Late last year, Davidoff announced two box pressed extensions to its Davidoff Nicaragua line appropriately called the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed. Box Pressed offerings are not something commonly found in the Davidoff portfolio. While we have seen box pressed offerings in the Avo brand with the Avo Syncro Nicaragua and the Avo Movement TAA, the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed line is the first box press to carry the Davidoff name. These aren’t just box pressed versions of the original Davidoff Nicaragua, but they feature a new blend. These cigars began to surface at retailers this past March. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed in the Toro format. In my opinion, this is a cigar that elevates the Davidoff Nicaragua line to the next level as this is one outstanding offering.

Since Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard came on board in 2011, he has implemented innovation as a part of its corporate strategy.  The original Davidoff Nicaragua brand was a prime example of this. Davidoff Master Blender Henke Kelner was challenged to deliver the first Davidoff cigar with all-Nicaraguan tobacco. The Davidoff Nicaragua line proved to live up to the challenge as it became a landmark release for Davidoff. Now with the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed, the use of a box press format presented another challenge – and this one also proves to answer the call.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro and see how this cigar meets the challenge.

Blend Profile

As mentioned Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed differs from the original Davidoff Nicaragua line. There are two major changes to this blend. First up, the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed uses a Nicaraguan Habana Oscura wrapper as opposed to the Nicaragua Habana Rosado wrapper on the base line. Secondly, the Esteli Visus priming found in the original Davidoff Nicaragua was upgraded to ligero priming. Davidoff says these changes were intended to deliver a bolder, more intense smoking experience.

Wrapper: Nicaragua Habana Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua Habana Jalapa
Filler: Nicaraguan tobaccos from Ometepe, Condega and Esteli
Country or Origin: Dominican Republic (TABADOM)

Vitolas Available

The cigars area available in two sizes. Each size are available in twelve count boxes or four count packs.

Robusto: 5 x 48
Toro: 6 x 52

Appearance

The Habana Oscuro wrapper of the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro has a medium brown color to it. Depending on how the light shines on it, the wrapper may give off a cinnamon color tint. On the surface of the wrapper there is some darker marbling present. I found this wrapper to be slightly darker than the original Davidoff Nicaragua. While there wasn’t much oil on the surface of the wrapper, it was quite a smooth one. The surface of the wrapper was void of any significant visible veins. Most of the visible wrapper seams were on the thin side. The box press itself was firm. There also was a slight curve to the box press.

The Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro has two bands. The primary band uses the same design as the rest of the Davidoff Nicaragua line. This is a black and silver colored version of the Davidoff White Label design. The background is black with the font text and surrounding trim in silver. The Davidoff scripted logo is on the front. To the left of the logo is the text “TORO”. (Note: each of the vitolas have text with the vitola name in this location except for the Belicoso which just has “GENEVA”). To the right is the text “GENEVE” (on all of the vitolas).

The secondary band sits just below the primary band. It has black background with an orange-rust colored font. On the band is the text “NICARAGUA”. Just below that text is the text “BOX PRESSED” in a smaller font. To the left and right is the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed mountain logo. There is also an orange-rust colored stripe across the top and bottom of the band

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do, I selected a straight cut to remove the cap of the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro. Once the cap was successfully removed, I moved on to the pre-light draw experience. The dry draw delivered a mix of natural tobacco, coffee, cedar, and some floral notes. Overall, I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro and see what the smoking stage would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro began with notes of coffee, white pepper, and a combination of generic wood and cedar. Early on, the coffee notes became primary where they pretty much would remain for the majority of the smoking experience. Meanwhile the pepper, wood, and cedar notes went secondary. At the same time, there was a additional layer of white pepper and sweet cedar present on the retro-hale.

As the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed moved through the first half, the coffee notes got richer and had slight creamy undertone. I also detected a slight citrus note in the background with the cedar, wood, and pepper notes.

During the early stages of the second half of the the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro, the coffee notes still held their rich profile with the creamy component present. While the citrus notes remained quite distant, the cedar notes and to a lesser extent the pepper notes began to make their way to the forefront.

By the final third, I found the cedar notes joined the coffee notes in the forefront. The pepper was a close secondary note while the generic wood and citrus dissipated. The cedar combined with the pepper gave this cigar a nice spicy close. The Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro closed out with a nub that was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn to the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro performed quite well. The burn path remained straight. I did find some slight jaggedness along the actual burn line, but this was aesthetic more than problematic and was easily remedied by some touch-ups. I didn’t find the amount of touch-ups needed to be excessive. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color. The ash was firm with very little flaking. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

As for the draw, I found it open, but not loose. The draw was still low maintenance as the cigar never was in danger of burning too hot. Overall, this was an enjoyable cigar to puff on.

Strength and Body

The strength and body analysis of the Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro was very interesting.. In the case of both attributes, they started out medium and by the end of the cigar, they were both full. However, both took different roads to get there.

With the body, I found a gradual and linear increase along the way. During the second third, the body of the cigar was medium to full and by the last third, the Box Pressed Toro was delivering full-bodied notes.

With the strength, it started out medium and stayed constant for the first half. In between the 50 percent and two thirds mark, there was a rapid spike in strength. I found it went from medium to full very quickly. In terms of strength versus body, I found the body to have the edge in the first half, but the strength had the edge in the second half.

Final Thoughts

The original Davidoff Nicaragua line is beloved by many. I’ve enjoyed that line, particularly the Short Corona and Diadema Fina. When you introduce change, sometimes it has a polarizing effect. However I love with Davidoff did with the Box Pressed Toro. To me the blend adjustments and change of the wrapper were like the midas touch, and at the same time created a new and exciting blend. Davidoff also succeeds in its goal with delivering a bolder and spicier experience. I also feel there is some more aging potential with this cigar along the way. This is a cigar I’d probably steer to someone more experienced as it does kick up in boldness in the second half. As for myself, this is a cigar I’d easily smoke again – and it’s worthy of a box purchase.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium, 1st Half; progresses to Full in Last Third
Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Second Third), Full (Last Third)
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy
Score: 93

References

News: Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Details Announced
Price: $17.90
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
Stogie Geeks Podcast: Episode 184, Stogie Geeks News – January 15, 2016
Stogie Feed: Davidoff Nicaragua Box Press Robusto, Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed Toro
Brand Reference: Davidoff