Davidoff Puro d’Oro Delicioso

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Corona
Size : 4.875 x 43
Wrapper : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$12 each
More info about purchasing Davidoff Puro d'Oro cigars...

What I love about Davidoff cigars is the fact that they are widely available. Sometimes it's good to be a huge transnational company! I don't get to find boutique cigars around here very often, but I have plenty of choice when it comes to Davidoff (+ Avo, and lately Camacho) smokes. So I wasn't at all surprised when I found the latest blend, Puro d'Oro, at my local shop. Thankfully the weather is getting better, which allowed me to enjoy this great-looking corona outdoors.

Appearance :
As usual, I'm impressed by the appearance. The foot band is extremely attractive with its gold embossed lettering mentioning the name of the cigar ("Delicioso"). The special wrapper, grown by Henrik Kelner & his team in the Yamasa region, is very smooth, exhaling a sour smell that every cigar smoker immediately recognizes.

Construction :
The cigar is solid as a rock and I was a bit worried about the draw. Fortunately, it turned out to be very comfortable, producing considerable amounts of white thick smoke. After going through the first third, I was about to grant 5 stars for the construction, but the initially razor-sharp burn wandered a little when I crossed the half-mark. Furthermore, the ash was rather flaky and didn't hold for more than 1 inch.

Flavor :
Puro d'Oro, released in 2010, is positioned as Davidoff's entry into full-bodied and powerful cigars. Indeed, the hellishly spicy pre-draw made me believe that I was going to deal with a powerhouse. I thought "bring it on" and put fire to the foot with my Z-plus. After a few pulls, it turned out there was not that much spice in it, after all. The first third has a basic array of flavors which include earth, spice and leather. The second third brings additional flavors of bitter chocolate, caramel and perhaps maple syrup. I also notice that there's a significant power increase. The finish is almost full-bodied, with interesting notes of dark wood and black pepper.

Value :
At $12 a pop, we're in line with other Davidoff's 'premium' offerings. I don't feel that the Delicioso is blatantly overpriced.

Overall Rating :
IMO, this can be a nice change of pace for someone used to Davidoff's products. Good-looking, with interesting flavors, it certainly deserves a try. It seems like there's a considerable difference in taste depending on the vitola so I might try the Sublime (panatela) next to see whether this is true. What do you think about the Puro d'Oro?