Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition Cigar Review

For me, one the strongest showings in 2015 was from Davidoff. When it comes to brand of the year, Davidoff left all its competitors in the dust. The rebranding of AVO and release of Avo Sycnro; the relaunch of Winston Churchill, Camacho ABA and the introduction of Escurio had the company firing on all cylinders and then some.

It seems like 2016 has the company is continuing right where it left off. There is talk of the Davidoff Nicaragua being released in a box press format and already we have seen the Camacho Ditka Game Time LE. Today’s cigar the Winston Churchill Limited Edition which features a tweaked blend and is limited to 3,500 boxes of 10 continues the trend for the Switzerland based company.

Cigar Review: Winston Churchill LE 2016
Size: 6 x 56 (Gran Toro / The Raconteur)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Negro San Andrés (Mexico)
Filler: Nicaragua: Esteli Seco, Condegas Seco
Dominican: Piloto Visus, Hybrid Olor/Piloto Visus, Piloto Seco, San Vicente Ligero (15 years)
Strength: Medium-Full

The Look: The Limited Edition features a secondary band that contains quotes from Sir Winston Churchill and on this particular review cigar it states, “The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” This ties into the name of the cigar; Raconteur and is defined as a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. In addition to the secondary band the white and gold primary band features a silhouette of the former prime minister of the United Kingdom.

The cigar itself features golden Habano wrapper from Ecuador that is flawlessly rolled with an abundance of oils creating a nice sheen to the cigar. There are a few thin veins present and one that stands out above the rest though it is fairly flush to the wrapper. In the hand the cigar is firm with no soft spots and the foot of the cigar is well packed with a nice of amount of darker tobaccos.

The Notes: The cold draw lives up to the Davidoff expectations with notes of grass, wheat, and earth. There is also a bit of spice on the lips as well which is a nice addition. The aroma off the foot has some notes of wheat and it comes off as warm and toasty.

The Winston Churchill Raconteur is different from the original release right off the bat. There seems to be a bit more strength to the cigar. The primary notes of wheat and earth are joined but elements of cedar and a touch of citrus. Through the nose, the retrohale serves up additional pepper notes and a touch of coffee.

The second third sees the cigar continue with a medium-full strength profile. The notes continue to be a bit earthy with wheat being the dominant taste. On the finish there is a licorice note with a touch of espresso that is complimented through the nose on the retrohale.

The last third notes of leather develop replacing the earthy notes of the first two-thirds of the cigar. The licorice remains though its more of an afterthought at this point of the cigar. There continues to be some spice through the nose and a nice espresso finish.

The Burn: The Habano wrapper from Ecuador has one of the thinnest combustion lines I have seen which is a testament to the quality of Davidoff. The burn is near perfect and it reveals a medium gray ash that has no flake whatsoever and it holds for more than half the cigar before I decided to roll the ash off into the ashtray. The draw offered the right amount of resistance and it remains burning throughout until I put down the nub some 2 hours and 30 minutes after I initially lit it.

The Finish: When the press release came out announcing these cigars I had to scratch my head at the $10.00 up charge for a cigar that wasn’t much bigger than the regular release. But I made the mistake many people made by figuring value into size. The Winston Churchill Limited Edition lives up to its price tag. That’s the simple way to put it. There is a bit more strength to the cigar, and the cigar seems smoother and more complex. Definitely worthy of a spot in your humidor.

Score: 93
Price: $27.99 / $265.99