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A Davidoff cigar that is decidedly “non-Davidoff” and very, very good
It’s almost impossible to find a picture of Sir Winston Churchill without a cigar. The man was a fanatic as evidenced by his famous quote, “Smoking cigars is like falling in love. First, you are attracted by its shape; you stay for its flavor and you must always remember never, never to let the flame go out!”
The cigar for review today is a new release by the Genevan behemoth and is named “The Late Hour” because of Churchill’s fondness of the late nights where he found his creativity and innovation. Interestingly, this line of cigars contains tobacco aged for six months in single malt whisky casks which is supposed to permeate the leaves and give it characteristics of a complex Scotch. Quite the feat!
Part 1: General Information
Davidoff Winston Churchill “The Late Hour”
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Mexico/Ecuador
Filler: Dominican Republic/Nicaragua
Vitola: Toro (6 x 54)
Price: $18.00
Part 2: Analysis
I don’t say this very often but this cigar feels good in the hand. The silky Ecuador Habano wrapper just feels right. It’s almost a shame to cut such a masterfully rolled stick but alas, cigars were not meant to be only looked at.
Right in the middle of the first third, I’m met with an overwhelming darkness of flavors: earth, chocolate and coffee. They’re not as easy to parse out as you would think and linger all the way through the finish. As we come into the second third, those flavors lighten up a bit and give way to a subtle sweet tobacco and black pepper that cannot be mistaken.
As the second third begins to wind down and the final third begins, quite literally all of the flavors previously spoken for pervade the palate and become quite discernible. There is no difference between the draw flavors and the finish flavors, something that most people may be turned off by but not with this profile. The entire experience is a dessert-filled bonanza with subtle intermissions breaking things up every so often.
The construction is flawless, with absolutely no touch-ups or relights needed. This does not surprise me as I find Davidoff having the most consistent construction in the game next to Padrón. To note, this cigar goes against the grain a bit for Davidoff in that it packs quite the flavor punch. I believe many non-Davidoff smokers will start to flock to this stick as it becomes more mainstream.
Boldness: 4.5/5 | Strength: 4/5
This cigar takes roughly 80-100 minutes to smoke and is perfect after a fine steak. I coupled this cigar with The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve scotch which balanced out the flavor profile of the cigar nicely. Notes of wood, toffee and citrus make this Scotch a winner for almost any cigar. This stick is a wonderful choice for an intermediate to advanced smoker due to the complexity of the smoke.
Part 3: Verdict
On the scale this cigar is a 9.25/10. The dark dessert flavors coupled with the perfect construction makes this easily one of the finer recent releases from Davidoff. I would like to think that if Winston Churchill were alive today, he would pull one of these out of the humidor on a late night by the fire and let the cigar lead his imagination.
Thanks for reading.
Stylishly Yours,
Christopher Benedetto
He Spoke Style
Photography by Rob McIver Photo
