Happy Birthday Winston Churchill and a huge loud jeer to Google for not having a doodle on their homepage celebrating the 143rd Birthday of one of the greatest leaders of the free world. What better way to celebrate then to light up the cigar named after him. Tonight I will further the celebration with some scotch and some Iron Maiden, specifically the song Aces High which features in it’s intro an excerpt from a Winston Churchill speech.
We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France.
We shall fight on the seas and oceans.
We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.
We shall fight on the beaches.
We shall fight on the landing grounds.
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets.
We shall fight in the hills.
We shall never surrender!
Cigar: Winston Churchill
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador Rojiza
Binder: Negro San Andreas
Filler: Nicaragua: Esteli Seco, Condegas Seco. Dominican: Piloto Mejorado Seco, Hybrid Olor/Piloto Seco, Piloto Seco.
Length: 5″
Ring: 50
Size: Robusto
The Look: The Davidoff Winston Churchill was rebranded in 2015 and features a white band with a gold foil silhouette of Winston Churchill over the brand name Davidoff. The silky and oily looking wrapper has a couple of prominent veins that detract slightly from the beauty of the cigar. In the hand the cigar has a heavy weight and a nice balance to it with no soft spots. The well packed foot reveals darker swirls of tobacco.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Winston Churchill mimics what you would expect from Davidoff in the sense that the notes are earthy along with some subtle caramel. The aroma of the foot has notes of earth and hay that for me are synonymous with Henke Kelner and Davidoff.
Once the cigar is clipped and toasted the first profile is a dry toast. As we progress into the first third I was surprised by the strength of the cigar, this isn’t the ultra-mild Winston Churchill I smoked in the early parts of the decade. The cigar has a nice amount of pepper and subtle spices over some earth while the aroma of the cigar has a slight cocoa to it.
In the second third of the Winston Churchill some of the cocoa from the aroma works into the profile of the cigar itself which creates an enjoyable sweetness. There remains some pepper in the background, but there is also a fruit like note that is slightly tart on the moderate finish.
The last third of the Winston Churchill there is some subtle pepper notes through the nose and while some of the cocoa notes stay, the focal point is an earthy component with nuances of cedar and hay.
The Finish: A great man deserves a great cigar, and Davidoff has accomplished just that. It’s very much a Davidoff cigar right down to its price, but it is worth every penny. It also pairs nicely with a mellow scotch, which is an added bonus. I tend to buy these 5 at a time due to the price, but if that doesn’t scare you of they are definitely box worthy.
Score: 91
Price: $16.99 / $321.99
Winston Churchill Foot
Winston Churchill Burn
