Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021

At the start of the year, Davidoff announced a new limited edition cigar under its Davidoff Winston Churchill brand known as the Davidoff Winston Churchill 2021. This is the third limited edition cigar that has been released in the past five years. Limited Edition releases have been a part of the Davidoff portfolio for many years, but for much of the past 4 years, Davidoff’s limited editions have been focused on bringing back many of these old releases for a limited run. In the case of the Davidoff Winston Churchill, it’s significant because it actually is a new limited edition. Today we take a closer look at the Davidoff Winston Churchill 2021.

In late 2014, Davidoff decided to give the Winston Churchill brand a complete makeover. This included creating a whole new blend, revamping the packaging, and rebranding the cigar as “Davidoff Winston Churchill.” It’s also a cigar where distributed was positioned for the company’s appointed merchants and flagship stores. In addition to the three limited editions, there have been two core lines that have been released since the rebrand – Davidoff Winston Churchill and Davidoff Winston Churchill – The Late Hour.

The Davidoff Winston Churchill releases have not been annual, but when they are released each pays homage to a different facet of the personality of Winston Churchill. The 2021 Limited Edition pays homage to Churchill as a Commander. Below are the other two limited editions and whom they pay homage to:

Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2016 (The Raconteur)
Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019 (The Traveler)
Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 (The Commander)

Without further ado, let’s break down the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend and Origin

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 features a three-country multinational blend. The cigar is highlighted by an (undisclosed) Ecuadorian wrapper. Production is handled out of Davidoff’s factory in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican Dominican Hybrid 257 Seco
Filler: Dominican (Piloto Ligero, Hybrid 20-20 Seco, San Vincente Mejorado Ligero, San Vincente Visus); Nicaraguan (Estelí Visus)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Cigars Davidoff

Vitolas Offered

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 will be offered in one format – a 6 x 52 Toro. The cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes with a total production of 11,000 boxes slated.

Box of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 (Photo Credit: Davidoff)

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 had a dark caramel color to it. There was a slight amount of oil on the surface. There were some visible veins and visible wrapper seams, but overall this wrapper had a smooth surface.

There are two bands on the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021. The primary band is the same found on the core Davidoff Winston Churchill line. The band is white with gold-colored font on it. Prominently displayed on the center of the band is a silhouette profile of Winston Churchill. Below the silhouette is the Davidoff script logo. A dotted oval surrounds the silhouette and Davidoff logo. On the left side of the band is the text “WINSTON CHURCHILL.” On the right side is the text “GENEVE.” The band also has gold trim around it.

Just below the primary band is a blue/gray-colored secondary band with gold pinstripe trim. On that band is the text “LIMITED EDITION 2021” in gold font.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered of barnyard, earth, hay, and cocoa notes. The barnyard, earth, and hay notes provided a quintessential Davidoff profile. While it wasn’t the flashiest pre-light draw, the flavors worked together. At this point it was time to toast up the foot of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

Once the cigar was lit, the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 continued with the profile of barnyard, earth, hay, and cocoa. This was quickly joined by subtle fruit sweetness and black pepper notes. As the cigar moved through the first third, the earth notes emerged as the primary note with the other notes playing a secondary role. The retro-has delivered another light layer of black pepper with some cedar notes mixed in.

As the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 moved into the second third, the barnyard notes transitioned to a classic natural tobacco note. The natural tobacco notes joined the earth notes in the forefront. The hay, fruit, and black pepper notes remained in the background and the cocoa notes dissipated. Later in the second third, there was a slight increase in the black pepper notes.

The final third didn’t see many changes. The earth and natural tobacco notes remained in the forefront. The hay, fruit, and black pepper rounded to the flavor profile. The increase in the black pepper tailed off during this third. As the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 came to a close, the cigar had a nub slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 did require some touch-ups along the way to maintain a straight burn line and a straight burn path. However, the frequency of these touch-ups was not above the norm and made for what I still consider to be a low maintenance burn. The resulting ash was slightly loose, but this didn’t prove to be much of a problem in terms of flaking. This was an ash with a silvery gray color. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both had ideal levels.

Burn of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021

Draw

Normally I prefer a little resistance on a draw. In the case of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021, the resistance was just a little too much. This wasn’t a cigar that was plugged or where the burn went out, but it was a draw I had to work a little harder than I prefer.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 is not going to be a cigar that is on the bold cigar. This was a cigar that started out mild to medium in strength and body. There was a slight increase in the intensity of the attributes along the way, but in the end the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 stayed in the mild to medium range from start to finish.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

There were a lot of things to like about the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021. It not only delivered a nice assortment of nuanced flavors, but the flavors remained nuanced right until the end. Historically, the Davidoff brand has delivered excellent cigars on the mild to medium side. While it’s been good to see Davidoff deliver bolder smokes in recent years, it was nice for the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 to bring things back to the core Davidoff roots. This was an enjoyable cigar. At $32.00 per cigar, it’s certainly a cigar priced higher, but it’s one I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast – and it’s one I certainly would buy and smoke again. Coming in at 90 points, the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Earth, Barnyard Cocoa, Fruit, Black Pepper, Hay, Cedar
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Mild to Medium
Finish: Very Good