Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Semilla B Nicaraguan
Filler: Esteli Visus, Condega Visus, Piloto Visus, Piloto Seco, San Vicente Mejorado Visus
Vitola: Toro (6 x 52)
Purchase Link: Davidoff Year of the Rat
DAVIDOFF YEAR OF THE RAT REVIEW – CALIFORNIA
Summary: What a stunning chocolate sheen this wrapper has. Flavor town from the first puff! Hickory, red pepper, mint, and milk chocolate. Picking up on some tootsie roll which usually isn't a flavor/mouthfeel that I'm into, but it's balanced with the other notes.
Tootsie roll and mint kick off the second third. I gave it a picky touch-up just to prevent anything from ruining my experience. Brown sugar. Floral notes as well. Thank you, cigar, for reminding me to order Valentine's Day flowers for my girlfriend.
Final third offers mostly chocolate and coffee. The stick is getting a bit squishy and the strength is ramping up now. Had to relight and I'm feeling the heat on my palate. The first two thirds were the highlight of this cigar, but I probably would have enjoyed the final third more if I would have eaten beforehand.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Buffets with bottomless mimosas.
Pairing Suggestion: Alcoholic chocolate banana shake.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Fiver.
DAVIDOFF YEAR OF THE RAT REVIEW – WISCONSIN
Summary: The big question in January in Wisconsin continues to be: will this cigar keep me interested enough to not mind being out in the cold? Spoiler alert for this one: it did.
Throughout the cigar, I tasted earth, chocolate, grass, black pepper, clove, molasses, anise, hickory, cedar, and something very similar to graham cracker. Hints of new flavors just kept appearing, and that made it a fun cigar to smoke in the cold.
The draw was on the tighter side, though not problematic. The burn got pretty uneven a few times but managed to fix itself each time.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Chocolate stouts.
Pairing Suggestion: Rum.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Fiver.
DAVIDOFF YEAR OF THE RAT REVIEW – OREGON
Summary: I’m excited to smoke this cigar. The wrapper is oily and has a ton of tooth. Sourdough bread scent from the wrapper and nearly the same on the cold draw; sourdough bread and some notes of fresh hay.
Bitter tea, fresh oak, mild spiciness and a well-rounded mix of floral notes showing up as starters. If I ignore this stick for more than 30 seconds, it takes some coercing to find the smoke production. Barely an inch in and having to relight the cigar. Bummer. Hopefully my cigar isn’t representative of an entire box.
Approaching the middle of this stick and consistently, the binder and filler are burning much faster than the wrapper. Probably don’t have to explain why this is a problem. When things are working, it’s got great flavors. So far, I’ve had to concentrate more on keeping this lit than actually smoking it. There are good mixes of coffee, citrus and mild wood notes with an underlying hint of sweetness that just can’t seem to find its way.
Sliding into home and this cigar is finally starting to perform. Smoke output is up, the flavors are enjoyable, and the ash is hanging on nicely. Cedar, dark toast, lemon zest and soft notes of graham cracker combine nicely for the main profile. The retro hale is smooth and heavy with cedar and creamy citrus with just a dab of heat.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Watching the underdog come back to tie the game.
Pairing Suggestion: Coffee with cream or a neat pour of rum.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: 5-pack.
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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