“QUICK PUFF” – Davidoff Colorado Claro Special R
Nov 27, 2009 Cigar, Quick Puff
Today’s “Quick Puff” review is the Davidoff Colorado Special R.
The sun-grown Connecticut Ecuador wrapper on the Colrado is reminiscent of the Cuban varietal dark, reddish-brown in appearance and stronger in taste. The genetic structure of its seed produces lower yields and only a limited quantity of these harvested leaves meet Davidoff’s strict quality standards, making this extraordinary offering highly sought after. The four exclusively selected Davidoff Colorado Claro formats have been given a unique second band, are protected in cellophane and presented in distinctive 10-count boxes.
I picked up mine at the Davidoff shop in the Time Warner Building in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle.
The construction on the Colorado Claro was the first thing that stood out to me. I generally assume Davidoff cigars are going to have excellent, if not perfect construction. While the Colorado wasn’t bad, it was certainly not the blemish free and smoothly wrapped stick I generally get from Davidoff. The wrapper had a few veins and some areas that looked like miscuts. Again, not horrible, but when I think of Davidoff, I think of perfect construction.
The wrapper had a distinct Graham Cracker aroma with some earthiness. The stick lit and burned beautifully. The stick started out with a nice burst of spice that’s also not very traditional in the Davidoff cigars I’ve smoked. There were predominantly flavors of cedar wood and some leather all framed with a nice mild spice. Finish was clean and very pleasant. Body was medium to full and flavor was very rich.
Overall I enjoyed this stick very much. A nice balance of flavor, body and strength. A little more strength and a little more spice than I would expect from Davidoff and both were welcome. For the Davidoff smoker, these are a no-brainer. Go out and get one to try. For those of you who feel Davidoff cigars aren’t as complex or as full-bodied as you might like, try these. You might be surprised it’s a Davidoff.
Tags: Colorado Claro, davidoff
Davidoff Millennium Lancero
Apr 27, 2009 Cigar
Davidoff Millennium Lancero cigars are the most full-bodied of all Davidoff cigars. Blended from heartier, vintage Dominican tobaccos and Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper leaves, grown exclusively for Davidoff.
All Davidoff cigars maintain well defined standards of quality and excellence. The tobaccos that are used in the different blends have been cultivated in accordance with the most ancient traditions, in the richest soils and ideal climatic conditions of carefully selected fields. The most choice leaves from various harvests undergo four years of aging, which imparts to Davidoff cigars their rich aroma and consistently smooth taste. All Davidoff cigars are handmade in the Dominican Republic, where for over five centuries this art has been passed on from generation to generation.
The experience accumulated over the years has provided Davidoff with the know-how required to produce a new type of cigar made from a balanced blend of stronger tobaccos.
And now, on to the review.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: 7 1/4 x 40 (Lancero)
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Hybrid
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION -
The Davidoff Millenium Blend Lancero has a medium brown wrapper and very short, stubby pigtail cap. The wrapper looks well applied and is very smooth to the touch. Like most Davidoff cigars, the wrapper and overall construction of this lancero is of very high quality. No apparent blemishes or problems. The stick is a little soft for my liking. Not overly humidified, just a little too spongy.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS -
The wrapper has a faint hay aroma with a little stronger hay at the foot. There’s also a light alfalfa aroma towards the foot. I used my usual punch cut on the stick and it cut perfectly. Cold draw had some sweet hay on the draw. Draw was very good. Despite the spongy feel, the draw had just enough resistance. Again, a good sign of quality.
The lancero lit beautifully and evenly. I had no burn problems at all throughout the smoke. It burned evenly and stayed well lit throughout. A good salt and pepper colored ash throughout. The Davidoff Millennium lancero gave off a good volume of smoke. The smoke was fairly light and drifted easily.
FLAVOR -
Flavors included some cedary wood notes as well as some tobacco sweetness. The flavors remained fairly consistent the whole time without much transition. The lancero was a little more full-bodied than some other Davidoff sticks I recall, but not by that much. The flavor profile remained fairly simple with not much change through the entire smoke.
OVERALL IMPRESSION -
I have no real complaints about the Davidoff Millennium Blend Lancero. That’s the tough part. The cigar is technically well made, well constructed with full flavors and good medium to full body. There’s just no WOW factor with this smoke. It’s fairly simple flavor profile stayed basically one-dimensional the entire time. I would have liked a little more complexity or some flavor transitions at different stages.
A decent smoke, but for the price, I’d look elsewhere.
TOTAL SCORE – 84
Tags: davidoff, Dominican Republic, lancero, Millennium Blend
Lancero Contest Winner!
Apr 26, 2009 Contest, Site News
Congratulations to Tim D.!
He is the winner of our “You pick the smoke” lancero contest.
Tim’s choice for review was the Davidoff Millenium Lancero.
We will have the review of Tim’s choice up Monday night.
Congratulations again, Tim.
Your 2008 Camacho Liberty will be on its way to you shortly.
Davidoff Dom Perignon (1985)
Apr 1, 2009 Cigar
So for our first cigar review, we really wanted to start off with a bang. As I debated over which cigar to feature in the premiere, the same one kept popping into my head again and again. A little over a year ago, a friend on CigarLive had hit me with an amazing gift. SmokinJ (David) is an avid cigar smoker and collector who’s love of vintage cubans is well known in the forums. David knocked my socks off one afternoon with a gift to top all gifts. He had sent me a 1985 Cuban Davidoff Dom Perignon. The cigar has been rated 100 pts in the past by Cigar Aficionado and is considered one of the best cuban cigars ever made. Certainly a special occasion cigar, the Davi Dom was the clear choice to be our first review here at SmokeScore. I thank SmokinJ with all my heart for his wonderful gift and amazing generosity.
And now, on to the review.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: 7 x 47 (Churchill)
Origin: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION -
The Davi Dom is a 7 x 47 Churchill size cigar. For a cigar almost 25 years old, it is in wonderful condition. The wrapper is a chocolate brown, somewhere between milk chocolate and dark chocolate. There is one noticeable vein that runs along 3/4 of the cigar. The wrapper has lost almost all of its oils, but still has a slight sheen to it. It is blemish free and very attractive. There are no soft spots to be found.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS –
The Davi Dom wrapper gives off very little aroma. Due to its age, this is not too surprising. The foot however has a beautiful aroma of old wood and forest floor. It reminded me of antique wood furniture with a musty aroma of aged wood. The cigar cut and lit beautifully and toasted well. The draw was perfect with a slight resistance. Within the first few minutes the burn became slightly uneven but after about 6 or 7 minutes, evened itself out. It remained even until the last third where it needed some touch ups with the lighter.
FLAVOR –
The flavor started out with a mild wood and dried tea flavor. The tea component remained throughout the entire smoke. There was also a slight sweetness that reminded me of a dried fruit flavor almost. Not very sweet, but just sweet enough to make it interesting. At the midpoint, the flavors transitioned into a more traditional aged tobacco flavor with mild hints of walnut. The cigar has a clean and crisp finish that left my palate refreshed.
OVERALL IMPRESSION –
The impression that the Davi Dom left me with was actually two-fold. My initial reaction was that this is a well-balanced cigar with lots of interesting flavors and components. My second reaction was that all of those wonderful characteristics are somewhat subdued by the age. I would have loved to have smoked this cigar 10 or even 5 years ago. While still very good, the 1985 version of the Davi Dom is showing its age. While I cannot concur with the 100 pt score previously given this cigar, it is still a very good smoke and one that I encourage anyone to try. As time progresses, the Cuban Davidoffs will all move past their prime and they will be gone forever. If you have the means and the opportunity to try one, don’t pass it up!
TOTAL SCORE – 93
