Davidoff Broberg's 125th Anniversary

As I was perusing my vinotemp one day recently, I came across this interesting stick that I received in a trade at some point in the past, and had promptly forgotten about...When I came across it, the look of it intrigued me, so I figured it would be the next review :)

The Davidoff Broberg's 125th Anniversary cigar was released by Davidoff to mark the 125th anniversary of Brobergs cigar shop in Stockholm, Sweden. These cigars were released ONLY in Sweden, but even though Brobergs does not ship outside of their country, a few sticks did seem to make it out (as evidenced by the fact that I have one)...

Released in October of 2006, there were only 250 boxes of 10 and 1500 singles produced, for a total production of 4,000 cigars. Interesting note, the size of the cigar (125mm, or 4.92 inches) was specifically made to coincide with the fact that it was the 125th Anniversary...

Enough of that, lets get down to business...

• Country of Origin: Sweden
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut shade
• Binder: Dominican San Vicente
•  Filler: Combination of Piloto-ligero, San Vicente-ligero, San Vicente-seco and Olor-seco
   
• Size: 4.92 Inches (125mm)
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Est. Price: $20 (Original Price)
• Date Produced: 2006

First, I have to say I loved the shape of this cigar...smaller but very hefty, and it makes a statement when you see it...The wrapper is a VERY light brown, and is smooth with very little oil on it...the smell coming off of the wrapper was tobacco with a bit of cinnamon (but mostly tobacco)...

Immediately after sparking the cigar, I was shocked by a blast of spice...Davidoff cigars are very well known for their mild to medium blends, so this was a bit disconcerting...Not in a bad way, mind you, but I was certainly not expecting it...the spice died down quickly to a more "Normal" level (for a Davidoff, anyway), and other flavors start coming through such as grass and quite a bit of oak...

In the second third, the spice died down to almost nothing, and the flavors start tending toward more "Nutty" tastes...like a creamy roasted nuts flavor, with more oak and at the very end of the third, I tasted a bit of a floral note...

The last third kept the same MO as the 2nd...Floral notes, with nuts, and quite a bit of oak....I was hoping for some of that cinnamon I smelled in the wrapper to make an appearance, but alas, that was not to be...I nubbed it easily, and it smoked great all the way to end, never getting hot...

Final Notes:

• The Draw was a bit loose for the entire stick, but the burn was excellent, and the ash held on the cigar for quite a long time (which I always love to see)...
• Despite it's smaller size, this cigar took quite a while to smoke...
• Final smoking time was 1 hour and 25 minutes...
• The smell of the smoke coming from the cigar was wonderful, a great floral/spicy blend that I really loved...

The Bottom Line: I was expecting a mild cigar, and I was not disappointed in that regard (other then the first few puffs, of course, which were surprising)...Davidoff's cigars are usually long on the flavor and short on the strength, but in this case, I was not overly impressed with the flavors coming out of this stick...I was hoping for more, especially considering how hard these are to get and the price...As it is, I would say that you could get a better smoke (although not necessarily a cheaper smoke) from any number of other Davidoff's regular lines...Unfortunately, the best thing about this cigar was the smell of the smoke coming from it...

Final Score: 82

Miscellaneous Site Change- "Preproduction" vs "Prerelease" reviews

You may have noticed that a few of my reviews were titled as "Preproduction" reviews, (especially around the IPCPR Convention), and that the Editor's note before the review mentioned that I would not be giving "Preproduction" reviews a final score...

Well, after talking with a few people I trust, I am making a change in the way the reviews are classified on this site... the friends (most of whom are "in the business" so to speak, and are quite a bit more knowledgeable then I am about everything cigars) have told me there is a huge difference between a "PreRelease" cigar and a "PreProduction" cigar (and in retrospect, it is really quite obvious)...

Basically, a Prerelease stick is one in which the final blend has been chosen, and the cigars are just waiting for something or another before being sent out to retailers (the Tatuaje Dracs, for example, were all rolled at the same time, but a few people got a few before they were released to the general public)... Preproductions are typically cigars where the blend is not yet finished being tweeked and tested...For example, the "Dirty Rat" by Drew Estates is a Preproduction stick, as the blend has not finalized (and it might NEVER be released)...

I have quite a few Preprodcution sticks to smoke (including the aforementioned  Drew Estates "Dirty Rat", a preproduction Pepin smoke that is still being tested and a Tatuaje cigar that will most likely NEVER be produced for the general public) as well as some Prereleases (including the new Tatuaje Black Tubo, the new Fuente Lost City, and the new Tatuaje El Triunfador blend)...plenty to keep me busy...

So, the bottom line is that from this moment on, I WILL be rating Prereleases (since they are basically the same stick as will be released to the public) but not Preproductions, since the blend on any of them could (and most likely will) change before their final release...

I have also changed all of the former Preproduction cigar reviews to Prerelease reviews, and given each a final score (which I had written down in my notes when I was done smoking them, but never published)...at the this point, the only actual Preprodcution cigar I have previewed is the Tatuaje L'esprit de La Verite, although that will be changing soon enough...

Hope that clears things up, but if you have any questions, ask in the comments, and I will do my best to answer them...

One Minute Review- Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial (2008)

In October of 2008, the Oliva family started shipping a new cigar to retailers, the Oliva Serie V Maduro. Available in only one size, a 6"x 52 Torpedo, there were only 50,000 produced (10 to a box at about $8 a stick), and at that price, they sold out VERY quickly after word got out about them...

I tried a few when they were released (alas, no formal review), and I was impressed enough to buy a box of them to put away...Well, I was rummaging through one of my vinos trying to make some room, and came across the (unopened) box, and thought I would do a followup review, especially since Oliva has now released an updated Oliva Serie V Maduro (2009), also with only 50,000 produced, so if you missed out on the last version, you can try the new one...

When I first smoked this stick a year ago, it was a powerhouse smoke...not even close to the strongest I have smoked of course, but it packed a punch, and I was eager to see how a year of age had changed it...

When I opened the box, the sticks were just as great looking as I remember...the wrapper is a wonderful dark chocolate brown, and I love the look of the torpedo viola...The smell coming off of them was a wonderful combination of hay, tobacco and pepper, and the cigar itself was extremely firm, with no soft spots at all...Interesting to note that there was also just a bit of oil on the wrapper as well...

The major flavors for this smoke were chocolate, spice (especially in the first third, it really zinged me for the first 15 puffs or so...it took be a bit by surprise with the amount of spice after a year of age, honestly), leather, oak and some roasted nuts (especially in the last third, where the spice died down quite a bit, allowing other flavors to take center stage)...

The burn and draw were excellent for the whole smoke (although the ash did not stay on the cigar long, no more then half and inch for the entire stick)...

The Bottom Line: All in all, it was a very nice smoke, with quite a few contrasting flavors, and quite a bit more punch then I expected...not quite as much as I remember when it was fresh, but I think this is a perfect example of how aging a cigar can enhance and meld together the flavors that are already present into a great smoke in it's own right...

Final Score: 89

 

 DON'T FORGET:

Leave a comment (any comment) to enter our contest to win 1 Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial (2008)  from my Vinotemp!

Details and Rules Here!

Dallas Cowboys Contest- Week 10- Win 3 Tatuaje Posters!

I have been a bad blogger late this week, but I have been out of town for business since Thursday, and driving home today...

After a WONDERFUL win last week against the Eagles (face it, we wanted it more), we are playing Green Bay today AT GB...not the easiest place to play, and the Cowboys are not the greatest team on the road as it is...It seems like the better the cigars/swag I put up for the contest, the better we do, so I have decided to give away (contest away?) something I have never seen for sale (except where I got them)...a three pack of posters for various Tatuaje lines of cigars...Ambro Mundos, La Requiza and El Triunfador...GREAT looking posters, I just don't have anywhere to put them, and I hate for something like this to just sit in a box when someone else could use them on their walls...

You can read the rules of the contest here...Basically, if the Cowboys win on Sunday (today), you post a comment starting immediately after the game ends, and the person whose comment was posted closest to the time that I have already determined (and written down) wins...

The Game starts at 3:15pm (Central Time-the BEST time zone!), and I will be in my car listening (driving home)...

And always, GO COWBOYS!

Quick News Flash- Benji Menendez in Dallas on Tuesday Night!

The cigar Legend himself, Benji Menendez will be in Dallas on Tuesday night to promote his new Partagas cigar, offically called the Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso (which I previewed here)...Partagas will be hosting these “Benji Menendez Social” get togethers in 5 different cities, and attendies will be able to sample the new cigar, as well as drinks from sponsors Mount Gay Rum, Courvoisier and more...You can find all the info and sign up to go by clicking here and entering the password of 6296911
....(The Secret Location of the GTG will be send out via email 36 hours ahead of time to those that sign up)...

The other events will be as follows...Los Angeles, CA on Dec. 1, 2009- Las Vegas, NV on Dec. 3, 2009- Chicago, IL on Dec. 8, 2009- and New York, NY on Dec. 15, 2009...

I will be at the event in Dallas, so if you attend, come up and say hello...