Cigar Review: Davidoff Short Perfecto

Davidoff Short Perfecto

In the summer of 2006 these were my favorite cigars to smoke. Sitting outside at the Tiki Bar at the Elks club smoking a Short Perfecto and sipping on a drink was the perfect way to relax for me. Sometime in the past couple of years Davidoff quietly changed the blend of these cigars switching from a Connecticut grown wrapper, to a Ecuadorian shade grown wrapper. The Davidoff rep in NJ informed me that this was done because Davidoff did not want to depend on the Connecticut tobacco farms which are mostly owned by General Cigars. So they began to grow the wrappers in Ecuador which is under cloud cover most of the year compared to the Connecticut shade wrappers which are kept under cheese cloth to keep them out of the sun.

Cigar: Davidoff Short Perfecto
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 4 7/8 x 52 (Perfecto)
Wrapper: Ecuador Shade Grown
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Appearance & Construction (18/20): One of my favorite shapes is the perfecto, and the Davidoff is a classic. The cigar features some minimal veins  with a somewhat toothy appearance. The band screams classy with its white band and the name Davidoff in gold script.

Flavor & Notes (23/30): The prelight draw reveals some strong notes of grass and wheat. After the perfecto is lit with ease the first third of the cigar offers notes of grass and a touch of pepper on the back of the throat. As we enter the second third of the smoke the pepper fades and while  notes of grass remain they are joined by some wheat notes. The conclusion of the cigar was that of earth and grass with a touch of wheat.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): When lighting a perfecto you have to be more careful to get the whole cigar lit or you will wind up with an uneven burn fairly quick. If done correctly the burn line is crisp while the motted grey ash holds strong and the need to ash did not occur to nearly the halfway point. On a side note I had to put my cigar down for 10 minutes as I had to deal with some business issues. When I got back to my cigar it was still lit which is always a nice thing.

Overall (20/25): The rep told me me no one has complained about the change in the blend, but let me make this review my official complaint. The cigar is less smooth and creamy and the grass notes are far more then they used to be. What used to be one of my favorite cigars is now an average run of the mill stick and if it wasn’t for the name I wonder how many people would actually like a Davidoff.

Rating: 85
Price: $13.00

Review: Gurkha Centurian

[I managed to get my hands on a CAO LX 2 today and once it sits in my humidor for a few days I will smoke it and post the review. One of my most eagerly awaited smokes]

One drawback of writing this blog is that my monthly cigar budget has gone through the roof. So it is nice when my brothers and sisters of the leaf gift me cigars. This particular cigar was gifted to me from an Elk in Toms River. So Dennis I thank you for your generosity it is always appreciated and your suggestions for the website, such as the Cigar FAQ are always welcome.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Gurkha Centurain
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 6 x 60 Double Perfecto
Wrapper: Connecticut (USA/Maduro)
Binder: Dominican Republic

Pre-Light: For a change I was able to smoke in relative comfort for the first time in 9 days. The heatwave broke and by the beach today it was overcast, breezy, and quiet. Ideal conditions to enjoy a cigar, or so I thought.  The color of this cigar is very chocolaty. It has some prominent veins although the roll was nice, and the cigar itself was packed with tobacco leaving it firm to the touch with no soft spots. The notes of the wrapper were not very friendly as the scent was that of low tide despite that not being the case by the water. I felt as if I was passing a fish store. The pre-light draw was difficult so I opened the pre-cut end by another 1/8th of an inch which increased the draw dramatically.  This perfecto was easy to light and opened up beautifully.

Smoke: Thankfully when I smoked this cigar the pre-light scent of the wrapper was non-existent in the smoke. The smoke it self has notes of leather throughout. Mixed intermittently throughout the smoke were notes of spice, nutmeg, and coffee grinds.

Overall: Despite the scent off the wrapper the cigar was not horrible, but it was not enjoyable for me. I tend not to like cigars that have a strong leather notes to them which was the case here.

My Local Price: Gift
Rating: 84 (Out of 100)

Review: CAO L’Anniversaire Maduro (10th Anniversary)

The Skinny:

Cigar: CAO L’Anniversaire 10th Anniversary Maduro
Origin: Nicaragua
Length/Ring: 6″ x 60
Shape: Perfecto
Wrapper: Triple Fermented Connecticut Broadleaf
Fillers: Ecuadorian, Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers

Before I start this review I need to get into some background of the day at hand. It was Sunday 6/22/08 and I had declared the day as a no smoke day. A chance to rest my palate, and if I smoke to often my asthma kicks in.  Then the Yankee game went into a rain delay and the days plans changed. Not wanting to sit at home and wait for the rain to stop, I headed over to the beach with this cigar.

I live about 10 miles south of Yankee Stadium and when I walked out of my house it was the total opposite of what was happening at the stadium. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and it was pretty damn hot. So I made the 1 mile drive to the beach, and again there was a totally different weather system. At the beach it was overcast, the winds were at 15mph gusting to 25mph and it was 10 degrees cooler then my house 1 mile away according to the temperature readout on my car.

So as I was smoking my cigar there was a seagull circling the area with something between its beak. As it circled higher and higher it released the object and with a loud cracking sound I realized the seagul dropped a crab. With the crabs shell cracked the seagull feasted on his dinner. The circle of life is a beautiful thing.

Pre-Light: So with my cigar in hand I began my pre-light inspection. I could instantly tell via the weight of the cigar that it was not packed. There were a lot of pockets in the cigars and I knew right then and there it would be a fast smoke or perhaps one with burn issues. The scent of the wrapper was that of cocoa and spice. The pre-light draw was easy with hits of cocoa and tea. Since this was a perfecto I used my Colibri straight cutter on the cap.

Smoke: Luckily I found my cigar lighter burried in the seam of the passanger seat. With the wind conditions at my location I would of never gotten this baby lit with matches. As I smoked the cigar it started as a medium bodied cigar, slowly working its way into that of a full bodied cigar. You could sense the change as you smoked it, which was a nice. A gradual build up is better then a full out onslaught. The cigar started out with traces of cocoa, which quickly faded. The cigar was sweet with wood tones and rich dark chocolate. I did have some burn issues, but I will chalk it up to the windy conditions in which I was smoking.

Overall: The cigar was loosely packed with tobacco and I am sure despite the wind it might of contributed to some burn issues. It is something I would smoke again though as it was enjoyable.

Local Price: $9.00
Rating: 89 (Out of 100)

Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Work Of Art Maduro

I bought a few of these last weekend, and I did not plan on smoking them for a while, but this morning when my friend gave me one as a gift I took the time to light one up to start my Memorial Day weekend on the right foot.

Prelight:
Upon taking the cigar out of the cello I allowed myself to inhale the rich cocoa aroma that just poured off of this Work Of Art. The cigar glistened with oils and I realized that this was a smoke for the ages. So instead of cutting it right then and there, I tucked it in my shirt pocket and took a short drive to one of my favorite locations in Brooklyn. Upon arriving on Brighton 14th Street with my car overlooking the beach I cut the cigar and was a little disappointed that the draw seemed to be a light tight.

Smoke:
With the ocean a shade of cobalt blue on a unseasonably cool late May morning I lit the cigar up and was quickly taken aback by the leather taste. But that taste was gone as soon as it appeared and was replaced with the taste of apples. As I smoked the first 1/3rd of this beauty the ash was a light gray bordering on white with only the slightest bit of flake. As I approached the end of the 1st 1/3rd of this cigar the taste of cocoa which was so prevalent on the scent of the wrapper finally reached my palate.

The beginning of the second 1/3rd of this cigar was once again invaded by the taste of leather but like it’s predecessor it quickly disappeared. For me this was the best part of the cigar, for the taste of cocoa was also joined by a hint of apple, and a tinge of cinnamon which quickly brought me back to my youth when my dad would make himself a baked apple. I enjoyed this fine smoke while closing my eyes to the memories of a time past, and long forgotten. As this portion of the cigar slowly reached a close I stared out to the beach, that was a stones throw from where my dad and I spent many a summer. The sky was an untouched canvas of blue, the ocean calm. A cargo ship slowly crossed the horizon and I looked up to the heavens smiling to my dad hoping he was looking down upon me…

The bliss of the middle of the cigar was replaced in the final 1/3rd. The cigar became bitter and perhaps it reflected some kind of inner anger that my dad was taken at such a young age. While becoming bitter the end of the cigar did have some positive to it. Enveloped in the bitter taste was the subtleties of toast and steak. The latter I never experienced in a cigar but it is referenced the ICRS (Independent Cigar Rating System by Colin C Ganley) and was considered a common taste.

Afterthoughts: All in all this was a really good cigar. The experience of smoking it was great, and will be cherished for a long time to come. It would of scored about 3-4 points higher for me if it did not become bitter at the end.

Price: A Gift (Retails for about $11.50 at my local B&M)
Rating: 91 (Out of 100)