Davidoff Escurio Primeros

Overall Score

1 review for Davidoff Escurio Primeros

  1. B********

    DavidoffOrigin : Dominican Republic
    Format : Petit Panetela
    Size : 4 1/8″ x 34 ring gauge (105mm x 13.49mm)
    Origin : Dominican Republic
    Hand-Finished mid-filler (long & short combination)
    Price :Price : ~ € 4.50 / $ 5.50

    Draw : [rating:5/6]
    Burn : [rating:4/6]
    Flavour : [rating:3/6]
    Aroma : [rating:4/6]
    strength : [rating:4/6]

    Tasting

    The Davidoff Escurio Primeros is a small, spicy, medium-strong cigar with a Brazil theme, offering interesting changes throughout the smoke, tho it is more spicy & leathery than Brasil-sweet, given its Ecuador wrapper over a Brasil Cubra binder and Brasil plus Dominican filler.

    For me this is the best of Davidoff’s several Primeros offerings, tho I think it falls short of the Escurio promise to combine both spicy and sweet in its cigars. I love the Bahia Brasil sweet cigar wrappers, and am surprised Davidoff did not choose one of them to cover the spicy Brasil Cubra tobacco – a Cuban-seed Criollo – that forms this cigar’s binder and part of the filler.

    A little more sweetness here and this could have been a stunning stick. There is some sweet Bahia Brasil Mata Fina tobacco in the filler but it doesn’t take a strong enough presence here.

    The Escurio name means roughly ‘dark Rio’, combining the Portuguese word ‘escuro’ meaning ‘dark’ plus the shortened name of Rio de Janeiro, suggesting a lively night in that fabled city.

    Should say a word here about the ‘hand-made’ label here for the Primeros and many other cigars. ‘Hand-finished’ is a more accurate label for these Primeros, the short-filler Habanos Cubans, and many other sticks. Today’s machines can rather nicely bunch even some long-filler tobacco, and place them inside a tobacco binder, with the ‘hand-made’ part being the torcedora applying the cigar wrapper and cap.

    With the Primeros, there is both long and short-filler tobacco used to create them. So you not only have a traditional cigar cap you need to cut or punch, you also often have a burning cigar showing a nice pointy ash from its long-filler centre. If the tobaccos are well-chosen, you have a quality experience that can rival a modest (if not exceptional) fully hand-rolled cigar … tho the cigar is not really ‘hand-rolled’ as one might think of it.

    Davidoff sells its Primeros in groups of 6 in metal tins, tho sometimes the Davidoff shops have a few out of the tins you can buy individually. The look and feel of the Escurio line is very elegant, and the Ecuadorian Havana seed wrapper chosen for these is a dark blackish one, quite suggestive of the similarly dark Brasil cigar wrappers that I wish Davidoff had used here.

    Pre-draw is very spicy, along with some sweet and a sense of leather, the sweet part unfortunately less prominent in the actual smoke. After lighting up, you get an entertaining cycle of changing cigar tastes as the level of spiciness dials up and down. The evolution is very quick and keeps your attention.

    As is typical with Davidoff, these sticks are a pleasant and fuss-free draw, the burn even. though slightly to the quick side, with ash holding well on some of these, well over an inch and sometimes with a nice point.

    Much of the time spice and pepper is dominant, with the spice palette changing a bit too. Sometimes there is some sophsticated bitterness, as of dry fruit seeds, and there are glimpses of citrus here and there.

    There is a certain amount of that characteristic Davidoff toasty flavour, which becomes more prominent in moments when the spice fades. There is also a certain amount of dryness that is a side characteristic of Brasil tobaccos, and overall in this cigar a frequent leathery sense, not too unpleasant but not something I seek.

    The strength of the cigar comes and goes a bit too, tho there is an overall build-up, the cigar giving some rewards in terms of quality headiness despite the small size.

    The sweetness is often there in a mild hint from the Brasil Mata Fina in the filler, but just not strongly enough for me.

    The Escurio Primeros does offer a distinctive spicy and changing experience with a bit of kick from a short smoke, and at its price point it has some merit.

    Helpful?
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    • R** P

      The Escurio vitolas are worth trying and I agree this is the best of the Primero line.

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Cigar Region Dominican Republic
Filler Brazil, Dominican
Wrapper Ecuador
Binder Brazil Seco
Length 4 1/8
Ring Gauge 34
Vitola Petit Panatela
Construction Hand Made
Price Paid $5