Davidoff Winston Churchill Churchill

In 2007, Davidoff unveiled the Winston Churchill, a line of cigars that was introduced as a tribute to Sir Winston Churchill, the famous British Prime Minister. The original line used a Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper along with binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, and by all accounts had languished for the past few years.

After deciding that a complete makeover of the line was needed, Davidoff unveiled the new version at an event held in New York City in December 2014. The entire brand has been rebuilt from the ground up and is now formally part of the Davidoff White Label family with a new logo, new blends and new vitolas. That new blend features an Ecuadorian Rojiza wrapper and a Mexican San Andrés binder, along with five filler tobaccos: piloto mejorado seco, piloto seco and a hybrid olor/piloto seco from the Dominican Republic and seco from Condega and Estelí in Nicaragua.

The press release has a bit more info:

Sir Winston Churchill was a man who was the very embodiment of “Time Beautifully Filled”: a man who revelled in a varied life with its many experiences. A man of many layers and many dimensions. A man whose many facets added up to a personality which set him apart. Davidoff Cigars share the same values. These qualities are reflected in this elegant multifaceted Winston Churchill range of cigars from Davidoff. For these reasons, it is fitting that they bear his name and seal.

The aim was to craft this new range of exceptional cigars as uniquely diverse as the man who inspired them. The Davidoff Masterblenders have embraced and accomplished an exciting challenge: blending cigars of a complex character with a rich mixture of fine qualities drawing on and harmonizing the tobaccos of Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

The Great Man’s persona, the trait of character, was the inspiration for the chosen formats.The Davidoff Winston Churchill is offered in four different vitolas, all packaged in boxes of 20: a 6 7/8 x 47 churchill called The Aristocrat, a 6 x 54 toro named The Commander, a 5 1/4 x 52 robusto known as The Statesman and a  4 1/2 x 41 petit corona dubbed The Artist.

(Box images via Davidoff of Geneva)

In addition to boxes, the three larger sizes will also be offered in four-packs, while the petit corona can be purchased in five-packs.

There were four vitolas in the new Davidoff Winston Churchill line at launch.

• Davidoff Winston Churchill Petit Corona (4 1/2 x 41) — $9.90 (Boxes of 20, $198)
• Davidoff Winston Churchill Robusto (5 1/4 x 52)  — $15.40 (Boxes of 20, $308)
• Davidoff Winston Churchill Toro (6 x 54) — $16.90 (Boxes of 20, $338)
• Davidoff Winston Churchill Churchill (6 7/8 x 47) — $17.90 (Boxes of 20, $358)

• Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Winston Churchill
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Cigars Davidoff
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Rojiza
• Binder: Mexican San Andrés
• Filler: Dominican Republic (piloto mejorado seco, piloto seco & hybrid olor/piloto seco) & Nicaragua seco (Condega & Estelí )
• Size: 6 7/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 47
• Vitola: Churchill
• MSRP: $17.90 (Boxes of 20, $358)
• Date Released: Jan. 30, 2015
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Churchill is a visually impressive cigar with medium reddish brown-colored wrapper that features some noticeable oil and is satiny smooth to the touch. There are virtually no seams present at all and the cigar has a bit more give when squeezed than I expected. Aroma from the wrapper includes creamy peanuts, faint oak, hay, manure and sweet nutmeg, while the cold draw brings flavors of sweet cedar, barnyard, cashews, vanilla and leather.

Starting out, the Davidoff Winston Churchill Churchill exhibits a very strong and distinct toasted almond flavor, with other notes of oak, barnyard, coffee and earth. There is a touch of white pepper on the retrohale and the finish is extremely creamy, almost decadent. I am tasting some nice vanilla bean sweetness on both the retrohale and the finish, although the strength of that particular note ebbs and flows throughout the first third, but does seem to be getting stronger as the cigar progresses. Construction-wise, the Davidoff features an excellent draw with just the right around to resistance for me, along with a burn that, while not razor sharp, does not need to be touched up. The overall strength is on the low side so far, and hits a point halfway between mild and medium by the end of the first third.

The almond note that was so strong in the first third of the Davidoff Winston Churchill is still very much present in the second third, but takes a back seat to a new dominant creamy oak flavor that combines quite well with other notes of mocha coffee, cocoa, leather and earth. I can still taste a nice sweetness on the finish, but it has morphed into more of a maple note by the halfway point and I start to pick up an interesting citrus flavor on the retrohale, along with the same white pepper from the first third. Smoke production is way above normal,and both the burn and draw continue to impress. Strength-wise, the Winston Churchill has stalled out close to medium, but has not gone over by the end of the second third.

The dominant flavor shifts again in the final third of the Winston Churchill, from creamy oak note to a very obvious creamy peanut note, along with other flavors of hay, espresso, leather, oak and a bit more of that citrus note from the second third that flit in and out. The sweetness on the retrohale and finish has both increased in strength and shifted again, this time to a fruity raisin note that remains until the end of the cigar. I am still getting a touch of white pepper on the retrohale as well and the smoke production has not dropped off at all. Both the burn and draw remain phenomenal, and while the strength does finally make to a solid medium mark, it never threatened to go any further by the time I put the nub down with about 3/4 of an inch left.

Final Notes

• There will be two more vitolas in the blend that will debut sometime in the summer: a 4 x 38 petit panatela and a 4 1/2 x 46 belicoso.
• It is really awkward to say you are smoking a “Davidoff Winston Churchill Churchill.”
• Speaking of churchills, the actual size is 7 x 47.
• While I agree that the Davidoff logo looks a bit out of place right underneath the silhouette of the head of Winston Churchill on the new label, just about anything is better than the old label, which manages to look both confusing and ridiculously pretentious all at the same time.
• I have smoked all four of the current Winston Churchill vitolas, and I prefer the churchill to the other three due to the overt creaminess that is strongest in that size.
• In case it was not obvious, the old Winston Churchill line has been discontinued, although there is undoubtedly some back stock still on shelves.
• The construction was excellent on all three cigars I smoked, with a wonderful draw and a burn that barely needed any attention at all.
• Smoke production on all of the samples I smoked was massive, like a grass fire, only better smelling.
• The final smoking time of all three cigars averaged a relatively quick one hour and 30 minutes.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Davidoff Cigars advertises on halfwheel.
• If you would like to purchase any Davidoff Winston Churchill Cigars, site sponsor Emerson’s Cigars, JR Cigar & Serious Cigars has the new blend in stock right now.