Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

This last April of 2022, Davidoff Cigars came out with a new limited edition cigar for 2022 wearing a black band. The Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 is a fusion of the tobaccos from the company’s three core lines that also happen to all have black bands. The company recently started calling this core line the Black Band Collection which includes Escurio, Nicaragua and Yamasá.

The blend is more simply described as a fusion of the sweetness of Davidoff Escurio, the intensity of Davidoff Nicaragua and the complexity of Davidoff Yamasá. The Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 is offered in only one vitola, a 6 x 58 Gran Toro. The larger ring gauge gave the blender room to include all the different necessary tobaccos from the various blends.

The blend uses an Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican binder, and fillers from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Brazil. The Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 comes in 12-count boxes and itself is black with a logo of the three core lines blended together. The colors and the leaf shapes are an homage to the origins of the blend and highlight the best of the Black Band Collection lines Escurio, Nicaragua and Yamasá. Only 13,500 boxes were made worldwide.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Double Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 58
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Brazil
Filler: Dominican Republic (Hybrid 20-20 Seco / San Vicente Mejorado Visus), Nicaragua (Esteli Visus / Jalapa Visus), Brazil (Matafina Seco)
Factory: TABADOM
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5 – Alan (Eulogy) James H. (Keikan Jim) Sean F. (fullermaine) Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
Price: $32.00
Age: 1 Month
Release Date: May 2022
Contributed by: Davidoff Cigars

Initial Impressions – Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro

Appearance: 89

“This short gordo cigar sports a nice and oily medium brown colored wrapper. There are no seams to be found, however, it is quite veiny. A perfectly applied triple cap tops it off.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Aroma: 89

“Getting some sweet herbal notes up and down the cigar.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

First Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Leather and oak are front and center of the profile. The draw could be a little looser but is acceptable. As the flavors develop, I start finding baking chocolate, black pepper, leather, and baking spice. Everything just works in tandem and seems to just work.” –Alan (Eulogy)

“The oak notes I picked up in the cold draw are present but start to give way to light burnt toast notes.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

Second Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The sweet fruity flavor continues on the tongue although it is not as intense as ruby red grapefruit. The smokey flavor of the peat is taking over the draw and coats the palate. On retrohale smokey black pepper spice is picking up adding some spice to an overall sweeter smoke so far. ” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

“The mustiness of the first third has dissipated slightly and it has allowed a cedar woodsy note to enter the mix. This is a welcome addition. The burn has waivered some but no corrections needed at this point.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Final Third

Flavor: 86
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Everything has become far richer in profile. The core flavors are all still the same but the oak and leather are now the most dominant flavors. Leather, pepper, chocolate, and rich tobacco are still there but play a more supporting role.” –Alan (Eulogy)

“Mild fruit sweetness remains but has faded. In the last third, the flavors have faded to very faint now. Retrohale with some mild black pepper spice but it very light.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

Overall Impressions – Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro

Draw: 87

“The draw started out a little too tight choking the smoke output and making a bit of a chore. After the first third, it opened up and was perfect. The smoke became dense and creamy really changing the entire experience.” –Alan (Eulogy)

Burn: 91

“Several touch-ups were needed during the smoking experience and a slight tunnel occurred at the start of the final third.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Construction: 89

“All but the overfilled bunch was great, tight seams well-applied cap and uniformity in construction. No soft spots.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 88

“This just kept getting better as I smoked. Once the draw opened up it was almost like smoking a different cigar. The profile may not evolve from the start but it the notes took turns being the star. This is probably a bit heavy for a morning smoke but I can see this being great at night with a good drink.” –Alan (Eulogy)

“This was not a great experience for me. The flavors are subjective but I found them too musty for liking. I put this cigar down in the final third at the 56-minute point and did not finish it.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

“Frustrating cigar. Lots of touching up were needed to keep the burn even. Notes of coffee, toast, tea and brown sugar come through. The only good thing was the ash which hung on for about one to two inches. Not a cigar I’d seek out and try again.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“Everything with this cigar aside from the tight draw was awesome. Great mild profile good-tasting and burning cigar, I enjoyed it thoroughly.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

“The cigar at first sight is a thick chunk of a cigar. I thought it would be interesting because it’s a bigger gauge cigar that often not much of a fan of. With that being said, the sweet fruit flavors and the smokey peat and black pepper spice were a nice mixture that made this very enjoyable. The first and second third of the cigar were good, but then the flavors decreased and faded and the cigar became average.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 70

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro – Blind Cigar Review