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.