Davidoff Year of The Monkey Cigar Review

Limited Editions cigars were made popular by some of the new school brands; and while they have been around for while it was made popular by companies like Drew Estate and Tatuaje to name a few. Since 2012; Davidoff has released a cigar in conjunction with the Chinese New Year and each year the popularity seems to increase from where I sit.

One can make an argument that one of the most popular Limited Editions last year was the Davidoff Year of the Sheep which sold out relatively quick and was highly sought after.

This year the company returns with the Year of the Monkey which has begin arriving in stores.

Cigar Review: Davidoff Year of the Monkey
Size: 6.25 x 54 (Toro)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic (Yamasa)
Filler: Dominican (Hybrid Corojo/Olor Visus, Piloto Visus, San Vicente Visus, San Vicente Mejorado Visus)
Strength: Medium/Full

The Look: The Davidoff Year of the Sheep features a pigtail cap which is something I don’t recall seeing on a Davidoff cigar in the past. Beneath the classic white label band is a red/gold with the Year of the Monkey on it. The near mahogany brown wrapper is seamlessly rolled. In the hand the cigar is firm although somewhat light with a well packed foot.

The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar offers that classic Henke Kelner earthy notes of barnyard and hay, while the aroma off the foot is slightly floral with some earthy components.

Once the cigar is toasted you are treated with a blast of that continued classic Davidoff earthy notes of hay and grass, and before you reach the first quarter-inch the cigar begins to transition. The first third sees some notes of red pepper, and paprika with a touch of espresso like notes and a very subtle licorice.

The second third of the cigar sees some of the classic elements return around the half way point, but prior to doing so the espresso notes were dominant with licorice and lemon rind. As the second third comes to a close the earthy component once again moves to the background as a touch of cinnamon joins the party.

The final third of the Year of the Monkey, has a slight nutty component that almost borders on pistachio and the red pepper notes of the first third return especially on the front end of the smoke. The finish is earthy and moderate in length

The Burn: The draw of the Davidoff Year of the Monkey is as flawless as they come with a fairly even burn line and thin combustion line. The light color ash held for almost each third. The cigar remained lit from first light to last puff.

The Finish: Last year I gave the Year of the Sheep a 88 because the price of the cigar I felt was high, this year however, I didn’t feel as if the price bothered me as much. The cigar had more complexity and stood out above the other Davidoff lines especially with the added strength. If you have a place to store boxes, the packaging is really nice and provides a little something extra.

Score: 91
Price: $34.00 / $339.99 @ Two Guys Smoke Shop

Bullet Points

• In 2012, Year of the Dragon was released in the Asian markets, since then we have seen Year of the Snake (2013), Year of the Horse (2014), Year of the Sheep (2015) and Year of the Monkey (2016).
• I love the dark wrapper that adorns this years release. It is very much not your typical Davidoff looking wrapper.
• The packaging of the cigar is awesome, with the box sitting inside a bamboo sleeve.
• The cigar is medium with an occasional shift to full.
• Davidoff is firing on all cylinders right now with one solid release after another.
• I paired the cigar with a Birch Beer soda.
• Smoking time was 2 hours.