Davidoff of Geneva is no stranger to the cigar world. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most popular brands in the world and is well-known as a luxury brand. One would be hard-pressed to enter a cigar lounge and find someone who hasn’t heard of the brand. With a wide portfolio of blends, including the White Band, Black Band, Winston Churchill Collection, and a diverse collection of limited-edition cigars, it isn’t hard to find a blend that suits their tastes. We all know certain blends come and go for various reasons; typically, they are gone for good.

This year, Davidoff decided to reintroduce a cigar that has been gone from the portfolio for the greater part of a decade, the Davidoff Maduro. The reintroduction will be forever remembered. The Davidoff Maduro was introduced at ProCigar Festival in the Dominican Republic, the cigar made a grand return with 120 of the toro size being auctioned off along with a one-of-a-kind Monolith Humidor for an impressive $35,000. The revamped version of the cigar features an Ecuadorian Maduro wrapper, a Mexican binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic. Notably, the wrapper was fermented for 16 months and allowed to age in bales for two years before production. Let’s take a closer look and see what this cigar has to offer.

Under the Lid

• Wrapper: Ecuador
• Binder: Mexico
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Vitola Reviewed: Toro 6 x 54
• Factory: Cigars Davidoff
• Release Date: April 2024
• Number of cigars released: Undisclosed

MSRP:

• Short Corona:   4 x 43 – $43.00/Box of 20 $860.00
• Robusto:            5 x 50 – $50.00/Box of 20 $1,000.00
• Toro:                  6 x 54 – $54.00/Box of 20 $1,080.00

The cigars have the traditional white band, which contrasts nicely with the dark Maduro wrappers, creating a vibe of luxury and elegance at first glance. The black and gold secondary band reading Maduro mimics the graphics on the box and boldly states that this is not a typical White band cigar from Davidoff. The wrapper has a dark, espresso-brown coloration that is relatively smooth and dry to the touch.

There are raised veins throughout the cigar, little to no tooth, with the seams being almost invisible, showing the care taken in rolling these cigars. The three cigars reviewed are firm from cap to foot, with only a small soft spot detectible in two of the samples. The aromas from the foot of the cigar have hints of barnyard, floral, and cocoa. The prelight draw, good on one sample and tight on the other two, gives notes of baker’s chocolate, raisin, and red pepper, with just a hint of floral note lingering in the background. Let’s set fire to it and see what this cigar offers!

Performance Notes:

First third: The first cigar started with an unexpected bitterness that lasted for a few puffs and then thankfully went away. I will chalk that up to user error in getting the foot too toasty during the lighting process. It was not apparent in the remaining two samples. Getting into the early parts of the cigar, dark chocolate, fresh ground coffee, barnyard, and a slight floral are all present. The retrohale was full of red pepper and, while not overpowering, was spicy, nonetheless. The finish has an underlying creamy sweetness, although the general profile requires a few sips of water to keep my mouth from drying out. Early on, strength is in the medium/full range, as is the body/complexity. The draw is excellent on two of the three samples, and the burn is solid. There is a fair amount of smoke output as well.

Second third: The mid-section of the cigar gains some intensity, with the floral notes increasing. Other than that, the profile is linear. I am not picking up anything new on the palate, though the notes from early on are all still there, are pleasant and complement each other well. The underlying sweetness to the profile is still good, which helps with the flavor notes. The quality of the draw remains the same. As for burn, it is apparent that this is a very slow burner, taking nearly two hours to reach the end of the second third. The burn line on all samples is wobbly, with one requiring several touch-ups and a complete relight to continue.

Final third: Getting to the final part of the cigar, the sweetness of the profile fades, and the bitterness detected early in the smoking experience starts to creep back into the picture. The entire profile of the cigar has moved to a profile of damp earth, barnyard, and espresso, with an underlying mustiness that I cannot identify. The sample that required the touch-ups and relight developed a harshness that was not enjoyable. Two of the three samples burned through to the end without a touchup, while the one just wanted to fight me all the way.

Core flavors: Dark chocolate, fresh ground coffee, barnyard, floral.

Strength: Medium-Full

Body: Medium-Full

Complexity: Medium-Full

Smokin’ Experience: It is no secret that I am a fan of this brand. Davidoff of Geneva makes some of my favorite cigars, and I cannot remember ever having a bad experience with one. Having said that, the cigar in my sample pack that had multiple issues was frustrating, and the fact that it never corrected even more so. I thought it was due to me making an error lighting it, but the issues carried on through the end led me to believe I found the one in the box that had an issue. Overall, the experience was good, with the flavors and delivery to the palate as expected from Davidoff of Geneva.

Would I smoke this cigar again? With so many great cigars available from Davidoff, at or below the $54 price point of this cigar, I would choose something else from the line if perusing a humidor.

Purchase Recommendation: Give a single a try

Smokin Facts

–          The original Davidoff Maduro was available from 2008 – 2016

–          The original blend used a binder from the Dominican Republic

Smokin Wrap

Cigars smoked for the review: Three.

Average smoking time: 145 minutes

Score: 89

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Kevin Acuff

Senior Reviewer & Editor

Kevin Acuff was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. Growing up in a rural area, he was able to indulge in some very exciting life experiences at a young age. He acquired his private pilot license before he had a driver’s license, spent several years on the competitive bass fishing tournament trail, and even spent a couple of seasons racing motorcycles. In 2001, he relocated to Las Vegas, spending the past 20 years working in the sign industry.

It was one of those industry trips, back in 2014 that changed his life for good. His boss handed him a Siglo V and an instantaneous bond was formed. He has spent countless hours since then learning as much about cigars as time would allow. This has resulted in a private collection of cigars that would rival some smaller retailers. Being inquisitive and not afraid to ask questions resulted in being blessed with several opportunities to experience the industry from all angles. Kevin is a regular attendee at the trade shows, has some firsthand experience on the media side, and is a familiar face to many at consumer events throughout the country.