Today we complete our series of assessments of the  Davidoff Master Selection series with taking a look at release known as Davidoff – The Master Selection 2007. The Master Selection Series was a limited edition series 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. With the Davidoff Master Selection 2007. It’s a cigar that commemorates the year 2007 – the year Diaz celebrated his 54th 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.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend, Origin and Vitolas Offered

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 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

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

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

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 Habano Ecuador wrapper of the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 was one on the darker side with a milk chocolate color to it. Upon close examination, there was some darker subtle mottling on the surface. There was also a light coating of oil on the surface. This was a wrapper that had a bit of a bumpy surface. There were some visible veins, but the wrapper’s darker color did a good job at hiding the wrapper seam

There are two bands on the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 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 2007” – also in white font. The right side of the band has what appears to be Eladio Diaz’s signature.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

The cigar experience of the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 cigar commenced with a straight cut. Once the cap was removed, it was time for the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth and natural tobacco as well as touches of citrus and cocoa. This was a very good pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to light up the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The flavors of earth, natural tobacco, citrus, cocoa, and black pepper continued once the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 was lit up. This was soon joined by notes of hay and black pepper. Early there was no primary note that emerged. The natural tobacco seemed joined at the hip with the citrus. Midway through the first third, the cocoa notes finally emerged a primary flavor. The retro-hale had an additional layer of hay mixed in.

By the second third, the earth along with the natural tobacco/citrus combination started to increase in intensity. There was a gradual increase in the black pepper notes on both the tongue and the retro-hale. As the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 moved through the first part of the second third, the earth and natural tobacco/citrus displaced the cocoa as the primary note and the black pepper was most prominent on the retro-hale.

Just past the midway point of the Davidoff Master Selection 2007, the earth notes took over as the sole primary note. Both the natural tobacco/citrus combination and cocoa diminished. There still were notes of pepper and hay present on the tongue. By the final third, the earth notes remained primary with the pepper and natural tobacco/citrus combination close secondary notes and the hay and cocoa much more distant. This is the way the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn

The burn of Davidoff Master Selection 2007 performed well. It maintained a straight line and straight burn path from start to finish. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color complexion. This was an ash skewed to being on the firmer side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Draw

The draw to the Davidoff Master Selection 2017 was equally impressive. This was a draw that struck a nice balance between openness and resistance. At the same time, It was relatively easy to derive flavor from this cigar.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Davidoff Master Selection 2017 performed at a solid medium. Along the way, there was a slight increase in strength and body. Toward the end, the body edged closer to medium to full, but didn’t quite meet that threshold.

While both the strength and body was still in the medium range of the spectrum, I found the body had a slight edge over the strength.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Overall the experience with the Davidoff Master Selection 2007 was quite positive. While I wouldn’t put it at the level of the Master Selection 2016 and Master Selection 2010 releases, the Master Selection 2007 definitely holds its own. The flavors produced were enjoyable, but I definitely enjoyed them more in the first half as opposed to the second half. At the same time, there was enough complexity to keep me interested from start to finish. This is a cigar that I could recommend to either a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. At $35.00, it’s not an inexpensive cigar, but it’s one that I would consider worthy of being ultra-premium. It’s one I would smoke again and buy multiples for the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Hay, Cocoa, Black Pepper, Natural Tobacco, Citrus
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent

Rating

Value: Buy Multiples
Score: 91

References

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

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop