cigar in Cuba’s portfolio.

The Behike 56 Experience

The Cohiba Behike 56 is a different animal entirely. Launched in 2010 as the crown jewel of the entire Cohiba brand, the Behike line introduced something unprecedented: the medio tiempo leaf. This is the small, thick leaf that grows at the very top of certain tobacco plants, above the ligero priming that was previously considered the highest and strongest leaf. Not every plant produces usable medio tiempo, making it extraordinarily rare.

The first third of the Behike 56 announces itself with an intensity that the Siglo VI never reaches. Dense, dark chocolate and espresso dominate, but underneath there is a sweetness, almost like burnt caramel, that is unique to the medio tiempo leaf. The middle third shifts toward roasted nuts, black pepper, and mineral notes with a richness that coats the palate. The final third deepens further into earthy, almost truffle-like complexity with lingering cocoa on the finish.

At 6 5/8 inches with a 56 ring gauge, the Behike 56 is a larger cigar that demands roughly 90 minutes of your time. The bigger ring gauge produces a cooler smoke with more volume, allowing the complexity of the blend to express itself fully. Construction, as you would expect at this price point, is flawless.

The Medio Tiempo Factor

So what exactly is medio tiempo, and does it justify the price difference?

Medio tiempo is a small leaf that grows above the ligero priming at the very top of the tobacco plant. It receives the most direct sunlight of any leaf on the plant, producing higher concentrations of oils and nicotine. The leaf is thicker, darker, and more intensely flavored than even the strongest ligero. Here is the catch: only about 10% of tobacco plants in Vuelta Abajo produce medio tiempo leaves, and each plant that does yields only two usable leaves.

In practical terms, medio tiempo adds a dimension to the Behike that is genuinely absent from the Siglo VI. There is a depth and a sweetness, a kind of dark richness that comes specifically from this leaf. Experienced smokers can identify it in a blind test. It is not subtle, and it is not marketing fiction. The medio tiempo leaf is the single biggest differentiator between the Behike and every other Cohiba.

Whether that difference justifies paying $128 instead of $38 is the real question. And that is where the debate gets interesting.

The Debate: Is the Behike Worth 3x the Price?

The Case For the Behike

If you view cigars as an experience rather than a product, the Behike justifies its cost. You are smoking something genuinely rare: fewer than a few thousand boxes are produced annually (Habanos S.A. does not publish exact figures, but industry estimates hover around 3,000 to 5,000 boxes of 10). The medio tiempo leaf creates a flavor profile that cannot be found in any other production cigar on earth. The 90-minute smoking time makes it an event, not just a smoke.

Consider the math another way. A $128 cigar that lasts 90 minutes costs about $1.42 per minute of enjoyment. A $38 Siglo VI lasting 60 minutes costs about $0.63 per minute. The Behike is 2.25 times more expensive per minute, not 3.4 times. And if you would happily spend $128 on a nice bottle of wine that lasts one dinner, the Behike represents a comparable luxury.

The Case For the Siglo VI

The Siglo VI is not a consolation prize. It is one of the finest cigars in the world, full stop. For $38 per cigar, you get Cohiba’s triple fermentation, elite tobacco selection, El Laguito craftsmanship, and a blend that has been refined over more than 20 years of production. You could buy three Siglo VIs for the price of one Behike 56 and have three outstanding, hour-long smoking experiences instead of one extraordinary 90-minute one.

Many veteran smokers, including some professionals in the trade, will quietly tell you that the Siglo VI aged five or more years approaches the Behike in complexity. The aging process does remarkable things to the Siglo VI blend, developing sweetness and depth that narrow the gap with the Behike significantly. If you have the patience to age your cigars, the Siglo VI becomes an even more compelling value proposition.

The Honest Answer

Buy both, but in different quantities. A box of 25 Siglo VI (~$950) for regular enjoyment and a box of 10 Behike 56 (~$1,280) for birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, and those rare evenings when you want the absolute best that Cuban tobacco has to offer. That gives you roughly 25 hours of Siglo VI smoking and 15 hours of Behike time for a combined investment of about $2,230. For a year of premium cigar enjoyment, that is entirely reasonable.

For complete pricing on every Cohiba vitola, visit our Cohiba price guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is medio tiempo tobacco?

Medio tiempo is the small, oil-rich leaf that grows at the very top of certain tobacco plants in Cuba’s Vuelta Abajo region, above the ligero priming. It receives the most sunlight of any leaf on the plant, producing exceptionally intense, complex flavors with a characteristic dark sweetness. Only about 10% of plants produce usable medio tiempo leaves, and each yields just two. It is used exclusively in the Cohiba Behike line.

Is Cohiba Behike the best cigar in the world?

The Cohiba Behike 56 is frequently cited as one of the finest cigars ever produced, and it consistently ranks in the top 5 of expert lists worldwide. Whether it is “the best” depends on personal preference. Smokers who prioritize intensity, complexity, and sweetness often rank it first. Those who prefer elegance and balance may prefer the Siglo VI or even non-Cuban options like the Padron 1964 Anniversary. At $128 per cigar, the Behike 56 is undeniably one of the most premium cigar experiences money can buy.

How many Behike cigars does Cuba produce each year?

Habanos S.A. does not publish exact production figures for the Behike line, but industry analysts estimate annual production at approximately 3,000 to 5,000 boxes across all three Behike sizes (52, 54, and 56). This extremely limited output, driven primarily by the scarcity of medio tiempo tobacco, is a major factor in the Behike’s high price and frequent unavailability. Production has been intermittent in recent years, with some sizes experiencing gaps of 12 to 18 months between releases.