“This is an excellent cigar. While it’s dialed back, it’s not short on flavor. It’s an enjoyable cigar to smoke any time of the day by any type of cigar enthusiast.”
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador Claro
Binder: Dominican San Vincente Seco
Filler: Dominican Piloto (Seco, Viso), San Vicente (Ligero), Nicaraguan Estelí (Seco)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Cigars Davidoff
Gran Churchill: 7 x 50
Price: $39.00
Review: Davidoff Year of the Dog Limited Edition 2018 (12/29/17)
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Company): 6 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Coming in at #22 the Davidoff Year of the Dog Limited Edition 2018. This is a cigar released late in 2017 as the seventh installment of Davidoff’s Limited Edition series paying homage to the Chinese Zodiac.
As the Countdown progresses, Davidoff becomes the first brand in 2018 to land two cigars on the Countdown. Multiple cigars on the Countdown is nothing new for Davidoff as it has done this for three consecutive years. 2018 also marks the sixth consecutive year Davidoff has placed at least one cigar on the Countdown.
The Davidoff Year of the Dog is the fourth cigar in the Chinese Zodiac series to place on the Countdown. In 2013, the Year of the Snake and Year of the Horse finished as the #2 and #17 cigars for the year, respectively. In 2014, the Year of the Sheep ranked as the #13 Cigar of the Year.
As for the blend, it features a Habano Ecuador Claro wrapper over a Dominican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The cigar comes in one size – a 7 x 50 Gran Churchill. There was a total of 9,000 ten-count boxes released globally by Davidoff.
The Davidoff Year of the Dog delivers notes of natural tobacco, cedar, bread, nut, mixed pepper, and berry notes. This cigar is somewhat dialed back in strength and body. For the most part this is a mild to medium cigar in strength and body before progressing to medium in the last third. In the end, the dialed back profile worked perfectly with the flavors delivered.
The Davidoff Year of the Dog is one of the more ultra-premium offerings on this year’s countdown, but it doesn’t disappoint as it comes up big.
For details of the 2018 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2018 criteria.
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop. Special thanks to Benji Holliday for providing the box used in this photography.
