Vitola: Special R (Robusto)- 4.875” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$21
- Purchased from Corona Cigar Company
Background
If my local shop were to ever carry Davidoff’s Colorado Claro line again, I would probably smoke them much more often…possibly so much that I would get tired of them, to be honest. As it was, I discovered them before I worked at the cigar shop, so I had to pay full price for them…by the time I got the employee discount, they didn’t have any for me to buy…and that continues on while as I have gotten to where I can afford them on a more frequent basis. When a friend was visiting Orlando a couple months ago, he grabbed a couple for me. I smoked one almost right away and tried to sit on the other for a while…but here I am, with something to celebrate.
It’s really not much to celebrate, but I’m really not the “handyman” type. I usually just pay someone to fix the problem as it takes less time and there is a very real possibility that it will cost less because I won’t break stuff. We had a leak under the kitchen sink and I looked into ways to fix it myself and just got more confused. A former friend (amazing what a week or so, along with some extraordinarily bad decisions, will do to a friendship) told me it may cost a little more but replacing the whole faucet apparatus would likely be easier and longer-lasting than trying to just replace a single hose…and I was assuming it was the hose! I had never done it before, but today I did. I did break the old faucet getting it disconnected…but it wasn’t going to be reused anyway. I did take about twice as long as a qualified plumber would have…and may have created some new cuss words in the process…but it’s done…and it’s not leaking. So let’s celebrate!
The Davidoff Colorado Claro uses the same filler and binder as the regular “Special” or “Aniversario” line cigars it’s based off of, specially 3 types of Dominican fillers (Piloto Seco, San Vicente Visus, and Olor Seco), a Dominican Piloto Seco binder, and an Ecuadorian Connecticut Colorado Claro wrapper.
Notes
It is amazing what this reddish brown wrapper can do to the flavor profile of the normally very mild Davidoff Special R. It has more oil than the normal Connecticut Shade leaf, a pronounced red hue, and an aroma of cedar and earth over the normal grassy sweetness. The foot had rich earth, citrus, and bread notes. The prelight draw had notes of wood and sweet citrus.
I’ve always been surprised that this version of the Special R take so much longer to fire up than the standard one. Almost like it’s more humidified, not just the wrapper, but the filler bunch, as well. Maybe the wrapper just holds more moisture and makes it harder to get lit. I immediately got strong cedar notes and black pepper leading the way, with earth and bread and citrus coming in behind. The retrohale was woody with fiery red pepper that faded quickly.
I poured myself some Knob Creek to go with this very nice Davidoff. This is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey aged 9 years and bottled at 100 proof.
The Bourbon added some extra fire and sweetness, while the cigar had plenty of cedar, spice, and underlying grassiness and earthiness. I have said it for the better part of a decade…the Colorado Claro is my favorite “regular” (though limited) release Davidoff and the Special R size is the best one. If you can get your hands on them, I highly recommend it!
