Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition

These days, when a company releases an anniversary cigar or other product that celebrates an anniversary less than 12 years or so, it hits a little differently for me because that means the company launched or the original product debuted in the time that halfwheel has been around. It’s a feeling that’s not too different than when I think about kids of friends or cousins who I remember being born, start or finish high school, get their driver’s license or reach a similar milestone.

That’s a big reason why the release of the Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition caught my attention, as I have some pretty fond memories of the cigar’s launch, as well as enjoying a number of them along the way.

The original Davidoff Nicaragua garnered its share of accolades that year, placing #4 on the 2013 The Consensus, while Davidoff won halfwheel’s 2013 Company of the Year and 2013 Factory of the Year, in part due to the success of Davidoff Nicaragua.

For the 10th anniversary of the Davidoff Nicaragua, the company created a limited edition that features special emphasis on the aging of the tobacco for this cigar, stating that the wrapper, binder and fillers have a combined 45 years worth of age between them, a type of age statement not commonly seen. One of the Estelí-grown seco tobaccos in the filler gets its own special aging, spending six months in rum casks, the first time Davidoff has employed this technique, which the company said gives it “a very noticeable depth and complexity.”

While the Davidoff Nicaragua line has grown to include several vitolas, from a tiny 3 3/4 x 46 short corona to a 6 x 60 gordo, the Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition is only offered in a beefy 6 x 56 toro gordo vitola that is priced at $36 per cigar and $432 for one of the 3,300 boxes that were produced for the release. It’s a size that is not part of the Davidoff Nicaragua line.

As part of the release, Davidoff also produced a limited edition version of its Double Blade Cutter. It comes in a matte black finish with a design of repeating triangles that have been used throughout the Discovery Series. It is limited to 350 individually numbered pieces, with just 45 of them available in the United States, each priced at $425.

• Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Cigars Davidoff
• Wrapper: Ecuador
• Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro Extra
• MSRP: $36 (Box of 12, $432)
• Release Date: July 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 3,300 Boxes of 12 Cigars (39,600 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Seeing the black band of the Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition takes me back to when these cigars came out in 2013, as it was still in the early days of halfwheel, and I remember this being one of the bigger launches we covered. It was also a cigar I found fascinating by how the different vitolas seemed to affect the flavor, with the bigger sizes the ones I have preferred, so I’m intrigued by the choice to go with a 6 x 56 toro gordo vitola. The wrapper leaf has some decently sized veins that stand out on the sides that don’t face frontward, though one cigar has a pair of sizable veins running in near parallel above the main band. There’s a bit of tooth as well, giving the leaf some texture, while there’s not a lot of oiliness either texturally or visually. The cigar is rolled to a fairly firm density, with a bit of give and good consistency in that regard, while seam lines are flat and visible. The aroma of the foot initially reminds me of the foamy head of a freshly poured craft root beer. There’s a bit of woodiness, some spice, and then a light drizzle of vanilla. The cold draw is smooth with just the slightest bit of resistance appearing consistently across the three cigars. Flavors are mild and smooth, with a bit of cream soda up first, then very subtle hints of wood and some more of the root beer flavor.

The Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition starts with a fairly mellow, medium-bodied profile with creaminess, a bit of wood, light nuttiness, some of the root beer I picked up before the cigar was lit, and just a touch of light pepper. One sample has a bit of crisp black pepper. There are light touches of earth and pepper that slowly build through the first inch, making for a well-paced building of intensity that becomes more noticeable after the first clump of ash gets knocked off. At that point, the flavor is richer and a bit more robust, with the earth and pepper now lingering after each puff. One cigar has a more noticeable black pepper component, as the other two barely showed any of it in the early goings, yet this one comes right out of the gate with it. The first third is generally medium-minus but one cigar shows medium-plus flavor, while body is medium and strength is mild. Construction is very good, with a slightly firm draw, an even burn line, and good amounts of smoke.

I don’t find there to be a lot of change as the second third gets started, as each of the three cigars moves into this portion without much fanfare or announcement. The flavor may be a touch richer here, as while it wasn’t terribly dry in the first third, it’s less so as the second third gets underway. That manifests with a bit more root beer, though this section is thicker and slightly more syrupy without adding sweetness. In fact, nothing about this cigar suggests sweetness thus far, despite the aging of one filler tobacco in rum barrels, which would suggest there would be some sweetness present. If anything, much of the second third is spent mellowing the intensity of the flavor just a bit, though the finish continues to be noticeable, as a profile led by textured wood, earth and black pepper linger behind after the smoke has been exhaled. Construction remains very good, and while the burn line isn’t perfectly even, it isn’t affecting anything beyond the visual of the cigar, and only then it’s quite minor. This section has backed down the flavor intensity to medium, body is medium-plus, and strength is still mild.

There’s a lot more texture to the flavor in the final third, as the wood that has been a consistent role player decides it’s time to take the lead, stepping forward with a now very dry expression that hits the center of my mouth from top to bottom. There’s also a bit more heat to the profile, which gives the pepper some extra legs at times, though I must note that it’s not a consistent experience. A bit of mint emerges with about two inches left, the final change that the cigar offers as it stays otherwise committed to the profile it has established. Flavor is around medium-full, body is medium-plus, and strength is medium-minus. Construction continues to be outstanding across the board.

Final Notes

• There are three lines in Davidoff’s portfolio that get the black band: the Davidoff Nicaragua, Davidoff Escurio, and Davidoff Yamasa. On the company’s website, they are referred to as the Black Band Collection, though I have always referred to them as the Discover (or occasionally Discovery) Series.
• In April 2020, I reviewed another 10th anniversary from Davidoff, the Davidoff Ginza 10th Anniversary, which was originally released in 2010 in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Davidoff of Geneva — since 1911 flagship store in Tokyo’s Ginza district, which is known for its upscale luxury retailers and restaurants. It got a re-release in 2020 as part of Davidoff’s Vault Series.
• In 2014, Davidoff added the Primeros by Davidoff, a trio of cigars that included Primeros by Davidoff Nicaragua and Primeros by Davidoff Nicaragua Maduro, though neither use the same blend as the original Davidoff Nicaragua.
• In 2016, the company added the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed, which had a modified blend than that of the original. It was also the first box-pressed Davidoff to be released.
• The company describes this as a four out of five on its intensity scale, which seemed high to me, though when combined with the experience, led me to think that this cigar might have some developing to do as the flavors seemed a bit restrained.
• I didn’t find there to be much, if any, nicotine strength from the Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition.
• A press release from Davidoff says that the Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition “treats aficionados to 60 to 70 minutes of time beautifully filled.”
• Davidoff advertises on halfwheel.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfhweel.
• My final smoking time was two hours and 45 minutes on average.
• I can’t explain the difference, though I had a thought that the press release doesn’t explicitly mention how long it takes to smoke the cigar, just that it provides “60 to 70 minutes of time beautifully filled.”
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., and JR Cigar carry the Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Anniversary Limited Edition.