Today we continue our series of assessments of the Davidoff Master Selection series. The Master Selection Series is a limited edition line introduced by Davidoff in 2017. It is a series of six personal blends created by Davidoff’s Master Blender Eladio Diaz. Each of the six blends commemorates a specific birthday of Diaz. Today we take a closer look at Davidoff – The Master Selection 2008. It’s a cigar that commemorates the year 2008 – the year Diaz celebrated his 55th birthday.

Three of the cigars in the series were made available to Davidoff’s Appointed Merchants while the other three were made available to Davidoff’s company-owned Flagship stores. Davidoff staggered the release of these blends throughout the summer of 2017, releasing two of the cigars at a time – one to the Appointed Merchants and one to the Flagship stores. The cigars in the series are:

• Davidoff Master Selection 2007 (Diaz’s 54th birthday, Appointed Merchant Release – September 2017)
• Davidoff Master Selection 2008 (Diaz’s 55th birthday, Flagship Release – September 2017)
• Davidoff Master Selection 2010 (Diaz’s 57th birthday, Appointed Merchant Release – June 2017)
• Davidoff Master Selection 2011 (Diaz’s 58th birthday, Flagship Release – August 2017)
• Davidoff Master Selection 2013 (Diaz’s 60th birthday, Appointed Merchant Release – June 2017)
• Davidoff Master Selection 2016 (Diaz’s 63rd birthday, Flagship Release – June 2017)

Without further ado, let’s break down the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

Each cigar in the series is a 6 x 52 Toro. At the same time, each cigar in the series has a separate and distinct blend.  The six offerings are available in ten-count cabinet-style boxes.

Davidoff Master Selection 2008 (Flagship)

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Mexican Negro San Andrés
Filler: A-Estelí Visus, Piloto Mejorado Ligero, SV Mejorado Ligero, Piloto Mejorado Visus and Piloto Visus
Country of origin: Dominican Republic (Cigars Davidoff)
Toro: 6 x 52

For completeness, we list the five other Master Selection blends:

Davidoff Master Selection 2007 (Appointed Merchant)

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Hybrid Olor/Piloto
Filler Dominican: San Vicente Ligero, Piloto Seco, Hybrid Corojo/Olor Ligero and San Vicente Mejorado Visus
Country of origin: Dominican Republic (Cigars Davidoff)
Toro: 6 x 52

Davidoff Master Selection 2010 (Appointed Merchant)

Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Mexican Negro San Andrés
Filler: Ten-year-old Dominican filler tobaccos Piloto Ligero, San Vicente Ligero and San Vicente Visus, combined with a Semilla A Seco and Estelí Visus from Nicaragua.
Country of origin: Dominican Republic (Cigars Davidoff)
Toro: 6 x 52

Davidoff Master Selection 2011 (Flagship)

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Mexican Negro San Andrés
Filler: Nicaraguan Estelí Ligero, Semilla A Visus, San Vicente Ligero and San Vicente Mejorado Visus, and Piloto Volado.
Country of origin: Dominican Republic (Cigars Davidoff)
Toro: 6 x 52

Davidoff Master Selection 2013 (Appointed Merchant)

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Estelí and Condega Visus, Piloto Visus, Piloto Seco and San Vicente Mejorado Visus
Country of origin: Dominican Republic (Cigars Davidoff)
Toro: 6 x 52

Davidoff Master Selection 2016 (Flagship)

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

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 had a medium to dark brown color with a Rosado tint to it. Upon closer examination, there was a subtle amount of mottling on the surface of the wrapper. The wrapper also had a light coating of oil on it. This was a smooth wrapper with any visible veins on the thin side. Any visible wrapper seams were quite minimal and not very noticeable.

There are two bands on the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 cigar. The first band is similar to the classic Davidoff White label. It features the name “Davidoff” in classic cursive gold-colored font on an oval field of white. There are small gold circles going around the perimeter of the oval. The word “GENEVE” (in gold font) flanks to the right of the oval field. To the left of the oval, is the text “LIMITED EDITION” in gold font.

The secondary band is also white in color. There is a black pinstripe near the top of the band, as well as one toward the bottom of the band. On the center of the band is the text “THE MASTER SELECTION 2008” – also in white font. The right side of the band has what appears to be Eladio Diaz’s signature.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Davidoff Master Selection 2008, I used a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered notes of natural tobacco and cedar. This wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw, but since we do not calculate the pre-light experience into our rating or score, there is no loss of points here. At this point, I was ready to light up the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 and enjoy the smoking experience.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 kicked off with more notes of natural tobacco and cedar. This was joined by a combination of black and white pepper. There also was an additional layer of black pepper from the retro-hale that was present on the retro-hale throughout the smoking experience.

During the first third, the natural tobacco moved into the forefront. During these early stages, the natural tobacco notes developed both some savory and musty qualities. The savory component had the edge during this stage. At the same time, the mustiness shouldn’t be considered a negative as I found it contributed to the balance of the overall flavor profile. The cedar and pepper moved into the background where it was joined by some classic Davidoff hay notes.

As the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 moved through the second third, the musty component of the natural tobacco flavor took more of the edge over the savory component. While this wasn’t a negative, I enjoyed the savoriness of the first third much better. During this stage, the cedar notes started to slowly increase in intensity. The pepper and hay notes remained grounded in the distant background.

During the last third, the cedar notes joined the natural tobacco flavors in the forefront. The natural tobacco still had some musty qualities and, to a lesser extent, some savoriness. The pepper had slightly increased and there still were some hay notes. This is the way the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 did require some frequent touch-ups along the way to keep a relatively straight burn path and burn line. While it wasn’t a problem-some burn, it was one that wasn’t “set it and forget it” burn either. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color. This was an ash that was on the firm side throughout the smoking experience. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Davidoff Master Selection 2008 was ideal. It had just the right amount of resistance, yet at the same time, this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Davidoff Master selection 2008 started out medium. Both attributes slightly increased in intensity in the second third, but in the end, the cigar never got out of the medium strength and medium bodied spectrum zones. When looking at strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither overshadowing the other attribute.

Final Thoughts

The Davidoff Master Selection 2008 is a nice cigar. I admit, compared to some of the other offerings in the Master Selection Series, it would not be my first choice. While some of the flavors were unique, I found this was a  case of a good cigar that lacked a “wow” factor. I expect more from an ultra-premium cigar series like the Master Selection. If the flavors of the first third had held throughout the smoking experience, I would have rated this cigar much higher. Still, this is a cigar I’d encourage either a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast to try. While merit-wise, it still gets a respectable 89; the $35 price point leads me to recommend that if you have a chance to try this cigar and see if it’s in your wheelhouse, do so.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco (Savory and Musty Components), Cedar, Pepper, Hay
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Try a Sample
Score: 89

References

News: Davidoff Master Selection Series Announced
Price: $35.00
Source: Davidoff
Brand Reference: Davidoff

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted