For those of you that don’t know…

Ask any cigar smoker that has been enjoying this hobby for a while a cigar they want to smoke before they die, and the odds are the Davidoff Dom Perignon will be fairly close to the top of the list…

A brand (much like Dunhill) that has grown to almost cult like status since they stopped production, the Cuban Davidoffs were produced from 1969 (Post Revolution) to 1991. There were only 18 known vitolas released, with only one “Special Release”, the 80 Aniversario, released in 1986.

The 18 different vitolas in the Davidoff line were:

• No. 1- (7½” x 38)-  Lancero
• No. 2- (6″ x 38)- Panetela
• Ambassadrice- (4½” x 26)- Cigarillo
• Tubo- (6″ x 38)- Panetela (with the same blend as the No. 2)
• Dom Perignon- (7″ x 47)- Churchill
• Château Haut-Brion- (4″ x 40)- Tres Petit Corona
• Château Lafite- (4½” x 40)- Tres Petit Corona
• Château Lafite-Rothschild- (4½” x 40)- Tres Petit Corona
• Château Latour- (5⅝” x 42)- Corona
• Château Margaux- (5⅛” x 42)- Petit Corona
• Château Mouton Rothschild- (6⅛” x 42)- Long Corona
• Château Yquem- (6″ x 42)- Long Corona
• 1000- (4⅝” x 34)- Small Panetela
• 2000- (5⅛” x 42)- Petit Corona
• 3000- (7″ x 33)- Slim Panetela
• 4000- (6⅛” x 42)- Long Corona
• 5000- (5⅝” x 46)- Toro
• 80 Aniversario- (9¼” x 47)- Presidente

Some History, via Wikipedia:

In 1967, Davidoff was approached by Cubatabaco, Cuba’s state tobacco monopoly after the Revolution, about creating a personal brand of cigars for his stores. The cigars were rolled in the newly-established El Laguito factory in Havana, which had been established to roll Cuban President Fidel Castro‘s own private cigars, Cohiba. In 1969, the first productions of Davidoff cigars were released, which included the No. 1, the No. 2, and Ambassadrice (which all shared the same sizes as the early Cohiba line) and the Châteaux Series (now no longer under the Hoyo de Monterrey label, but exclusively made for the Davidoff marque). In the 1970s, the Mille Series, a milder blend than the rest of the line, and the Dom Perignon, named for the famous champagne, were released on the market. In 1986, a special limited release of 80 Anniversarios cigars were made to celebrate Zino’s 80th birthday.

Apparently after numerous disputes over quality and ownership rights over the brand, Zino Davidoff and Cubatabaco decided to end their relationship. Leading up to this, Zino had publicly burned over one-hundred thousand of his cigars that he had deemed unfit to sell and of low quality in August 1989. The Cuban Davidoff line was officially discontinued in 1991 and an agreement was signed that no more Cuban Davidoff was sold in Davidoff shop worldwide, a Dominican-made Davidoff cigar having already hit the market in November 1990, where production of the same sizes formerly made in Cuba continues to this day.

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But enough about that, let’s get down to business, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Dom Perignon
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: El Laguito
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Size: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 47
• Vitola: Churchill
• Est. Price: $150-$550 (At a November 2010 C.Gars Ltd Auction, estimates were pegged at $200-$280)
• Date Released: 1985
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

The cigar has a dark cinnamon brown wrapper…In fact, the color is quite a bit darker then a few other Davidoffs that I have smoked…It seems perfectly rolled, and the wrapper still has quite a bit of oil on it, (which I find amazing considering the age) making it silky smooth to the touch…The wrapper smells of cedar, espresso, hay and strong chocolate…It is firm when squeezed, but not hard…

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The First Third started out with more spice on the tongue then ever expected, quite strong…along with a Very earthy (and slightly bitter) profile that also included notes of hay and wood…Not a bad start at all flavor wise…Unfortunately, about halfway through the 1st half, the flavors mellowed out suddenly, almost like someone turned off a switch, and never regained the same intensity…

The Second Third had that same earthy core, but turned into more of an unpleasant Damp Earth note…Very mellow, with flavors seeming to be less concentrated then they should be…There is a note of aged tobacco that comes in at the end of the 2nd third, but it is fleeting…Sadly, the (surprising) spice from the start of the 1st Third also totally disappeared by this point…Also, the strength was noticeably stronger (albeit only about Medium or so)…

The Final Third was almost exactly the same as the 2nd Third…Boring flavors, Mellow and with no spice or pepper at all, kinda like smoking paper…However, the strength continued to increase at the end, until it was firmly in the “Medium+” range (which I did not expect, honestly)…

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Final Notes:

• The score would be quite a bit better if the Dom Perignon had continued like the first half of the first third…Alas, that was not the case…
• I find it extremely interesting that I have had nothing but great experiences with every Dunhill I have smoked, but such bad experiences with every Davidoff I have smoked, considering they were produced around the same time. In fact, the Dunhill Estupendos I rated at 99 was the same vitola, and was released the same year as this specific cigar.
• You may have heard that the Dom Perignons (and most Davidoffs in general) are “Expired” (i.e. they have stopped aging in a good way, and are now just losing flavor every day they are not smoked), and I would agree with that general assessment, at least in regards to this cigar (and a few other vitolas I have smoked, but have not reviewed on the site as of yet)… Having said that, storage conditions are almost everything with these cigars, and while I bought these from a trusted source, there is always the possibility they were stored improperly at some point in it’s life…
• The Burn was perfect for the entire cigar, but the draw was a bit tight…not too tight to smoke, but tight enough to be noticeable…
• Despite the lack of flavor, the Dom Perignon was surprisingly strong, finishing up firmly in the Medium + catogory…
• The Final Smoking Time was 1 Hour and 40 Minutes…

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The Bottom Line: This is one of those cigars that people dream of smoking their entire lives, due mostly to the aura that surrounds them (and the price they command)…Sadly, this cigar never even came close to meeting it’s potential…Boring, monotonous and sour, it was a disappointment almost from the start…If you have one of these that you are saving for a special occasion, I implore you to smoke it now, as it will NOT be getting better (and in fact, will most likely just get worse)…This is the very definition of a “hype” cigar, all promise when you buy, and no delivery when you smoke it…For the same money, I would buy a Dunhill (any Dunhill) EVERY time…

Final Score: 69