BACKGROUND: I first featured the Davidoff Puro d'Oro Notables back in Episode 220 of the Stogie Fresh 5 podcast back on Sunday, May 9, 2010. These cigars have now been resting in my humidor in their original box for 1 year, 1 month and I pulled out a couple of samples last week for a revisit.

This cigar features carefully chosen single-origin tobaccos and showcases the Davidoff Yamasa wrapper. The packaging hearkens back to an earlier time in Davidoff history. The cigars come with pigtail tops and bundled in batches of 25 and elegantly tied with a silk ribbon and packed in a paper-covered box.

The wrapper is a very special one. It comes from a region in the central part of the Island called Yamasa. This part of the country is not known for growing cigar tobacco and yet these unique climate and soil conditions give the wrapper a flavor and aroma that you would not normally expect from a cigar made by the Davidoff company.

Like the wrapper, the filler and binder tobacco for the Puro d'Oro is also grown in the Dominican Republic, making this cigar, as the name suggests, a true Dominican puro. The Davidoff Puro d’Oro series comes in 5 sizes: This week's featured cigar is the 5.6-inch by 46 ring, Notables, which retails for $13.50 per stick.

TASTING NOTES: The Notables starts off quickly with predominant notes of wood and earth. Then, just as quickly the tobacco sweetness develops to balance the smoke off nicely. You will also likely note a touch of baker's chocolate and medium roast coffee.

As the cigar progresses there is a wet forest character that develops and the aromas are full and musky.

The construction of this cigar, as always, was spot on. The draw was smooth and nearly effortless and the burn line was even. The ash was slightly flaky and yet held on for one inch chunks. When I tapped off the ash, it fell almost flush with the foot.

In the second half, there were notes of cedar and mint and the smoke finished with a lengthy impact on the palate. The retrohale is wonderfully spicy with a good dose of white pepper and cedar.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The Davidoff Puro d'Oro Notables is my favorite new cigar from Davidoff. I named the Notables as the 4th best cigar of 2010 on my Stogie Fresh Honor Roll. An extra year of age has not changed the flavor and body profile significantly.

This is a complex smoke that challenges your palate with a diversity of flavors. 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. The price tag; at $13.50 per cigar, is steep and may put the Puro d'Oro out of reach for some smokers. And yet, this would be a nice special occasion cigar. The Puro d'Oro is an excellent smoke and I recommend it highly.

~Doc