Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021

Davidoff

• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Cigars Davidoff
• Wrapper: Ecuador
• Binder: Dominican Republic (Hybrid 257)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (Piloto Ligero, Hybrid 20-20 Seco, San Vicente Mejorado Ligero, San Vicente Viso) & Nicaragua (Estelí Viso)
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $32 (Box of 10, $320)
• Release Date: February 2021
• Number of Cigars Released: 4,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (45,000 Total Cigars)
• Original Score: 91

When it debuted in 2007, Davidoff’s Winston Churchill line—somewhat obviously named after the famous Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has become synonymous with cigar smoking—was the only non-White Label cigar rolled at the Cigars Davidoff factory in the Dominican Republic.

Seven years later, a new incarnation of the brand was launched with a new six-vitola line, each named after different aspects of its namesake’s personality. Two different limited editions followed in 2016 and 2019, but there were no new additions in 2020.

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 is a 6 x 52 toro that came in boxes of 10 featuring artwork that is supposed to mimic a chessboard. In coincidental timing, chess was all the rage when the cigars shipped to store this January as Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” was one of the most popular shows, causing a shortage of chess sets.

As for the cigar, it started with some significant pepper before morphing into an extremely complex and nicely balanced profile that became more enjoyable as the cigar burned down. Throw in the excellent construction and medium-plus strength, and it is easy to see why the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 took seventh place this year. — Brooks Whittington.