BACKGROUND: The new Davidoff Puro d'Oro is a tribute to Davidoff's cigar-making roots. These new cigars come bundled in batches of 25, are tied with a silk ribbon and packed in a paper-covered box. This type of packaging was used in the 1940s. The head of the cigar sports a pigtail, which gives the Puro d’Oro cigars a characteristic of earlier formats such as the Davidoff No. “1” and “2”, which were launched in 1967.

The Puro d'Oro features carefully chosen single-origin tobaccos and showcases the Davidoff Yamasa wrapper. The wrapper is grown in Yamasá, which is located in the Monte Plata region in the central part of the Island. This area is known primarily as a rural agriculture community, where they grow sugar cane, plantains and mangoes. This part of the country is not known for growing cigar tobacco and yet the “tierra” is surprisingly similar to the best tobacco lands found in Cuba over 50 years ago. The soil has a low PH level, lots of iron and is high in micronutrients. And the region has a very high relative humidity, which is crucial for tobacco during the curing process. These unique climate and soil conditions give the wrapper on this new cigar a flavor and aroma not normally found in cigars made by Davidoff.

Like the wrapper, the filler and binder tobacco for the Puro d'Oro are also grown in the Dominican Republic, making this cigar, as the name suggests, a true Dominican "puro." The Puro d’Oro series comes in 4 sizes. The cigar I’m reviewing is the 5.6 inch by 46 ring, Notables.

TASTING NOTES: The wrapper is darker than on most Davidoff cigars. It has a beautiful reddish-brown color, a resiny texture and delicate almost invisible veins. The aroma of the tobacco is like that of a barnyard. It's full of grains, like alfalfa, and the steamy smokiness of manure and earth. Quite wonderful, really.

As to the flavor, this cigar starts off with a touch of citrus and "Davidoff tanginess." There is also tobacco sweetness, and a touch of baker's chocolate. As the smoke progresses, there is the "bready" character of oatmeal cookies, with cinnamon and spices and a musty wet-forest aroma.

The construction of this cigar was impeccable. I especially enjoyed the draw, which was so smooth that it was nearly effortless. A draw this smooth allows the smoker to "sip" the cigar, rather than pulling 3-4 times to get enough smoke through the cigar. The burn line was meandering and the ash was a bit flaky.

At about the halfway point I noticed that the cigar was exhibiting a very long finish. There were notes of cedar tannins that remained on my tongue and there was an intense sweetness with “prickly” notes of mint.

The Davidoff Puro d'Oro Notables is an excellent cigar. It has some of the features of other Davidoff cigars, namely the wet forest and a certain unique "tang." But there are many other flavors that I've never tasted before in a Davidoff cigar. Oatmeal cookie, with cinnamon and spices and a citrus zest, just to name a few.

This cigar is obviously complex and, because of its diversity of flavor, is an interesting smoke and one that keeps you interested throughout the smoke.

The Puro d'Oro is medium to full in body, flavor and strength. It smokes superbly, with a perfect draw and an even burn. If you enjoy Davidoff's, you must try this cigar just to note the vast differences from other Davidoff blends. If you haven't tried Davidoff's, perhaps this should be your first.

The only thing that may hold some back would be the price tag; at $13.50 per cigar, the Puro d'Oro is not for everyone. And yet, if you crave a unique experience, put away some spare change and "go for the gold." Puro d'Oro.


~Doc