Smoked: Davidoff Grand Cru Series

After my disappointment with the Davidoff Winston Churchill Robusto, I wasn’t expecting much from this Davidoff Grand Cru Robusto. After all, they both share, albeit differently designed, the iconic Davidoff white label. Boy, was I ever surprised – and impressed! This 5.25 x 52 cigar wrapped in an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed leaf was, in my very humble opinion, about a thousand times better than the W.C.

Lush flavors of baking spices with a bit of pepper, cedar and balsa wood, nuts, along with subdued notes of chocolatey sweetness, earth, and floral essence certainly caused this cigar to stand out from the vast crowd of Connecticuts.

Creamy smoke texture in abundance, with a perfect burn and draw, made this one memorable stick.

Interestingly, its flavors overshadowed those of the gin martini with which it was paired. One would think a gin/vodka martini would be (and usually is -- for me at least) an ideal pairing for a Connecticut-wrapped cigar. Not this one. Being so rich in flavors, it might be better paired with bourbon, rum, espresso, or Coke. Go figure.

Sidenote: I didn’t notice the apparent patch near the cigar’s head as I was smoking it. (Failing eyesight perhaps, or just too wrapped up [no pun intended] in the exquisite experience?) I’m a bit surprised that Davidoff would allow such a defect to pass inspection considering their stringent quality control. Has anyone else had a Davidoff with such a patch?