Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary Robusto

At the tail end of 2006, Davidoff released a cigar to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Zino Davidoff, the company’s founder. The Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary, the cigar was sold in three different vitolas, all of which were sold unbanded and without cellophane.

The Robusto was officially released on November 9, 2006 at a dinner hosted by the Davidoff of Geneva Madison Avenue in New York City. The Diademas Finas vitola was introduced in Munich, Germany on March 15th at the start of a tour that also held events in Switzerland and various states in the United States.

The Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary blend was released in three different vitolas:

• Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary Robusto (5 x 50)
• Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary Diademas Finas (6 3/4 x 50)
• Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary Diademas 100 (9 1/8 x 55)

The original cigars were packaged in boxes of eight, each containing artwork of Zino Davidoff. They looked like this:

 

Last year, the company announced that it was released the remaining back stock of 6,400 cigars to 15 retailers in the U.S. The cigars were shipped in unmarked 100-count cabinets with an suggested retail price of $22, up from the original $15 in 2006.

• Cigar Reviewed: Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary Robusto
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Cigars Davidoff
• Wrapper: Ecuador
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Size: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Robusto
• MSRP: $22.00 (Cabinets of 100
• Number of Cigars Released: n/a
• Date Released: November 9, 2006
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

 

Covered in a red-brown wrapper that is sleek, almost silky smooth to the touch, the Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary also features a surprising number of veins for a Davidoff. It is a bit harder than I would like when squeezed, but there is still some give there. Aroma coming from the wrapper is very faint, a combination of wood, leather, vanilla and musky earth. The cold draw has distinct notes of cinnamon, vanilla, white pepper and mushrooms.

The first third of the Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary starts with notes of creamy oak, rich leather, earth and peanuts. There is a slight cinnamon note every once in a while on the retrohale, along with a nice white pepper that comes and goes throughout. I am also tasting a vanilla sweetness that seems to be gaining strength as the first third comes to a close. Both the burn and draw are excellent, and the smoke production is well above average, and very dense and white. Strength-wise, the Davidoff 100th barely makes out of the mild range before the second third starts, but does seem to be getting stronger.

Profile-wise, there is not much change during the second third of the Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary, with the main notes of leather, oak, earth, nuts and coffee flitting in and out on a constant basis. The profile is noticeably more creamy overall, and the white pepper on the retrohale has stayed consistent, while the cinnamon note from the first third has disappeared completely. A high note is the construction, which literally could not be any better, but the strength is not increasing as much as I hoped, and ends the second third still well below the medium mark.

The Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary adds a bit of saltiness to the lips that comes and goes and is strongest right at the start of the final third, but overall, the flavors continue along the same path as the previous two thirds: earth, leather, espresso, peanuts and oak. There is still a small amount of white pepper noticeable on the retrohale, but the level is down significantly from its high in the first third. The burn and draw continues to impress until the end of the cigar, and the smoke production level remains constant as well. The overall strength has bumped up a little, but still barely makes it into the medium category. 

Final Notes: 

• The 100-count cabinets used for the 2013 release looked so cheap, that I first thought the shop who was selling these was lying. We emailed Davidoff and they confirmed it’s a real cigar, but it has to be amongst the worst packaging for a $22 cigar.
• Although the official name of this release is the Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary, everyone I have talked to about it has called it either the Davidoff 100 or Davidoff 100th. This gets particularly confusing considering that Davidoff released another cigar called the Davidoff 100 Years Geneva back in 2011 that celebrated Zino Davidoff’s parents arrival to Switzerland in 1911, where they opened up a tobacco shop a year later. which I reviewed here.
• The wrappers on these cigars are extremely fragile, and I noticed a multitude of small cracks on two of the samples I smoked. Having said that, the cracks did not seem to affect the burn at all on any of the cigars.
• While I have smoked a couple of the Zino Davidoff 100th Anniversary Diademas Finas through the years, I have never even seen one of the Diademas 100, which were apparently rolled only by factory supervisors, had a limited production of 100 a day, and were only sold at Davidoff company stores.
• There is almost no better constructed cigar on the planet that can beat out a Davidoff when it is on, and all three samples I smoked were perfect in every way, with just the right amount of resistance on the draw and razor sharp burn lines.
• Along with the construction, the finish is also excellent, a combination of oak and creaminess that lingers nicely on the palate.
• Do not smoke this cigar too fast, or it will punish your decision. 
• The overall strength was light, even for a Davidoff, and barely made it to the medium mark.
• The samples smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• The average smoking time for all three samples was one hour and 25 minutes.