Davidoff Chef’s Edition Ships Next Week

The 2018 version of the Davidoff Chef’s Edition will soon be arriving in U.S. retail shops, as the company has confirmed that shipping is set to begin next Monday, Sept. 10.

The cigar has been on the radar for several months, having been shown off during an event in the Dominican Republic in January. It is the result of a collaboration between Davidoff and five well-known, highly decorated chefs, all of whom are cigar enthusiasts. This year’s list includes Thomas Keller from The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif.; Alvin Leung from Bo Innovation in Hong Kong; Klaus Erfort from his eponymous Gästehaus in Saarbrücken, Germany; Heiko Nieder from The Restaurant in Zurich; and Shaun Rankin from Ormer Mayfair in London. Between them, the group boasts an impressive 12 Michelin stars.

Davidoff has released a series of videos profiling the chefs and the creation process behind the cigar in support of its launch.

The cigar features a Dominican wrapper, Mexican San Andrés Negro binder, and a filler blend that includes Dominican piloto visus, Yamasá visus and San Vicente mejorado ligero, as well as Nicaraguan visus from Estelí. The company says it drew on influences from both the Dominican Republic and the chef’s home countries—Germany, Switzerland, the United States, Great Britain and Hong Kong—in creating the profile for the blend.

It is being released in a single 6 x 54 toro vitola priced at $30 per cigar, before taxes. It comes wearing the Davidoff 50th Anniversary primary band as well as a special secondary band denoting the line, which is accented by a stylized toque blanche, the traditional white chef’s hat. The cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes with a total of 5,000 made for worldwide distribution, though only 2,500 are slated for U.S. retailers. It will only be available at Davidoff appointed merchants and Davidoff of Geneva — since 1911 flagship stores.

“In bringing together the creative powers of international kitchen pioneers with Davidoff’s cigar visionaries in the Dominican Republic, we intended to create an extraordinary cigar experience inspired by flavours from the four corners of the world,” said Edward Simon, Davidoff’s chief marketing officer, via a press release. “These highly acclaimed chefs and master blenders, whose mission is continually to push the boundaries of taste, have truly excelled in creating a blend and experience second to none.”

Images courtesy of Davidoff/© Oettinger Davidoff AG 2018

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.