Cigar Review: Davidoff Winston Churchill Toro
When the thought of a prototypical cigar smoker comes to mind, it is often the image of a rotund gentleman in a suit with shrewd business acumen and devil may care disposition. Whether the thinker of the aforementioned thought realizes it or not, they have pretty much conjured the mental image of Sir Winston Churchill, perhaps the most iconic cigar smoker in human history…Hell, he even has a size named in his honor. While his more than accomplished life has been documented for the annals of history, Davidoff is honoring the richness his life and unique ability to truly march to the beat of his own drum with their latest line Davidoff Winston Churchill. While the company did make a Winston Churchill brand in the past, this latest iteration is an entirely different blend with only the name Winston Churchill being the thread to tie the former to the later. In order to celebrate the iconic cigar aficionado, Davidoff has crafted a fine range of cigars and named them after distinct aspects of Winston Churchill’s legendary life: Petite corona–Artist, Robusto-Statesman, Toro-Commander, Churchill-Aristocrat. For this review, I will be sampling the aptly named Commander Toro.
Pre-Light: The first thing that immediately catches my eye, like a fish’s to a lure, is the cigar’s band. The Winston Churchill Commander’s band features Sir Churchill’s silhouette in a simmering gold with Davidoff’s name displayed below all set in front of a white background. Once my eyes have feasted upon the band’s simple elegance, I am able to notice the rich tan shade of the Habano Ecuador Rojiza wrapper, which is perfect and seamlessly applied to the cigar, a classic hallmark of any Davidoff cigar. The cigar has a firm feel with a slight give, indicating a well packed and rolled cigar. After a shallow cut from a cutter and a quick draw open test, my taste buds are enveloped in rich notes of cedar with a hint of spice.
1/3: For the Winston Churchill, Davidoff went outside of their usual classic tobacco and delved into some fine tobaccos from other parts of Mexico and Central America. Right off the light, the cigar has distinct robust notes of spice and wood while retaining some of the Davidoff softer notes of cream. The dominate flavor in the beginning is a white pepper spice, which is the result of the Mexican binder and filler tobaccos from the DR and Nicaragua. The room note of the cigar is light, a mix of cedar and leather. Winston Churchill Commander definitely has more robust notes than classic white label Davidoff smokes, while still keeping in touch with the brand’s signature elegance and complexity. As the first third begins to develop its profile, a rich note of earth begins to infiltrate the cigar’s profile. The cigar’s burn is great requiring zero after light upkeep. The cigar’s retrohale is an excellent mix of all of the cigars properties leaving a smooth and rich note with just the right mix of pepper and earth.
2/3: The transition between the first and second third of the cigar is marked by the departure of the Davidoff note of cream, which is replaced by a note of leather with a punch of white pepper spice. The addition of the leather note works in perfect harmony with the earth and cedar notes of found in the cigar’s first third. The introduction of the leather note in conjunction with the two notes from the first third is a remarkable example of cigar synchronicity, the perfect point where all of the notes of the cigar equally influence the cigar’s properties without overpowering one another. Also, the body of the cigar begins to ramp up into the medium-full to full bodied range. Despite the slight escalation of pepper spice at the beginning of this third, by the end, the spice falls into the background allowing the other notes of cedar earth and leather to drive the cigar’s flavor.
3/3: By the time the Winston Churchill Commander reaches the last third, the flavors have settled into an excellent level of complexity. The transition between the second and last third is much more subtle than the transition between the first and second third with the notes pretty much remaining the same and the body remaining comfortably within the medium-full to full bodied range creating a very balanced finish. Overall, the new Davidoff Winston Churchill combines quintessential Davidoff elements of delicate sweetness and flavor with more robust notes, which allow the Winston Churchill to stand out as something completely different, yet paradoxically similar, to the rest of Davidoff’s cigar portfolio. The cigar is an easy recommendation to fans of the Davidoff PDO as well as the Davidoff Nicaragua. If you had the chance to try the first incarnation of the Winston Churchill, this cigar will be an excellent option for you as well. The Davidoff Winston Churchill is available online at emesonscigars.com and will be in all five of our Hampton Roads locations soon. Don’t miss out on the chance to enjoy this remarkable cigar!
