Out of the Humidor: Davidoff Puro d’Oro

by Michael Herklots

Luxury cigar manufacturer, Davidoff of Geneva has released a brand new line of premium cigars out of the Dominican Republic.  Originally made in Cuba in 1967, Davidoff moved its entire production to the Dominican Republic in 1990 under the supervision of tobacco great Hendrik Kelner.  Through this move they positioned themselves as a global luxury cigar brand, available world-wide as the same brand, packaging and flavor.  Over the years, new lines were launched under the Davidoff brand from the Classic and Mille Series to the Grand Cru and Aniversario lines; slowly and deliberately always with a focus on quality and consistency.  The last new line to be released was the Davidoff Millennium Blend in 2001, the fullest bodied experience the company ever offered.  Though limited editions are released annually; one shape one blend- the Davidoff Puro d’Oro is an entirely new line with an entirely new flavor and concept.

 

A Dominican puro, this line of cigars takes inspiration from Davidoff’s Cuban era- simple boxes, simple packaging, with the focus all on the cigar itself.  Adorned only with an embossed band on the cigar’s foot to indicate the format, these gorgeous smokes are made entirely of Dominican tobacco including the precious wrapper leaf.  This gorgeous wrapper is grown in a region called Yamasa, southeast of Santiago in the mountains of Dominican Republic en-route to Santo Domingo, the nation’s capitol.  Its unique soil and climate deliver an equally unique flavor.  To give credit where credit is due, Mr. Kelner begain the early development and experimentation of this tobacco in 1996.  Though original attempts were unsuccessful, he continued to experiment with different seeds, and more impressively cross-bred seeds in order to create unique hybrid seeds, more resistant to some of the region’s challenges.  In 2003 Kelner began working in Yamasa, drawn to the incredibly rich, red clay-like soil.  Finally in 2006 Kelner was satisfied with the crop, and began storing this tobacco- allowing it to age until it was ready to be used for this special project.