For Premium Cigars, Davidoff is widely known as a luxury brand. Their cigars have a reputation for quality and refinement. In recent years, Davidoff has taken steps to expand the scope of their cigars to cover a broad range of flavors and strengths. One recent cigar from Davidoff in that style is the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019. In this review, we put this high-priced cigar to the test.
The 5 x 50 Robusto is the only size available in the United States for this cigar. Davidoff did produce a 5 x 43 Corona size, only available at Duty-Free shops around the world. The Corona Size is packaged in 5-count cardboard packs, while the Robusto comes in 10-count wood boxes.
Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019
MSRP: $30.00
Size: 5 x 50
Origin: Cigars Davidoff (Dominican Republic)
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Negro San Andrés from Mexico
Filler: Dominican (Piloto Mejorado Visus, Criollo Seco and San Vicente Mejorado Visus), Nicaraguan (Estelí Visus and Semilla A Visus)
Prologue
The WC LE 19 is dark brown with a gentle reddish undertone to the coloration. It has some prominent veins on the surface and feels a little bit light. The wrapper smells like oak and cedar, while the foot is extremely peppery. The cold draw is intense. Even before lighting the cigar I get a noticeable zap of pepper spice on my lips. The draw is very open, with bold black pepper and wood.
Act I
The notes that I got on the cold draw are still the prominent flavors in the beginning. The smoke is extremely thick and dense. The main notes are black pepper, charred wood, mustiness, and earthiness. There is a fleeting note of sweetness, but it is overpowered by the charred flavors. The retrohale is almost painful, with handfuls of spice and leather.
Act II
The cigar does settle in a little bit in the middle, but not a lot. It is still a powerhouse. Bold flavors of bitter cocoa, wood, and earth are in the forefront. Not much else has changed in that regard. The retrohale is still pepper on top of pepper, with no sign of mellowing.
Act III
Just when I thought it could not get more intense, it does so in spades. The strength kicks up, which only serves to intensify the earthiness, mustiness, and charred wood aromas. Notes of saddle shop leather and burned espresso beans round it out. As for the retrohale, I just can’t. It hurts too much.
Epilogue
Some may read the comments above and think I am describing a terrible cigar, but that is simply not the case. When evaluating a blend I have to take it for what it is, and not be swayed by preconceived notions about a brand’s reputation. If you have been regularly smoking Davidoff for over a decade, this one will blow your doors off. Even if you are a fan of the bolder offerings that Davidoff has brought to market in the last few years like Yamasa and Escurio, this one is light years above in dankness (yes, that’s ‘dankness’ not ‘darkness’). This cigar is straight-up funky. It is dank, earthy, bold, and heavy. For this particular style of blend it is a great example, but for Davidoff as a brand it is way outside the box and probably the heaviest Davidoff I have ever experienced. At this price point, you better be sure what you’re getting yourself into before making the investment.
Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019 – How Bout That Cigar?
Rating: How Bout A 5er?
Overall Score: 84
PAD: -2.0 (What is PAD?)
Flavor Summary: Earth, Charred Wood, Mustiness, Black Pepper
Strength Assessment: Full
Source: Cigars for this review were purchased by HBT Media LLC