Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022

I’m not entirely sure what to make of how many regular Davidoff Limited Editions we should expect in 2022.

Last year, there were three: the annual Zodiac Calendar release, a Chefs Edition and a Winston Churchill. While I feel pretty confident we will see a Davidoff Limited Edition 2023 Year of the Rabbit in November, I’m not sure there will be another Chefs Edition, and I was caught a bit off guard by an early January announcement that there would be a limited edition Winston Churchill for 2022.

Similar to Chefs Edition—which was released in 2016, 2017, 2018 and then 2021—the Winston Churchill Limited Editions haven’t really followed the most logical release calendar.

• Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2016 The Raconteur (6 x 56) — $27.90 (Boxes of 10, $279) — January 2016 — 6,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)
• Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019 The Traveler Robusto (5 x 50) — $29.90 (Boxes of 10, $299) — January 2019 — 8,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (80,000 Total Cigars)
• Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019 The Traveler Corona (5 x 43) — $27.90 (Packs of 5, $279) — January 2019 — 4,500 Packs of 5 Cigars (22,500 Total Cigars)*
• Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 (6 x 56) — $32 (Boxes of 10, $320) — February 2021 — 4,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (45,000 Total Cigars)
• Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 (5 7/8 x 61) — $34 (Box of 10, $340) — February 2022 — Undisclosed

*Not pictured.

Obviously, there is a Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 and it’s the most unique size of Winston Churchill to be released since Davidoff launched the brand in 2017. This year’s release is a 5 7/8 x 61 double perfecto, the first time a Winston Churchill of any kind has been released in a perfecto shape, though there have been belicosos. Blend-wise, it uses an Ecuadorian wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés negro seco binder and five different fillers. Three of the fillers are from the Dominican Republic—piloto mejorado viso, San Vicente mejorado seco and viso—while the other two are secos from Condega and Estelí, Nicaragua.

The box is designed to look like one of Sir Winston Churchill’s briefcases and even includes an interior pocket, where a copy of a letter from Randolph Churchill, his great-grandson, is included. Also of note, the box features one of the more unusual hinge designs of any cigar box.

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 is limited to 5,000 boxes of 10 cigars in the U.S., though there are additional boxes for international markets.

• Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Cigars Davidoff
• Wrapper: Ecuador
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (Pilot Mejorado Viso, San Vicente Mejorado Seco, Viso) & Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí)
• Length: 5 7/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 61
• Vitola: Double Perfecto
• MSRP: $34 (Box of 10, $340)
• Release Date: Feb. 3, 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

While I avoid the annoyance on the first cigar I smoke, the other two cigars see the main Davidoff band get stuck in the cellophane. This is no doubt a result of the unique shape and the fact that the bands end up being a bit looser because they don’t have as much to grab onto due to the tapers. That said, I’ll take this approach compared to one where the bands are glued onto the wrapper every day of the year. Shape aside, the cigar’s appearance is bit of a mixed bag. At any distance, the reddish-brown wrapper looks excellent and while there are no obvious signs of visual imperfections, upon closer inspection—and particularly if I remove the bands completely—I can see that there are a lot of veins that run parallel with the seams, which doesn’t create the best look. The aroma from the wrapper is medium with barnyard, a fruity sweetness and, on one sample, an unpleasant sensation that reminds me of a damp cotton beach towel that’s been left on the floor for a few hours. Given how thin the foot is and my desire to generally avoid sticking cigars into my nostrils, I can’t really pick up much in the way of aroma from the foot, just some mild fruity aromas. Predictably, the cold draw is pretty tight resistance-wise, though the flavors are pretty impressive. On each sample, I get a distinct flavor that reminds me of Country Time pink lemonade, a beverage I haven’t knowingly had in at least a decade. After a few cold draws, however, the flavor is completely gone leaving behind some rougher wood and floral flavors.

As has been a recurring problem with my reviews of late, there’s not much smoke entering my mouth after the first puff of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022. That being said, it’s a lot better than some of these other cigars have been. I can taste some generic corn tortilla flavors, earthiness and some gritty nuttiness. One sample is a lot sweeter with some maple syrup flavors joining the corn tortilla sensation. Given how thin the cigar is at this point, it’s no surprise that much of the first third’s draw is tight and the smoke production could be better. On each cigar I spend time thinking about whether or not I should perform a second cut—I do on the first sample—or perhaps even adjust my puff rate. At times, the main flavors can be a bit pedestrian: gritty earthiness, creaminess, white pepper and some lemon underneath. Other times, it’s a more interesting mixture of nuttiness, herbal flavors, leather and some of the signature Davidoff mustiness I most associate with olor tobacco. The finish keeps the same basic core but adds some black pepper to the mix as the nuttiness, leather and creaminess overwhelm the lingering earthiness. On one cigar, there’s a distinct and vibrant sourdough bread flavor over top of some herbal flavors. Retrohales have a flavor I can’t say I’ve ever tasted in a cigar before: sesame oil. At times, it’s easier to pick out than others, but it’s pretty easily discoverable regardless. That sesame oil flavor is joined by sourdough bread and some more of the musty flavor. Retrohales finish with some difficult to define sweetness, lingering bits of sesame oil, sourdough bread and a bittering herbal flavor. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-plus and strength is medium-plus.

The profile gets a lot nuttier in the second third, though it’s joined by an uptick in olor. Beyond those two flavors, the earthiness, hay and leather. The finish has nuttiness, a flavor that reminds me of overproof whiskey, a thick creaminess and touches of white pepper. Retrohales are toastier than the rest of the profile so far with charred nuttiness, some burnt meatiness and a lingering amount of the mustiness. The finish has creaminess, white pepper, herbal flavors and creaminess. Flavor is closer to full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. Construction is generally fine—there’s a touch-up needed between the first and second thirds on two cigars—though by the third cigar I’ve learned that I need to smoke quicker to actually help the flavor. At times, I feel like I’m overheating the cigar, but it helps the flavor way more than it hurts the other aspects of the cigar.

A core earthy flavor is the dominant force in the final third, though each cigar takes a different approach to the accenting flavor. On one, there’s more of a toasty mustiness. On another, there’s enough room to find some floral flavors, and on the final sample, I can pick up more creaminess and white pepper. Predictably, the finish of each cigar is different: one is earthiness and olor, another has leather overwhelming the earthiness, and the third sample—the one where I’ve committed to puffing quicker—is radically different with some starchy potato flavors adding themselves into the mix. Retrohales on two cigars are led by nuttiness and herbal flavors over some leather, while the final cigar has a creamier profile with nuttiness and some cola sweetness. Regardless of the varying profiles, the flavors are incredibly smooth. The finish after a retrohale is tough to differentiate between a normal puff though on the third sample I can taste a bit more citrus coming through, but for the most part, it tastes like a normal puff. Flavor finishes medium-full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. Two cigars need minor touch-ups to help with smoke production, but otherwise, the cigars burn down to the end fine.

Final Notes

• I am pretty sure this vitola is not a size that Davidoff has previously made in the Davidoff line, though it’s not a new size for the factory. This is the same shape as the Zino Platinum Crown Series Chubby Especial.
• For those wondering of other cigars with a similar shape, the most obvious example is La Aurora’s wide range of Preferidos cigars.
• Davidoff says this blend is supposed to be a combination of the regular Winston Churchill and The Late Hour. Personally, I don’t see it.
• So much of that might be related to the difficulty with the shape. I never felt particularly confident about whether I had found the proper cut or the correct smoking speed. It certainly seems that smoking quicker produced better flavors even if it was obvious that the cigar got hot.
• A decade ago, I would have been much more excited about shapes like this, but I’ve learned that more often than not, they are more trouble than a parejo would be. Obviously, without smoking a parejo version of this blend it’s impossible to know whether that’s the case here, but I’d put my money on it.
• That said, I still like the creativity and when the unique sizes work, they tend to work really well.
• Few companies create packaging designs like Davidoff and the Winston Churchill Limited Editions have consistently been some of the company’s more interesting work. I will not be surprised to see this on our 2022 Packaging Top 10.
• Davidoff advertises on halfwheel.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time ranged from two hours and 15 minutes to two hours and 45 minutes.
• Site sponsors Corona Cigar Co. and Famous Smoke Shop have the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 in stock. JR Cigar is currently sold out.