Earlier this year, Davidoff released a series of 6 x 60 line extensions to the four blends of its “Discovery Pillar” (Black Level) line. One of the cigars that falls under the Discovery Pillar line is the Davidoff Escurio. During his tenure, former Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard implemented a program of production innovation and the Discovery Pillar was the result of this. The Discovery Pillar’s first release was in 2013 with the Davidoff Nicaragua – the brand’s first Nicaraguan puro. The Escurio made its debut in 2015 and became the second installment in the Discovery Pillar. While not a Brazilian puro, the Escurio is a blend that has a good amount of Brazilian tobacco – another first for Davidoff. Today we take a closer look at the Escurio in the 6 x 60 format.

The name Escurio is a derivative of two words – Escuro (which is Portuguese for dark – and in this case the cigar’s wrapper falls into this category) and Rio (short for the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro – which was an inspiration for this cigar).

In addition to the Davidoff Escurio, the 6 x 60 line extensions were also added to the Davidoff Nicaragua, Davidoff Nicaragua Box Pressed, and Davidoff Yamasá lines. While the Davidoff brand is not known for 6 x 60 vitolas, this is not the first Davidoff branded 6 x 60. That honor goes to the  Davidoff Year of the Horse, which was released late in 2013. The incorporation of 6 x 60 sizes could be considered another example of Hoejsgaard’s innovation strategy becoming reality.

Recently departed Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard pushed a theme of innovation during his years at the helm at Davidoff. The 6 x 60 offerings were are another implementation of that strategy in that the 6 x 60 size had not been used as a line extension beforehand.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Brazilian tobacco for the Escurio is used for the binder and a portion of the filler. The Escurio is finished with the line’s dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Brazilian Cubra
Filler: Dominican (San Vicente, Piloto andOlor/Piloto Seco), Brazilian (Cubra and Mata Fina)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (TABADOM)

Vitolas Available

The Davidoff Escurio has been produced in seven sizes. The 6 x 60 comes packaged in 12-count boxes.

6 x 60: 6 x 60
Corona Gorda: 6 x 46
Gran Perfecto: 5 x 50/61
Short Robusto: 3 1/4 x 50
Robusto Tubo: 4 1/2 x 54
Gran Toro: 5 1/2 x 58
Culebra: 6 1/2 x 33

Appearance

The Habano Ecuador wrapper of the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 is definitely one that is on the darker side (or as we mentioned above “escuro” ). The color was consistent with the other sizes of the Escurio as it was a cross of chocolate-brown and some Colorado red. The surface of the wrapper had a slight amount of oil on it. Any wrapper seams and visible veins were on the thin side.

The Davidoff Escurio has two bands. The primary band uses the same band design as the rest of the Discovery Pillar cigars. 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 “6 x 60”. (Note: each of the vitolas have text with the vitola name in this location). To the right is the text “GENÉVE” (on all of the vitolas).

There is a secondary band just below the primary black and silver Davidoff Nicaragua band. It is silver with black font and black trim. On the band it says “ESCURIO” in black font. To the left and right is green crescent moon image.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Before lighting up the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60, I used a straight cut to remove the cap of the cigar. Once the cap was detached, I moved on to the pre-light draw stage. The cold draw delivered a combination of chocolate, natural tobacco, and a citric-like spice. I considered this to be an excellent pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the Davidoff Escurio and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 started out with a mix of chocolate, sweet grapefruit, wood, and red pepper notes. During the first third, the chocolate and grapefruit notes alternated in intensity. The wood and red pepper notes settled in the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced a citric spice.

By the second third, the chocolate notes took over as the primary note in the forefront. The grapefruit notes receded to a close secondary note. By the midway point, there were some earth notes that were mixed in with the chocolate notes in the forefront. During this stage, the wood notes transitioned to more of a classic cedar note, and the red pepper notes increased in intensity.

As the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 moved into the last third, the chocolate and earth notes held in the forefront. The red pepper and cedar notes also remained secondary. In the background, there also was a little more in the way of sourness from the citrus/grapefruit notes present. This was the way the flavor profile of the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn line to the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 had a slight amount of jaggedness to it. This was easily remedied with some touch-ups and the cigar was never in danger of meandering. The resulting ash was on the firm side with a nice silver color to it. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60 performed quite well. This cigar had a touch of resistance – which is something that I like. It made for an enjoyable smoking experience from start to finish.

Strength and Body

When it came to the 6 x 60 size of the Davidoff Escurio, I did find it had a little more strength and body than my go-to size – the Escurio Robusto. The Escurio 6 x 60 is a cigar that comes out of the gate medium to full for both strength and body. There was a slight increase in both attributes along the way, but at the close, I still found this cigar remained in the medium to full range for both attributes.

In terms of strength versus body of the Davidoff Escurio 6 x 60, I found both attributes balanced each other nicely – with neither attribute having an edge.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the Davidoff Escurio, I have found size matters and that some vitolas work better than the others. This might surprise some people, but the Escurio 6 x 60 is one of those sizes that worked quite well. While there was some sourness present at the very end, for the most part, I felt I got an enjoyable experience with this cigar. In general, the Escurio is a blend I usually would recommend to a seasoned cigar enthusiast, but it’s not one I would discourage a novice from smoking either. As for myself, this is a cigar I’d smoke again – and it’s one worthy of purchasing multiples for the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Chocolate, Earth, Grapefruit, Red Pepper, Cedar, Wood
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium+
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good

Rating

Assessment: 3.5-Box Split
Score: 90

References

News: Davidoff Adds 60 x 6 Line Extensions to Discovery Pillar Series
Price: $19.20
Source: Davidoff
Brand Reference: Davidoff

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted