Last night I got to speak with Jeff Stone who does product training for Davidoff. During the course of the conversation we spoke on how each of the Winston Churchill had a different strength. For me I thought it was the Toro which I reviewed last week, and this week I thought I would see if his assessment of the Robusto being the strongest was spot on.
Normally, I don’t like to review sizes of cigars this close together, but I am taken this as challenge accepted. According to the Davidoff website, “As one of history’s great statesmen, Sir Winston knew that balance was vital to fulfill his responsibilities. The leader of the nation and the man of the people. The politician and the humanitarian. The military strategist and the diplomat. And of course, a strong character. The same applies to this Robusto cigar. Its harmonised leather and dark coffee flavours courtesy of tobacco from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Mexico married to an oily, silky wrapper from Ecuador, also achieve a perfect balance. The pressures of statesmanship can be made tolerable when there is a fine cigar to be enjoyed.”
The Davidoff Winston Churchill is only available at Davidoff White Label accounts.
Cigar: Davidoff Winston Churchill
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador Rojiza
Binder: Negro San Andrés (Mexico)
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli Seco, Condegas Seco) Dominican (Piloto Mejorado Seco, Hybrid Olor/Piloto Seco, Piloto Seco)
Strength: Medium
Source: Two Guys Smoke Shop
The Look: The more I look at the Rojiza wrapper that adorns the Winston Churchill the more I fall in love with the wrapper appearance. though slightly veiny, the amount of oils visible are enticing to the eye. The cigar begs to be smoked and the white and gold band is classic Davidoff. In the hand the cigar is firm with an above average weight and a well packed foot.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Winston Churchill Robusto reminds me a little bit of spearmint gum, with some of that classic Kelner barnyard taste as well. The nose off the foot of the cigar has more barnyard aromas as well. Just based on the cold draw of the cigar this does indeed seem slightly stronger than the Toro.
Once the cigar is lit, there is some nice spice on the palate and through the nose. There is some coffee notes and a hint of cedar present as well on the first third of the smoke. As the cigar progresses the coffee notes fade, and the cedar and earth remain.
In the second third of the cigar some leather develops, and the coffee notes return into the mix. The strength of the cigar is definitely more full than the toro, however the toro seemed to have more complexity.
The last third of the Winston Churchill Robusto delivers notes of robust coffee, with hints of leather and a slightly woodsy finish. There is some spice that remains on the nose throughout the cigar.
The Burn: The burn line of the Robusto wasn’t as sharp as the Toro, and sadly the ash dropped just as I was taking the picture of the cigar. It held on for about twenty percent of the cigar, and the draw was perfect as you would expect from Davidoff.
The Finish: For me the Toro will be my go to version of the Winston Churchill. The robusto is slightly stronger than the toro, however it lacks the complexity of that cigar which has fallen into my daily repertoire. Regardless, Davidoff has a winner with the new Winston Churchill line.
