Davidoff Piquant Gordo

Davidoff of Geneva is, in my mind, the king of cigar branding. They have limited edition cigars released on top of limited edition cigars released on top of "Vault" cigars released on top of regular offerings on top of more limited edition cigars. 

I mean think about it, their cigars are always dependable and enjoyable but I honestly can not think of one cigar from them that is truly memorable. They are the Toyota of cigars with the issue being you are often paying Lexus' (or is it Lexi'?) pricing for a Camry. I have not documented much Davidoff Cigar reviews here since it has been a while. I tend to shy away from them because of their pricing. Most offerings begin in the $12 to $15 range, which is okay I suppose, but become wildly expensive for more limited releases. I just have a hard time ponying up that kind of dough for what are usually pretty mundane and mild smokes. Like I said before, nothing wrong with them..... dependable and consistent...... but dare I say overrated?

Let's see if the Piquant is any different. This cigar came to me through a monthly subscription service, that I have since cancelled.... I just have too many cigars in storage. This is not technically a Davidoff "Vault" release but it was more or less a very limited release to a small number of stores. The Piquant can be found in a 5" x 50 Robusto and a 6" x 60 Gordo with my sample being the latter. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano leaf that is packed full of Ecuadorian and Nicaraguan filler tabacco. The whole package is bound together by an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder. These babies are not cheap, the Robusto retails for around $30 USD and the Gordo is slightly more expensive and is approaching the $40 USD per stick rate. Yikes. These are not cigars I would have picked out of a box at a B&M. It seems like you can easily source them from various on-line retailers at the time this review is being written.

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Ecuador

Filler: Ecuador and Nicaragua

Length: 6"

Ring Gauge: 60

Size: Gordo

The Smoke: This is a beautiful looking cigar. The Habano leaf is a a nice Colorado hue that is oily and has some well defined veins. The foot of the cigar seems slightly flat on one side but, other than that, seems very well constructed.  There is some slight budge to the cigar as it is squeezed. The cap was sliced with my brand new Colibri SV cutter. Perhaps, I need to do a review of the Colibri SV cutter but in the meantime I will just say that thing is an absolute unit. It’s a thiccboy.

The flavor from the smoke is solid, in typical Davidoff fashion. There are notes of cedar, pepper, earth, cream, and espresso. The flavor begins pepper forward but transitions to the other notes quickly. The most prominent note during the smoke is earth and pepper with the cream and espresso most staying in a complimentary role. The profile is generally sweet but undulates between sweetness and balance. The body of the smoke ranges from mild to medium strength with the body growing slowly from beginning to end. This is truly a world class cigar in every meaning of the phrase.

The cigar has a good draw with no related issues and a even burn rate. Once again, this cigar is dependable af. A good quality smoke that will, surely, never let you down. Here is my one contention, and it is a contention for almost every Davidoff I smoke. Is this a $40 USD cigar? No, I don't exactly think so. Its a great smoke, no doubt, but I enjoy being able to pay my credit card bills. This cigar reminds me a lot of the Patina Habano  that I smoked a few months back.  Not to take anything away from the Piquant.... its an excellent smoke.... but I find myself always reaching for the better value. How many Patina Habanos can you buy for the same price of 1 Davidoff Piquant Gordo?

The Score: Buy a Single... just so you can say you had one...