Corona, 4.5” x 46 ring gauge, approx. $14
Davidoff cigars are widely renowned for their high quality tobaccos and construction excellence...and high prices. I have been a critic of the last item many times in my personal conversation and on this blog, but I have also tried to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to value for the money charged. In some cases, I have felt they did not meet up to the promise implied by the price tag, but other times I have had that notion dispelled. My local Davidoff rep handed me this Maduro Corona after the Avo event last weekend and said, “I want to know your opinion on this.” Never one to say “No” to free super-premium cigars, I decided to run a special Monday cigar review just for this stick. The Maduro C is the newest addition to the Davidoff Maduro line, which previously consisted of only a Robusto-size stick. It is described as a “luxurious, full-flavored” cigar, blended by DAvidoff master blender, Henke Kelner. The filler is Dominican, the binder is San Vicente (not sure what country...if you know, please leave a comment), and the wrapper is a sun-grown Nicaraguan leaf from the Jalapa Valley. Technically it is not a Maduro, since the wrapper does not follow the normal processing to make Maduro leaves; Davidoff describes it as a “natural” maduro.
Davidoff cigars are widely renowned for their high quality tobaccos and construction excellence...and high prices. I have been a critic of the last item many times in my personal conversation and on this blog, but I have also tried to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to value for the money charged. In some cases, I have felt they did not meet up to the promise implied by the price tag, but other times I have had that notion dispelled. My local Davidoff rep handed me this Maduro Corona after the Avo event last weekend and said, “I want to know your opinion on this.” Never one to say “No” to free super-premium cigars, I decided to run a special Monday cigar review just for this stick. The Maduro C is the newest addition to the Davidoff Maduro line, which previously consisted of only a Robusto-size stick. It is described as a “luxurious, full-flavored” cigar, blended by DAvidoff master blender, Henke Kelner. The filler is Dominican, the binder is San Vicente (not sure what country...if you know, please leave a comment), and the wrapper is a sun-grown Nicaraguan leaf from the Jalapa Valley. Technically it is not a Maduro, since the wrapper does not follow the normal processing to make Maduro leaves; Davidoff describes it as a “natural” maduro.
This rather small cigar looks as good as it should for the asking price--really, it is as good-looking a maduro as you are likely to find--medium-dark brown with very little mottling and no large veins or sloppy seams. The leaf had an oily and velvety touch and the nose was of hay and manure. The foot had a clean hay smell. The stick feels rather solid; I assumed this was a sign that the stick was well-packed but would not have draw problems, based on Davidoff’s exacting construction standards. The prelight draw was excellent and gave up flavors of hay and earth.
Initial puffs were not at all what I would expect from a maduro cigar--it was fairly mild with grassy notes and very little sweetness. The third or fourth puff in I started to get some peppery spice, which was interesting and different from what I was expecting. The cigar continued to surprise through the first third, first with a flavor profile that leaned toward coffee and earth, with just a hint of grassiness underneath; then they body changed from mild to medium very quickly and the peppery aspect become more noticeable. What was not a surprise was the creamy smoothness of the smoke. So far, it was fulfilling the marketing department’s promise of a “luxurious, full-flavored” cigar very well.
The creaminess went away in the second third as the body continued to ramp up to a medium-to-full level and the smoke got even more peppery and developed a serious edginess. There still was not sweetness common in maduros; instead it was true to its actual heritage of being a sungrown wrapper. The remained of the second third was earthy with some coffee, while the grassy notes disappeared. The burn line was very straight and the ash fell off in very neat 3/4-inch chunks.
The body developed more in the last third until it was just into the full range and the flavor deepened every more--basically it was an espresso-roast coffee with a pronounced earthiness and some roasted nuts on the retrohale. Another surprise was the fact that a 4.5” cigar ended up lasting the better part of an hour--the burn was slow and even, probably due to the well-packed tobacco. While this cigar does not fit into the traditional definition of “Maduro” in either leaf development or flavor profile, it definitely is a taste treat for the experienced smoker and totally unlike what I had expected. It was definitely full-flavored and very complex from beginning to end and I was surprised to find myself considering it to be worth the extravagant price tag. Not that I will be buying a box anytime soon, but I can easily say that I will buy these on occasion when I have the extra money or for special occasions.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 10/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
I agree with you..Davidoff Cigars Connoisseur are great piece of art. each cigar has distinct taste and aroma. whenever i go to buy cigars my first preference is to buy any cigar from these...
ReplyDeleteI just tried one of this vitola and I was not impressed. What I got from it was a strong cedar & grass sourness, no sweetness, no coffee or cocoa flavor I've come to expect from a conventional maduro. I understand it is not a conventional maduro, but even so the smoke (thick, creamy, perfect burn, tight but enjoyable draw) never got past the sourness though it did mellow a bit after the first inch or so. All in all I did not like the flavor of this stick one bit, and there are other Davidoffs I like.
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