Vitola: Churchill- 7” x 48 ring gauge
- MSRP $39
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Davidoff has twice before released cigars branded “The Chefs Edition,” collaborating with gastronomic pioneers who bring their culinary expertise to the world of tobacco blending. (And before that first Chefs Edition, they did release “Tour Gastronomique” cigars that served a similar purpose.) For 2021, they teamed up with Juan Amador (Vienna), Norbert Niederkofler (South Tirol, Italy), Masa Takayama (New York), and Jorge Vallejo (Mexico City) to create a brand new Chefs Edition blend.
“The unconventional team of connoisseurs link in this limited edition the shared values of kitchen and cigar artistry: pure ingredients, local sourcing, sustainability and attention to detail and quality”
Somewhat amusingly, they declare that with this blend “the embodiment of ‘Haute Cuisine’ deliciously led to ‘Haut Fumeur.’” They used a variety of Dominican filler tobaccos (Piloto seco, San Vicente ligero, Piloto visus, and Hybrid 192 seco), a Mexican Negro San Andres seco binder, and an Ecuadorian Hybrid 238 wrapper leaf.
Davidoff made a total of 9,500 10-count boxes of the 2021 Chefs Edition for the entire world. The MSRP on these is $39, which is about $6 higher than the last Chefs Edition (if you’re counting). This review is based on my very first time smoking this blend. Normally I would declare this a “One Shot” review, but I find Davidoff cigars a special use case…and really ANY cigar that retails for $40 should fall in the same category: if any one random cigar that I pick out of the humidor is not completely and utterly indicative of all the rest, then no one should be buying them at all. I said it and I’ll stand by it…if you charge this much for a cigar, blending, quality control, and consistency should be perfect. Period.
If you don’t have a Davidoff Appointed Merchant near you, you can get them (right now, anyway) at our sponsoring site, Small Batch Cigar.
Prelight
The packaging for these is really somewhat over the top. The “box” is an ashtray holding 10 cigars, topped with a lid that becomes a charcuterie board of sorts when you flip it over…actually it appears to be designed to hold 3 of the cigars plus a couple glasses of your favorite adult beverage to pair with the cigars. It does help to explain the inflated price tag, as well…if you bought this ashtray as a separate item, it stands to reason that Davidoff would charge upwards of $100 for it. So if you buy the whole box of cigars, the cost of the ashtray and board make the whole thing more palatable. (ooo…I used a “foodie word!”)
As expected the build quality of the 2021 Chefs Edition appeared immaculate upon removing it from cellophane. The wrapper leaf was a medium brown, just a touch darker than peanut butter, but a little lighter than cinnamon sticks. It had a somewhat heavy oiliness to it, was smooth to the touch, and had very little mottling or color variation. I got notes of leather and cedar from the wrapper, while the foot of the stick had sweeter aromas, some baking spice, hay, and light earthiness.
I clipped the head and got a fantastic prelight draw…not too tight, not too loose. The cold draw had notes of citrus, cedar, white pepper, and earth.
Flavor
Once fired up, the 2021 Chefs Edition had a very pleasant savory and sweet combination on the palate…a bit salty, a little citrusy…creamy, yet woody…earth and hay…leather and coffee. There was a sweet tingling on my lips and the retrohale featured red pepper spice that burned hot, but very short, before settling down to a more woody and nutty note. The level of complexity was a little surprising, even considering some of the other Davidoff blends I’ve had in the last few years. As the first third burned along, the flavor profile turned more cedar and leather, with less sweet influence. At the start, I found it mild-plus in body, but by the end of the first third, it had built up to mild-to-medium.
Getting into the second third, the sweeter citrus notes picked up again, while cedar and earth led the way. I still got the saltiness in the mix, along with background notes of cream and leather.
The last third of the 2021 Chefs Edition had more leather and earth overlaying notes of cedar, salt, and citrus sweetness. There was a little white pepper on the finish and some baking spice deep down in the mix.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
A cigar this expensive needs to perform with excellence at every level…and this one does.
Conclusions
As expected, the 2021 Chefs Edition dazzled with complexity and full flavor from beginning to end. It was rich and constantly moving with a very nice medium body toward the end. After a year of disappointments from many companies, this Davidoff is definitely at the front of the pack for Cigar of the Year consideration. I do wish it weren’t so expensive, but sometimes perfection (or near perfection) costs a little more.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
