Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019

At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, Cavalier Genève released its second limited edition cigar – appropriately titled the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019. The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition series made its debut in 2018. Both have been relatively small batch one and done releases. However when it comes to the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019, most of the details behind this cigar have not been disclosed, so there isn’t much more to tell about the cigar. Today, we will take a closer look at the smoking experience of this cigar.

Cavalier Genève Cigars was founded by Sébastien Decoppet. Originally based in Switzerland, Decoppet set his sights on the U.S. market and moved his operations to Texas. Recently, Decoppet has entered an agreement with Illusione Cigars to handle distribution for Cavalier Genève Cigars.

The Cavalier Genève brand has a unique signature on its cigars. It features a 24 karat gold foil diamond on the wrapper. This is something that can be smoked through. In my experience, it’s more of a visual identifier and doesn’t have any significant impact on the overall flavor profile. As we will see when we get into the appearance of the cigar, the gold diamond is also on the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

As mentioned, the details of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 have not been disclosed. Production is handled out of Honduras at the San Judas Tadeo factory. This is the factory best known for producing Maya Selva Cigars.

Wrapper: Undisclosed
Binder: Undisclosed
Filler: Undisclosed
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: San Judas Tadeo

Vitolas Offered

The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 is available in one size – a 4 3/4 x 58 thick Robusto. It is presented in ten-count boxes. A total of 1,000 boxes are being released globally.

Packaging of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 (Photo by Bear Duplisea)

The wrapper of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 had a medium to dark brown color. There was some oil on the surface of the wrapper. There were some visible veins giving the cigar a slightly rugged look. There also were some thin visible wrapper seams.

There are two wrappers on the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019. The primary band is blue with a metallic gold riveted trim at the top and gold pinstripe at the bottom. The middle of the band has the Cavalier logo in black font. To the left of the logo is the text “CAVALIER” and to the right is the text “GENEVE” – both in black font. Below the logo is the text “Cavalier” in a black cursive font. The lower left and lower right side of the band has the text “Rhein since 1905” in black font.

Just below the band is a gold secondary band with black adornments and stripes on the upper and lower portion. On the text of the band is the text “Limited Edition 2019” in black font. The far left and right side of the band also have the text “2019” in black font.

Removing the primary band exposes the gold foil diamond on the wrapper. This diamond should not be removed.

Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 (Gold Foil Showing)

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019. Once the cap was clipped it was on to the pre-light draw phase. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, cedar, and floral notes. Overall this wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw, but since the pre-light draw is not scored, there was no loss of points here. At this point, it was time to light up the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 opened up with notes of fruit sweetness, classic wood, earth, cinnamon, and baker’s spice. Early on the fruit and wood notes moved to the forefront. Meanwhile, the other notes settled in the background. There was a creamy and smooth texture to the flavors. Throughout the first third, the fruit and wood notes alternated in intensity. The retro-hale of this cigar delivered a mix of black pepper, fruit, and wood. This is a cigar you most definitely would want to retro-hale.

During the second third, the wood notes remained grounded in the forefront. The cinnamon notes started to decrease in intensity. By the midway point, the fruit notes moved into the background as well. There still were notes of baker’s spice and earth in the background. The creaminess present during the first third also subsided.

The last third saw the wood notes remain in the forefront The fruit and earth were secondary notes. Of the spices, the black pepper was the most prominent, but there still were touches of baker’s spice. This is the way the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 needed some touch-ups along the way to maintain both a straight burn path and straight burn line. In terms of the ash, this was an ash that was skewed toward the firmer side. The ash itself had a salt and pepper color scheme. Both the burn rate and burn temperature of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 were ideal.

Buron of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019

Draw

In terms of the draw of the Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019, it was on the open side. Normally I prefer a little more resistance on the draw of a cigar. However, this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 started out as a medium strength, medium-bodied cigar. For the most part, the level of strength remained constant. As for the body, it increased during the first half and by the second half, it progressed to medium to full-bodied territory.

When looking at strength versus body, the body maintained an edge. As the body increased, the gap between the strength and body grew.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Flavor is the most important thing when it comes to a review. The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2019 is certainly going to deliver some unique ones. I liked the cinnamon and baker’s spice and consider them the X-factor for this review. As I also mentioned, this cigar is going to be best appreciated when you retro-hale as it will deliver enhanced flavor and complexity. This is a cigar that I can recommend to either the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it’s a cigar I would smoke again and I’d recommend purchasing one.

Summary

Key Flavors: Wood, Fruit, Earth, Cinnamon, Baker’s Spice, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Good