In June of last year, Davidoff Cigars announced presents its Master Selection Series, a collection blends created by Davidoff‘s Master Blender, Eladio Diaz, each year for his birthday. Davidoff made a very limited number of these personal blends available for the public. Today we are reviewing the Davidoff | Master Selection2013.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
“These Master Selection Series cigars have been crafted by our Head Master Blender, Eladio Diaz, to satisfy the most demanding cigar aficionado in the world – himself. His agreement to release a few of these six very personal and delightful blends that he has been creating to mark his very own birthdays is a treat for Davidoff. These are simply the finest cigars, worthy of the most special of occasions: time superbly filled for those who have the chance and privilege to taste these cigars,” says Charles Awad, Senior Vice President – Chief Marketing Officer at Oettinger Davidoff AG.
The Series 2013 is blended with Nicaraguan tobacco and a Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. This fillers are from: Estelí and Condega Visus, Piloto Visus, Piloto Seco and San Vicente Mejorado Visus.
The company describes this cigar as intense and having a strong, rich aftertaste. Spicy pepper flavours give way to sweet, creamy oak wood notes in the second third. They give it a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of strength of the cigar.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Estelí, Condega Visus, Piloto Visus, Piloto Seco and San Vicente Mejorado Visus
Factory: TABADOM
Blender: Eladio Diaz
Number of reviewers: 4 – Isaac M.(The Nothing) John I.(John I.) Stefan(Stefan) Matthew T.(A Huge Nerd)
Price: $35.00
Age: 7 Months
Release Date: June 2017
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“Awesome looking smoke. Big fat toro, looks to be at least 54 ring. Deep dark brown with some moderate veins. There’s a bit of a crease along the full length, most likely just evidence of time in the press. Not a big deal, but it’s there. ” –John I. (John I.)
Aroma: 90
“Mild notes of leather, wood, and bourbon.” –Stefan (Stefan)
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“The flavors come on right away with this one. The profile is clean, but undergirded with some spice. The main flavors I get are leather and some roasted nuts. There is a subtle sweetness on the retrohale that I can’t quite place, but it is very nice. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
“This cigar stared of a with a fair amount of spiciness. The peppercorn and chili spice did not relent until about an inch into the cigar. The retrohale was also very spicy at the beginning. As the cigar moved on and the spice faded out, it presented an array of earth and leather flavors with an oaky retro. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The middle third stays consistent, but it is a good kind of consistent. The roasted nuts are still there, but some hints of vanilla and that pepper are in the background. The retrohale is still smooth and sweet with a bit of spice. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
“This hasn’t really made a dramatic transition, but has gradually moved into being more herbaceous, with the notes of cumin, thyme, etc. being really prominent. Still totally digging this. Only real issue is trying to keep myself from pounding it down too quickly. ” –John I. (John I.)
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The body has picked up slightly toward the end, but this is still very comfortable in terms of strength. It’s full bodied, but very manageable. The balance is really nice. Toward the very end, I’m conflicted about letting this go. It’s been over an hour, and there are other things that need my attention, but every sip on this cigar convinces me to hold on to it just a little longer. At the very end there are some really nice bready notes developing which seem odd at this point, and is really captivating.” –John I. (John I.)”
“The final third really hits some great points. The sweetness fades, but some delicious flavors of cocoa join the roasted nuts. I also get some notes of toasted bread and an earthy characteristic that is not too dry, but compliments the mild spice that is still on the retrohale. ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
“The cigar was on the too-firm side of things with a V-cut. It cleared up and was good after cutting it again with a straight cut.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Very well constructed cigar. Flawless performance for the duration of the smoke. Absolutely a joy. ” –John I. (John I.)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 90
“In the end, this wasn’t a bad cigar, but it never ventured into the realm of being a good cigar for me. When the last third became charred and muddied, I really lost interest, and when I couldn’t get those flavors out of my mouth, I was even less impressed. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Really nice smoke. The herbal components that were dominant through much of this cigar were really interesting, and different enough from the cigars I usually smoke enough to really get my attention, and hold onto it. Size wise, I gravitate more and more to smaller format cigars. I don’t mind larger smokes, but again, the novelty of the bigger ring gauge also made this stand out for me personally. The finale is what was really impressive. Typically once you get into the area past the band things tend to become muddled in terms of identifying specific flavors. Sometimes this is enjoyable, and sometimes it’s a bit dull. This cigar continued to offer up nuances well into the nub. ” –John I. (John I.)
“While this started promising, it quickly turned ashy, leaving an aftertaste akin to having just smoked a cigarette. By the last third, I couldn’t wait to be done with it.” –Stefan (Stefan)
“This cigar was a tasty bugger. The performance throughout the smoking experience, coupled with great flavors and combinations was just great. The sweetness mixed with other nuances really made me happy, and I will be looking forward to knowing what this is so I can buy some for myself. Well done! ” –Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
"This cigar was a tasty bugger. The performance throughout the smoking experience, coupled with great flavors and combinations was just great. The sweetness mixed with other nuances really made me happy, and I will be looking forward to knowing what this is so I can buy some for myself. Well done! " -Matthew T. (A Huge Nerd)
