Vitola: Robusto Gordo
Size: 5” x 56 ring gauge
MSRP $22
Purchased from Burns Tobacconist
Background
Today just about all cigar smokers know Davidoff as the premier purveyor of Dominican cigars, but up until the late 1980s they were actually known for their Cuban cigars. You see them reviewed in the “extra aged” selection of a certain lifestyle magazine from time to time. After severing relations with Cuban tobacco manufacturing, Davidoff of Geneva was formed and the brand was available to those in America. Twenty-five years later we have been graced with this limited edition cigar, of which only 3,000 boxes of 10 were produced.
As with some of Davidoff’s finest cigars, this is a Dominican puro, featuring a company-exclusive Yamasa wrapper leaf. I heard nothing but good about this cigar, particularly from Keith, so I finally decided to give up some cash to purchase this from Burns. The review is based on the first time I tried this blend, and that’s going to have to be good enough. I know some people firmly believe that you should smoke 3 or 4 of a blend to determine if you like it, but let’s be honest: the average (or even “above-average”) cigar smoker will never (NEVER) spend $70+ on 3 of these to come to a conclusion that he likes or doesn’t like it. They’ll buy 1 (one), smoke it, and if they like it enough, they might spring for a box…or two or three more singles…whatever they can afford…and keep them around for special occasions. Yes, I know some people that would just buy several boxes and sit on them, but we’re not all made of money (cue the Kurt Russell-from-The-Thing-looking money-man from the Geico commercial).
Prelight
On a regular basis, there are very, very few cigars are well-constructed as Davidoff White Label offerings. There’s a lot riding on that white and gold band…prestige, reputation, etc…so quality standards are kept sky-high. This is no exception. The seams were even and flat, the veins weren’t overly large, the wrapper was flawless. The only de-merit was the somewhat ragged shape of the cap (most caps are cut out perfectly round) and the fairly lumpy head True…these would be chopped off soon and wouldn’t have real bearing on the smoking of the cigars…I guess I’m just nit-picking since it is Davidoff.
Anyway, that classic white band with gold foil and embossing is all some people need to see. The left side of this one says “Limited Edition” and the right side read, “Genève,” while the secondary band read “Davidoff of Geneva” and “25th Anniversary.” Simple. Elegant. Self-explanatory. The wrapper leaf was a light brown with a slightly reddish hue, exuded oils, and had an aroma of wet hay and earth. Giving the foot a good sniff, I got more hay, a little more earth, and some cedar. I did my regular Xikar Xi straight cut on this cigar and the draw was excellent, tasting of sweet hay and cedar, with a bit of that Davidoff twang mixed in there for good measure. It’s a good time to remark on the face that I really dislike large ring gauge cigars. Besides having muted flavors (most of the time), they are just uncomfortable. I tried leaving the cigar in my mouth while I wrong this paragraph and had to remove it after it felt like I was try to cram one of those giant Disneyland jawbreakers in my mouth. While it’s easy enough to walk around with a Corona or Lancero in your mouth, when you get to 56 ring gauge (or 60…or 70…) it becomes almost impossible. For these reasons (mostly the flavor thing, though), I pretty much rule out buying any cigar over 50 ring gauge unless there is no choice (which was the case here…one vitola for this release).
Flavor
Lit, the Davidoff of Geneva 25th Anniversary provided initial flavors very much in line with other Davidoff lines: sweet hay, fungus-y earthiness, hints of cedar, and a distinct creaminess on the palate. More cedar and a slight peppery note on the retrohale. If you were somewhat familiar with master blender Henke Kelner’s flavor profiles and then blind-folded, I have confidence that you would identify this as a Davidoff practically from the first puff. Smoke production was low on the first couple puffs as I struggled to get this big ring-gauge smoke evenly lit with a single-flame lighter, but after that it produced tons of fragrant second-hand smoke.
As the first third was reduced to ash, I noticed the body ramp up from mild-to-medium at the beginning to a medium-to-full by the time the second third was burning. The flavor changed more gradually to a more cedary profile and the pepper on the nose increased, although that didn’t last that long. By the end of the second third, the pepper had diminished and the nose was nutty and woody. The flavors on the palate were more earthy again with more notes of hay and that Davidoff twang.
In the final third, I found the flavor muting a bit and I wondered if the large ring gauge of the cigar was finally catching up with the blend. It was still a very good cigar, but not as flavorful as it was for the first two-thirds.
Construction
I’m not even sure I need to talk much about construction here…this is Davidoff! If it were bad, there would be something to say, but it was just about perfect in every way I can think of. ‘Nuff said.
Value
Value is a tricky proposition when you start talking about cigars that retail for more than $20. There are some that definitely are worth it and some that just aren’t. For this particular product, I decided I would have to judge value based on the price of the Davidoff Colorado Claro Robusto, which for me is the best cigar I’ve had from the brand and well worth the $17+ you will pay for it. Based on that scale, I would have to assign half a point for value because for me it does not equal the experience I got with the CC, although it costs about 1/3 more.
Conclusions
As always, you have to judge for yourself if a cigar is worth the monetary investment. For me, this one falls just short. The flavor is definitely Davidoff, although it doesn’t have the bright flavors of some of their other blends. The body was medium to full in the end, making it hard to recommend for occasional smokers, but enthusiasts who know what they are looking for might just find this to be one of their favorites. For me, it was something I would enjoy smoking occasionally, but I definitely wouldn’t enjoy paying full price for it when there are others from the company that cost less and I enjoy more.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 9/10
This article was originally published at Tiki Bar Online
