REVIEW: Davidoff Puro d’Oro Sublime

Tonight's cigar comes to me in a blind trade I did with a fellow BOTL Lee (@sirpantsornot on Twitter). I sent Lee some sticks he'd been looking to try, and in return, he fired back with a few of my favorites and one of these little guys that I had been hoping to get my hands on. Davidoff cigars have a long and famous history in the cigar world and it would be really silly of me to repeat all of that info in this post when I'm sure you can easily find it yourself with a quick Google search. The one thing I do want to mention is the  Puro d'Oro line is different from the normal Davidoff cigars as this is their first (non-cuban) endeavor into a true "puro" (made from a single country's tobacco) vitola.

A quote from the Davidoff site:
The Davidoff Puro d’Oro cigars are made according to a long-established, traditional method using only tobaccos from the country of origin – including the unique Dominican Davidoff Yamasa™ wrapper leaf developed especially for this new cigar series. 

It was a hot day outside, so a short smoke suited me nicely.

Due to the size of this cigar, this review is only in two parts instead of the traditional thirds. 

Specifics

Vitola: Petit Panetela
Length: 4.875
Ring Gauge: 38
Wrapper: Dominican "DavidoffYamasa
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: $9.50 each
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

My Puro d’Oro Sublime was a very classic-looking small cigar. The wrapper had a very natural mixture of light brown and yellow tones to it and only a few minimal veins. Running my fingers up the wrapper, the cigar had quite a bit of oil to it but still felt very smooth and not slick in anyway. Pinching the vitola from head to foot, there were no soft spots - just a perfect amount of give with pinched more firmly. The pre-lit aroma coming off of the cigar smelled strongly of hay with just a slight note of sweet tobacco. This was more of a clean hay smell, not that earthy barnyard smell you get with a lot of other cigars. The pig-tailed cap clipped effortlessly and the cold draw had mainly hay flavors to it, but I also got what I would describe as an applesauce flavor on the finish. This is not a flavor I tend to pick up in cigars, so to me, this was very interesting.

First Half 

I used a soft flame lighter to light this cigar due to it's size and me not wanting to scorch the foot of the stick. Once evenly lit, the cigar gave off a medium amount of smoke, which is what I expect from such a small vitola, and was drawing perfectly. The initial flavors were somewhat muted but tasted of a mild black pepper, that I really only picked up on the taste buds on the front of my tongue, with a woodsy finish. The wood flavor was not of any particular type of wood, but more of a burnt wood taste. The body of the cigar started off in the medium to medium-full range and the burn was straight. Davidoff must have some high quality rollers because the construction of this little guy was top notch. About 3/4 of an inch into the cigar the flavor profile really changed. I started getting a very spicy strong red pepper flavor. These flavors I would compare to the red pepper flakes that you can pick up at pizza joints. The woodsy notes were still there on the finish, but the spicy red pepper was really starting to dominate.

Second Half and Final Thoughts

The flavor profile of the second half of my Puro d’Oro Sublime continued on and finished, the same way the first half ended. The cigar had a very spicy red pepper flavor that dominated my palate making it hard to taste anything else. One big change from the first half of the stick to the second was the amount the strength increased. I smoked this little cigar after having an average-sized dinner and I still could noticeably feel the nicotine kick in my body. The closer I got to the nub, the nicotine seemed to build even more so much that I started to feel it hit my stomach also. It's safe to say, this was not very relaxing or enjoyable on a hot day.


My final thoughts on the Puro d’Oro Sublime by Davidoff? Some will call me crazy, but this stick didn't do it for me. Besides the flavor change up close to the beginning of the experience, I found this cigar to be flat and uneventful. I do like spicy cigars but I also like them to have a bit more dimension to them and not just be an all-out burner. My wife is going to laugh at that statement because I tend to like the food I eat to be so spicy that she won't even touch it. (And yes...she did laugh.) I think maybe in a bigger size this blend might show more and have a few more tricks up its sleeve, but at the cost of these cigars I doubt I will risk spending the money on many more.

Would I buy it again? For the reasons stated in my final thoughts, I probably won't be buying anymore of these cigars. But again, I want to thank Lee for doing a trade with me and for sending me this stick to try. I really appreciate it. 

Would I buy a box? See above.

Dan

REVIEW: Illusione Epernay Le Matin (Box Press)

The Illusione Epernay Le Matin is the latest stick from Dion Giolito (Vudu9 on twitter), owner and founder of Illusione Cigars. The main feature (besides the size) that sets this Epernay apart from the rest of the line is this stick is box pressed. In fact to my knowledge, this is the only stick under the Illusione banner that has a box press. If you would like to know more background details about the Epernay line of cigars in general, I did a review of the Le Ferme size HERE with some history of the line.

These sticks are only available at New Havana Cigars at the moment, so if you would like to purchase some please visit this link. I was over at New Havana hanging out with Dan (NHCDAN on twitter) Friday night and he was nice enough to smoke one of these with me, and give me another for a review. Big thanks again to Dan and now on with the review.

Specifics
Vitola: Le Matin
Length: 6.75
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Cafe Rosado
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo and Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
MSRP: Aprox. $11.25
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light

By the time I could get a free hour or so to smoke this Epernay Le Matin, it had sat in my coolidor for five days. I'm sure the five days helped it settle some, as these sticks are very fresh, but it also resulted in the stick losing almost all of its box pressed shape. To me this was actually a good thing, as I am not a huge fan of the box pressed sticks. I thought I had better mention that  in this review, because as you see in the pictures, the stick looks almost round and I didn't want any confusion. My Epernay Le Matin had a very oily, milk chocolate color wrapper with a few small veins. The pre-lit aroma coming off the cigar was a nice floral smell that was even stronger at the foot. When I took a deep inhale through my nose from the foot of the cigar it tingled so much I had to hold back from sneezing. Interesting, to say the least. The triple cap clipped easily and the cold draw was free with again that sweet floral taste.

First Third 

After a problem-free lighting, the smoke that this vitola was producing was extremely thick and rich. This cigar had the kind of smoke that, right after lighting, fills your mouth and coats your palate instantly. The initial flavors were somewhat muted by the thickness of the smoke, but what was there were notes of cream, mixed with honey and sweet coffee. After a few puff,s the smoke started to thin a little and the flavors became much more pronounced. The profile was the same, but now the sweetness of the coffee had my taste buds alive and wanting more. I have smoked a fair amount of cigars from the Epernay line and I would say that this one started off quite a bit different. I'm not sure if it's due to the size or these being somewhat young cigars, but I don't recall the Epernay having smoke this thick in the past. It was not a bad thing, just different. The body was medium to medium-full right from the start and the burn was razor sharp. Another aspect of this cigar worth mentioning here, is even with all of the smoke this stick was drawing and putting off while resting, the burn was very slow. It's like this stick said right to your face, "I am not to be rushed."

Second Third 

From the start of the second third of my Epernay Le Matin, things started to change to the more familiar. The bellowing thick smoke had died off a bit and the flavors really started to take that classic Epernay profile. I was still getting some of the honey experienced in the first third, but now the coffee flavor had really ramped up and the floral notes I smelled in the pre-lite had just slightly started to appear. The floral flavors were really prevalent after I cleaned my palate with the cold water and were an insight into what was to come. The body stayed the same as the first third, and again, I had no problems at all with the burn. Most people who smoke products from Illusione know that when they light one of these up, ninety nine times out of a hundred you are going to have no problems with the construction. This cigar was no different.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third of my Epernay Le Matin is where that wonderful floral flavor really took over. Saying that this cigar tastes floral is kind of vague but I'm not really sure what other word to use. It's not floral like over-the-top potpourri or something that you would find in little old ladies houses, but more of a sweet perfume taste. Maybe, now that I think back fifteen minutes to when I was smoking it, it's slightly black cherryish? Again that's not the best way to describe it so if someone can leave me a comment of a better way to word it I'd be all ears. I'm sure it's out there, it's just not coming to me. Back on track. The coffee flavors were still hinting but now way in the background that they became almost an after thought to me. One other big difference in the final third of my Epernay Le Matin was the body. This stick ramped right up into the full range. It was not over powering by any means, but I was happy that this strength was only at the end of the stick and not all the way through as I am more a medium to medium-full kind of guy.


My final thoughts on the Illusione Epernay Le Matin? If you like the other cigars in the Epernay line you're going to love this. And I do. This stick, other than the really thick smoke at the start, and the powerful body at the end fits right in line with the rest of the brand and doesn't disappoint. I would suggest if you want to truly smoke one with a hard box press shape to it, either keep them tightly packed in the cab, or smoke it as soon as you get it. I don't think the box press shape makes this cigar, but everyone has their own opinion. Like I said above, these sticks are only on sale at New Havana Cigars at the moment so if you want to pick some up please visit this link and tell Dan I sent ya.



Would I buy it again? There is no way to hide it, these sticks are expensive when it comes to the Epernay line. If you're anything like me, you'll want to try at least a handful of everything that Dion produces, so I will be picking up a few more. 

Would I buy a box? Even in smaller cabs of 25 (yay!) these cigars are out of my cigar budget right now in box quantities.

(side note: I'm sorry for the junky pictures in this review. My point and shoot was having a hell of a time picking up the gold lettering on this band with the sun casting glares all over the place. Hopefully I can get some better shots later.)

Dan