Davidoff "Inspirational" Collection

Today's post is a three-fer: I'll be reviewing a set of three super-premium Davidoff robusto cigars. Davidoff is one of the finest brands of cigars out there; in the early 1900s, Ukrainian-born Zino Davidoff traveled the world to become steeped in the cigar trade and ended up opening a small shop in Geneva, Switzerland, which grew to a global cigar corporation. In addition to fine cigars, Davidoff also produces pipe tobacco, cigarettes, and other luxury goods. For a time in college I even wore Davidoff's fragrance, "Cool Water." No judgment please!

The box I have here is their "Inspirational" sampler, a display box of three robusto-sized cigars (that's roughly 5" long by 50 ring gauge, or 50/64ths of a inch wide.) The three cigars are more on the strong end of their lineup; they've rated them in terms of strength with 5 circle devices under each cigar. The more circles filled, the stronger the cigar. The plastic-looking sleeves that contain these cigars (and many of them sold retail) is actually not plastic but cellulose, and acts not only as a way to protect cigars, but to regulate humidity. They also help to hold in aromas and flavor, so if you're like me and have almost 150 cigars in your humidor, you'll want to keep them in the cellulose to prevent the more aromatic cigars from bleeding over into your more delicate ones. More will come on humidification later, right now let's get smoking!

First up is the Puro D'Oro Magnifico, the one with the gold label. It's the strongest of the bunch, according to the little pictogram thingy at the bottom. It features a dark and oily Yamasa habano wrapper, with Dominican long-fillers inside, which are aged for four years. 

This was strong. There was a heavy layer of hickory and pepper notes, and with cigars this strong, there's usually a heavy nicotine taste to them. There was a dark sweetness around the middle of the cigar, and the last third was dominated by a charred and peppery taste which "cliffed" quickly (meaning the taste turned from good to bad.) I admit, it was a bit overpowering and acrid for me. 

Next one I tried was the "Nicaragua", which I neglected to take a photo of beforehand. I've included a file photo for reference. I like the color of the leaf; mine was very even without a lot of tobacco stem seams. But, like many Davidoff wrappers, it was very thin and ended up unraveling a bit as you can see. 

I think this was much more my speed. I've enjoyed other Nicaraguan offerings before, namely Avo's "Syncro Nicaragua" and a lot of the stuff Drew Estate makes from Esteli, Nicaragua. It's certainly lighter, sweeter not in the nicotine sense but in the aged habano sense: it also tastes a little more mild and aged. But there still was a spiciness to it which I liked. I also smoked this one down futher than I did the Puro d'Or; less cliffing present. 

Finally that leaves the "Millennium Blend." At three-and-a-half circle thingys, it's supposed to be the most mild of the three; but still not as mild as Davidoff gets. This one also has 4-year-aged Dominican long-fillers, but instead features an Ecuadorian sungrown wrapper. The wrapper is darker than the others, but that's not always meaningful. 

Well, this one was pretty strong, too. It lights up nicely, and with some pull it starts to burn evenly. Overall, it's very heavy on the palette, with deep and strong leather, cinder, and tobacco flavors. While it's lighter than the Puro, it's still very strong. Finished it up with about 1.5 inches left on the stick, and enjoyed some ash-y aftertastes for a few minutes.

I prefer the Nicaragua out of the three, but overall, this whole line is a little too heavy for my taste. I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship, and pleasantly, the wrappers did not crack on any of these smokes (Davidoff cigars have a reputation for very fine, thin wrappers that crack.) However, when it comes down to strength, I wouldn't buy the Millenium or Puro d'Or again. They're just too heavy for me, and a lot of the flavor gets bogged down in that heaviness. I wonder if that strength is part of the Davidoff culture - it seems many of the Davidoff cigars I have had are on the strong side. Another note for you to consider is the cost  - as a brand Davidoff are generally expensive and in my opinion, not worth it for the novice smoker. This particular assortment is $47 retail, so definitely not the most affordable. Even I seldom smoke Davidoff due to the cost, and my own particular preferences. I'm pleased to have tried that sampler, of course, and still have respect for the brand - I just may seek out their most mild offerings next time. 

Davidoff's logo, courtesy of Davidoff.com