“While this cigar carries a premium price tag, it certainly delivers an outstanding experience and is worthy of being an ultra-premium cigar.”
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: San Vicente Mejorado
Filler: Estelí and Condega Visus, Piloto Visus, San Vicente Mejorado Visus and Piloto Mejorado Visus
Country of origin: Dominican Republic (Cigars Davidoff)
Toro: 6 x 52
Price: $35.00
Review: Davidoff – The Master Selection 2016
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Brand): 5 ( (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Coming in at #10 is Davidoff – The Master Selection 2016. Earlier this year, Davidoff announced a limited edition series under its White Label brand known as The Master Selection. The Master Selection is a series of six blends that were personal blends which Davidoff Master Blender Eladio Diaz created to commemorate some of his birthdays. In this case, the Davidoff Master Selection 2016 commemorated his 63rd birthday.
The Davidoff Master Selection 2016 is a limited release that is only sold at Davidoff’s Flagship stores and online retail store. Under the Countdown rules, shop exclusive cigars are ineligible for the list. There was some debate about whether or not this cigar should be considered a shop exclusive. There is no Countdown rule that prevents a company from exclusively distributing its own brand in its own stores. The majority of Davidoff Flagship stores are company owned, so we decided that this was a unique scenario and the Master Selection 2016 was eligible for consideration for the Countdown.
Davidoff becomes the second company to land two cigars on the 2017 Countdown. The Master Selection 2016 joins the Davidoff Nicaragua 6 x 60 as Davidoff’s two entities on the Countdown. Davidoff has landed a cigar on a Cigar Coop Countdown for the past five years in a row.
The Davidoff Master Selection 2016 features a Dominican wrapper, a Dominican San Vicente wrapper, and a combination of fillers from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic. As with each of the six installments of the Davidoff Master Selection series, the Master Selection 2016 is available in one size – a 6 x 52 Toro.
Flavor-wise, the Davidoff Master Selection 2016 is a complex smoke, delivering notes of chocolate malt, natural tobacco, earth, mixed (black and white) pepper, baker’s spice, and even a slight mineral component at the beginning. This is a bolder smoke than what one would usually expect from Davidoff. It is medium to full in strength and while the flavors start out medium-bodied, they progress to medium to full by the end.
While this is a pricier cigar, it is one that certainly lives up to its value. On merit, this cigar easily justifies its spot on this year’s top ten.
For details of the 2017 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2017 criteria.
Photo Credit: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
