Davidoff Master Selection 2014 (English)

Davidoff

Master Selection

2014

The exact title was supposed to be 2012 & 2014; I will only focus on the 2014 since you will only find the 2012 version in Davidoff shops. 

This is the story of a guy who comes out of nowhere... Uh, what are you doing here Ker? It's 2022, the era of political correctness! You're already in the undesirable class by being a cigar smoker, so make yourself forgotten, don't add another layer.

Okay, let me start again.

I'm going to tell you about Julio Ramirez: through his hard work, dedication and abilities, he has become over the years one of the unavoidable members of the Davidoff family, as he is one of the Master Rollers; he is the one who controls and rolls the best cigars like the Davidoff Royal & the Oro Blanco.

But let me set the scene for this new release. It's not uncommon in the cigar world for someone to be rewarded for their hard work, so Eladio Diaz, the company's master blender and head of quality control, made himself a cigar every year for his birthday. These cigars were not sold at the time, but rather were smoked for his personal enjoyment and shared with friends and family. With his approval, Davidoff has made a small quantity of these available for sale since 2017: the Master Selection line was born. Eladio has since retired, and that's why this 2014 edition features Julio in the spotlight.

It's all in the name of the range; I explained Master Selection, I still have 2014: we are talking about cigars whose blend was elaborated and selected at that date. For this edition, the cigars were rolled two years ago and now put on the market with the agreement of Julio again. So we are lucky to have this particular cigar in a limited edition of 25.000 cigars for the world.

To bring out the old-fashioned look, they come without cellophane in a rustic wooden box and held in place by a silk cord.

On the lid of the box, you can read the name of the range, the number of the box on 2.500, but also the signature of Julio, who personally controlled the quality of these.

So I tasted one of these jewels and I share with you my impressions.

I have a beautiful dark cocoa colored cape with beautiful veins and two classic rings for the House except for the signature on the bottom ring.

I think a trim and a good ignition is in order. 

As soon as the foot ignites, a large stream of smoke invades my room. It gives me directly the color: smoking very slowly not by its power but more to fully enjoy this happiness. The beginning is a pure marvel that invites me to a kind of respect for the tobacco and the work provided, as well as the honor that is done to us to enter a little in the intimate circle of this Master Roller.

In addition to the old tobacco that has lost any part of aggressiveness, I am enveloped in noble and powerful oak, leather that comes out of the tannery and chocolate.

White pepper is present as well as cinnamon and dried fruits.

At this stage, the ash, a white streaked with light gray, is very compact and holds very well on the cigar. My tasting increases a bit in strength as the buttery toast and toasted almonds tickle my taste buds.

When I reach almost the bottom ring, the ash becomes more crumbly while remaining well stuck to the cigar. The draw remains perfect and the combustion is very good.

Ladies & Gentlemen, the flight to happiness and fulfillment is announced for immediate take-off.

In less time than it takes to say it, I find myself in the Croatian Sea at a depth of 40 meters, in the calm of the sea bed, in the middle of fish and amphoras. The next moment I find myself flying with the Montana (mountain hawks) in the boreal forest, to finally land on the edge of the lake in Innu territory and put on my fire keeper's outfit. Feeling as if I am no longer in my body, I still perceive the smoky wood flavor that my day's tasting brings me, while the leather of the drums resounds in the clear night.

I return to my body just long enough to delicately remove the rings and here I am again on the spice square of the Berber market of Had Draa with my khouya Jamal.

The return is done gently, slowly not quickly, I return in my living room just in time before burning my fingers.

Here is another butt that will join Mother Earth with a thought for Julio and all the people at Davidoff who worked for the good of my pleasure and make this moment divine.

The tastings were carried out on a Toro cigar of 15.2 cm for a cepo of 52. 

Wrapper : Dom. Rep.

Binder : 702 (Ecuador)

Filler: Piloto Ligero, San Vincente Ligero, San Vicente Visus, Hybrid Olor/Piloto Visus, San Vicente Seco (Rep. Dom.) 

In conclusion: a cigar that stands out from the crowd and that is well worth taking time to travel with. It is balanced and extremely well constructed. Its old tobacco will delight your palate without ever assaulting it. I encourage you to go to a Davidoff dealer to do your own tasting and to leave me your impressions under this article.

Price at the time of writing: 33 euros.