“This was a truly amazing cigar experience. Davidoff has made some epic smokes, and the Davidoff 2013 Year of the Snake ranks right up there among the best.”

#2 – Davidoff 2013 Year of the Snake Edition

Coming in at #2 on the 2013 Cigar of the Year countdown is the Davidoff 2013 Year of the Snake Edition. This is a limited edition cigar that was the first of a series launched by Davidoff to pay homage to the Chinese Zodiac.  For 2013, it was the Year of the Snake, thus the theme for this cigar.  Cigar Coop is also proud to award this cigar an “Oasis” status rating – our highest rating on Cigar Coop and Stogie Geeks.  

The Davidoff 2013 Year of the Snake gives the Davidoff brand its second entry on this year’s countdown.  Including two cigars from Avo, this gives the Davidoff “umbrella brand” four cigars on this year’s countdown (matching House of Emilio).

As mentioned the Davidoff Year of the Snake pays homage to 2013 being the Year of the Snake in the Chinese Zodiac.  The inspiration for this cigar is that those born under that sign are said to exhibit wisdom and intelligence.  The idea was for Davidoff Master Blender Henke Kelner to create a blend for this cigar with these qualities in mind.  The end result was one that ranks in the upper echelon of unique flavor profiles.  If you are a fan of interesting cigars, no doubt this cigar demonstrates the characteristics of the Snake.

This cigar delivers a very unique flavor profile.  It delivers notes of coffee, natural tobacco, pepper, and grass.  Perhaps the most unique flavor was a cider-like sweetness that I had never detected before on a cigar.  There are a lot of flavor nuances and transitions throughout this smoking experience. This cigar has a little more kick than your average Davidoff cigar.  Both the strength and body are medium to full, but in the last third both kick into the full range.

We also re-scored the Davidoff 2013 Year of the Snake Edition for the countdown.  In the process, we have awarded this our distinguished Oasis rating.

Click here for our assessment of the Davidoff 2013 Year of the Snake Edition.

Blend Profile

The Ecuadorian 702 wrapper is a special sun-grown wrapper that was selected and fermented specifically for Davidoff.

Wrapper: Ecuador 702
Binder: San Vicente Seco (Dominican)
Filler: Piloto Seco, San Vicente Ligero, Piloto Viso, Hybrid 192 Seco/Yamasa  (All Dominican)

Vitolas Available

As with most of the Davidoff Limited Editions, the Davidoff 2013 Year of the Snake Edition is only available in a single vitola – a 7 x 48 Churchill.

Score: 95 (1/4/13)
Re-Score: 96 (12/31/13) 
Assessment Rating: 5.0 – The Oasis

For more information on our vision and criteria for the 2013 Cigar of the Year countdown, see our December 2013 Editor’s Corner.