Davidoff Signature Staff Review
For today’s review, I’m smoking a cigar I normally might not light up – if I was paying for it out of pocket, that is – because I’d have to dip into my savings. Lucky for me, smoking an expensive Davidoff Signature Toro to offer a detailed assessment for our audience of aficionados is a privilege that comes with the territory as a tenured member of the Holt’s team.
The Davidoff brand has been around since 1970, but brand founder Zino Davidoff spent several decades beforehand developing a market for Cuban cigars in Europe through his family’s retail tobacco business in Geneva, Switzerland. The first Davidoff cigars were produced in Cuba and became coveted among Cuban connoisseurs around the world. Following Zino’s fallout over quality control issues with the Cuban government, Davidoff production was moved to the Dominican Republic in 1991. Davidoff cigars have been a high-end brand in fine cigar shops since their inception, and the White Label series encompasses several flagship blends, including Davidoff Aniversario, Grand Cru, and the Signature I’m smoking now.
The Davidoff Signature line is available in several traditional sizes. When you’re spending over twenty-seven bucks for a single cigar, like today’s 6-by-54 Toro, your expectations should be high. What you get for your money when it comes to Davidoff, though, is top-notch consistency from a brand with a distinguished reputation. Fans of Davidoff are incredibly brand loyal, and they tend to have plenty of discretionary cash to spend on cigars.
Davidoff Signature is drafted from a creamy marriage of premium Dominican long-filler tobaccos tucked inside a golden-blond Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf. This mellow, elegant smoke reflects the quintessential taste Davidoff is known for. This is a cigar I prefer to smoke inside to savor its delicate taste and aroma. When I select an attractive specimen from a fresh box, the wrapper displays a seamless complexion before the cap gently slips off with a quick snip from my guillotine cutter.
The cold draw offers subtle and tangy hints of sweetness over an underlying taste of fresh bread and hay. After toasting the foot for a bit and taking the first puffs, light and creamy streams of soft smoke drift over my taste buds with the perfect amount of resistance. Davidoff Signature is an extremely well-made cigar. Flawless construction and flavor are big reasons why cigar lovers are so faithful to Davidoff.
As this chunky Toro progresses, I pick up a range of vegetal notes I’ve tasted in other Davidoff blends. Hints of moss and mushroom mingle with a nutty profile of almond and cappuccino. Another key component that contributes to the taste of Davidoff Signature is the age of the tobaccos. They’re matured to ensure maximum smoothness from the first draw to the last. Because White Label cigars exhibit a short aftertaste, I can freely pass the smoke through my nasal cavity with zero harshness.
Notes of oak and cedar settle over my palate throughout the middle portion of the Toro. With its 54 ring gauge, it’s the thickest size in the Signature line, which maintains an overall cool and easy draw even as the cigar intensifies slightly in the second half. Luscious notes of fresh bread and nuts complement the Signature’s soft profile of cedar while its vegetal influence persists.
It’s a pleasure to savor Davidoff Signature well past the band because the cigar is so approachable. I recommend the Signature when you want a reliable mild cigar, particularly for a special occasion. It’s also a great option if you want to impress an aficionado, who only smokes occasionally, with a high-end brand. As far as flavor and quality are concerned, Davidoff Signature is worthy of 90 points or higher on paper. However, its steep price knocks a few points off my final tally for an 86-point score. If the Davidoff brand sounds appealing but you prefer stronger cigars, consider the Davidoff Nicaragua or Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour we’ve previously reviewed. You can’t go wrong – as long as your credit card goes through.
