One of the cigars that made a big splash at IPCPR was this new release from Davidoff. The name Davidoff does nothing for me at all, I usually think boring and mild blends with a ridiculously high price tag that screams look at me I like no flavor and I am a douchebag! I kid of course, you know I am an advocate of smoking whatever you want to smoke (unless it is crack, or meth or dope of any kind because then you really are a douchebag), but the Davidoff name has become synonymous with mild profiles and high price tags. I can't recall the last time I went out of my to smoke a Davidoff and usually will only smoke one if it is offered to me by someone else. It just really isn't my thing.
What caught my attention about this cigar was the word Nicaragua. The implication of a quality cigar manufacturer like Davidoff expanding their boundaries into Nicaraguan tobacco was just too huge to ignore. Here is what you should know. Davidoff has big bucks, they pay attention to making high quality cigars (they have to at super premium prices you only get super premium smokers that are picky) and they only grow and buy the best tobaccos in the world to wear their name. This is a combination that makes for a very interesting proposition, a Nicaraguan version of the timeless and revered Davidoff brand. They now had my interest!
The cigar itself is impeccable looking. They have given the band work and cigar a more full bodied look. Darker wrapper, darker band work and all the visuals add up to this not being the typical rich man's Davidoff in the white, with all the white, surrounded by white. The wrapper is beautiful and has very few veins and a silky appearance that looks like lightly creamed coffee. The bunch and roll look very nice, as I expected, Kelner and his boys have an eye for quality and I can't find an issue. The pre light draw smacks of earth and pepper. The pre light aroma has dark wood and lighter spice notes that linger slightly.
The cigar opens with a profile that is everything I would expect from a Davidoff product, even the Nicaraguan tobacco can't change what they do. The core profile is mild/medium, but it does have some very nice flavors. There are hints of earth and pepper, but most of the core at this point is a warm and light wood note that does not offer much depth or complexity. Through the nose and at the back of the palate there are some worthy ideas of spice and pepper, but they are too muted at this point to be anything beyond barely noticeable. The draw is a real dream to this point, performing perfectly. The burn is ok, but the wrapper loses some cohesion early on and I have to take some off as it unspools. Upon removal of the unruly piece of wrapper the cigar evens back out fairly quickly.
The first half of the cigar actually picks up some steam. The core profile takes on a decidedly robust wood flavor and has some interesting anise and spice flavors that lend some sweetness to off set the smoky wood portion. While not particularly complex or deep, these flavors are nice and play favorably with one another. The back of the palate begins to show some earthy tones, but I am looking for something more here as it is fairly mundane. The draw is still spot on. The burn is a little sloppy in some spots, but it is working itself out.
The final half of the cigar becomes truly Nicaraguan. The core profile becomes a solid array of pepper and wood, with some notes of spice. There is depth here and the profile becomes more complex. The back of the palate and the nose show some fantastic earth flavors and there is some nice spice here as well. All in all this is rounding into quite something in the last third of the smoke. The draw stays solid all the way through the smoke. The burn evened out nicely in the last half.
The finish was a touch short, but had some earth and spice notes that were satisfying.
This is by far the best Davidoff I have smoked.
Appearance- 93 a very nice looking smoke
Taste- 89 very strong in the last third, but the first half left something to be desired
Construction- 88 nice draw throughout, but the burn was wonky in the front half
Strength- 89 a nice mild early and a nice medium late, for Davidoff devotees this would be full
Overall- 89.25 a very nice score, for a good smoke
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