Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 4.8 x 50
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$15-16 each
More info about purchasing Davidoff Special R cigars...
Awhile back I wrote one of my most controversial reviews of the Davidoff Short Perfecto. It seems that many of the Davidoff lovers came out to bash my review, and I don’t blame them. I was so disappointed with the Short Perfecto that I only smoked one stick and did not want to revisit it. So I decided to give the Special Series a second chance this time and properly give it a fair shake. So I went out of my way to procure a few samples of my favorite vitola- the robusto. I had high hopes in Davidoff proving me wrong. So did they succeed in turning this Davidoff sceptic into a believer?
Appearance : 
I am accustomed to Davidoff’s appearance being nothing less than perfect. Hell, at around $16 a piece they better be. Fortunately the Special R is beautiful robusto specimen to look at. The Special R is covered in a tightly seamed minimally veined, tan colored Connecticut shade Ecuadorian wrapper. The typical classy white band adorns the cigar with a simple “Special R” stamped on its side. The wrapper smells of sweet tobacco mixed with musk and wood. Vanilla, honey, and musk characterize the aromas of the foot of the cigar. One of the best smelling cigars on the market.
Construction : 
Everyone lauds Davidoff’s construction. In my experience as a smoker, they have always been mediocre at best. I can name many other brands that have better construction. The Special R’s for the review were nicely packed with tons of filler and had no soft spots. I cut it with my guillotine cutter and the dry draws were quite airy on one of the samples (the others were perfectly resistant). The cigar produced a very light grey ash and good amounts of thick creamy smoke. Past midway, the openness of the cigar tended to tighten up nicely and the smoking experience improved. With three inches into the photographed sample the wrapper busted and split, but this did not pose a smoking problem. The burn was pretty even throughout all the smoking experiences seldom needing any touch ups.
Flavor :
Honey and allspice is tasted on the dry draw. After sparking the Special R, sweet honey and vanilla smoke is emitted. The smoke is thin from the start but very smooth, and transitions to a thicker creamier experience later on down the line. Light to medium bodied is where I would place this on the strength scale. Lemon and meringue flavors start to come out nearing the 2nd third.
The 2nd third provided unique flavors of milk chocolate, more musk, and marzipan. The marzipan flavor is very distinct, and unfortunately I don’t care for it (forced to eat it as a kid- yuck!).
In the last 3rd, honey, vanilla, and musk come back in a strong way for a very last showing before disappearing and leaving with nothing else than a nasty bomb of ashiness and charcoal. At the end, my mouth felt like it was trashed out and nasty, eh.
Value :
Did you read what I just wrote above? All that for a whopping $16,… that is value my friends.
Overall Rating :
This cigar performed and tasted worlds apart (better) from the Short Perfecto. If the price tag wasn’t so excessive I would say this was a decent stick. But yet again, I have to say that these cigars are one of the worst values for your hard earned coin. I do get that they market to a different demographic from myself, and that the rich may buy into this marketing ploy. I am otherwise not swayed or swooned by this cigar brand yet and still consider Davidoff just a niche market cigar for those beginner smokers with a lot of money.
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