Davidoff Special Short Perfecto

Overall Score

1 review for Davidoff Special Short Perfecto

  1. A****

    Davidoff Special Short Perfecto

    DavidoffOrigin : Dominican Republic
    Format : Perfecto
    Size : 4.8 x 52
    Wrapper : Ecuadorian Shade Grown
    Filler : Dominican Republic
    Binder : Dominican Republic
    Hand-Made
    Price : ~$13 each

    It has been a loooooonnnggg time since I smoked my last Davidoff, so I thought it would only be appropriate to revisit them again. Awhile back, I picked up a variety pack of Opus X’s and decided to throw in some Henke Kelner smokes along with the shipment. The hitchhikers in the Opus package were the Avo Heritage Short Robusto (future review coming) and the Davidoff Special Short Perfecto. I like smaller format cigars, and really took an intrigue in the little perfecto shape from the Special Series. I knew I was taking a gamble purchasing it at $13, but sometimes gambles pay off. So check it out below:

    Appearance : [rating:5/5]
    I can’t say this little perfecto lacks beauty. It is cloaked in a light brown/caramel colored Ecuadorian wrapper. Very much looks like the usual Davidoff Yamasa wrapper that they use on a lot of their smokes. The cigar is light in the hand, smooth on the outside with no bumps, and has no loose seams. No discernible veins are a rare sight to see and very much welcomed. Squeezing down the length reveals no soft spots and feels very well packed. At the foot is a nice little pointy end (which I call a nipple!). I stick my nose to the cigar and smell barnyard, caramel, and vanilla. The band is one of my favorites, very classy indeed.

    Construction : [rating:0.5/5]
    The cigar cut clean, and once snipped straight across the head, the dry draw seemed very, very tight. But upon lighting, the draw did not impede the smoke curiously. After the burn reaches past the nippled end, the draw opened up and a good amount of thin smoke then could be pulled. A common problem with perfectos was noticed soon afterwards when the perfecto started to burn unevenly. The ash was very flaky and didn’t hold well, dropping in my lap several times and almost setting myself on fire. About an inch into the cigar it began dying out, and I could only pull small amounts of smoke. Eventually it did die out. This ultimately happened twice before reaching halfway through the stick. The misery only continued through the second half when it went out another three times.

    Davidoff Special Short Perfecto

    Flavor : [rating:2.5/5]
    After sparking the foot, thin to medium smoke revealed a funky hay flavor laced with a hint of vanilla which was slightly sweet. The retrohale is intoxicatingly unique with funk, barnyard, and cedar. A little farther down the cigar revealed some graham cracker flavors. So far not overly complex, nor exciting except for the retrohale. The flavors just seemed to be okay with me, and scored around the mild to medium body for me. In the 2nd third the flavors died down to a simple hay note. Definitely one dimensional at this point and this Davidoff started to leave me bored. Due to multiple burn problems and outages I chunked the last third in frustration.

    Value : [rating:1/5]
    $13 a pop,……..wowza! Won’t make that mistake again. I’ve smoked other Davidoffs before this one and have always been okay with them, but this was a complete let down. I can guarantee I won’t be buying this ever again.

    Davidoff Special Short Perfecto

    Overall Rating : [rating:1.5/5]
    I truly hate slamming cigars, and try to look at the brighter sides of the smoking experience of each smoke, but this was downright unacceptable at the price point. I was left very disappointed with this one, and it kind of left me doubting whether I would ever smoke another Davidoff. I can’t really say that others would perform better, but I only smoked one of these for this review (just didn’t see the need to try this one multiple times). I even dry boxed this one for awhile before smoking in hopes of avoiding the imperfect perfecto burns I usually experience. I felt like Davidoff owed me something after this experience. But anyways, it did after all deliver a unique flavor profile that may appeal to many other people, but personally I am just okay with them. The flavors kind of reminded me of a Cuban Romeo and Julieta with its aroma and hay flavors. I would much rather have bought a R&J though, so all in all I recommend spending your money elsewhere than on this little doozy.

    [sz]davidoff special short perfecto[/sz]

    Helpful?
    0 0
    • J***

      I just smoked one of these. I didn’t have any of the construction or burning out out issues mentioned in the review however I can attest to the harshness at the start and the end of the cigar. I bought two and I’m gonna let one age for a couple of years and hopefully can even it out a bit.

      The middle part of the cigar was fairly enjoyable in terms of taste. A lot of earthy tones, which is not my favorite flavour profile personally but made for a nice change from the Cuban sticks I tend to gravitate towards.

      Smoke consistency was nice and creamy throughout and the ash behaved for me all the way through.

      I enjoy the look of the cigar and would rate it a 3 out of 5 personally.

    • r******

      I smoked a perfecto 2 weeks ago.Jan.31.2015.four years makes a heck of a difference.one light cigar,the ash held on to my surprise for 3\4 length.great flavor, awesome draw,great smoke.5 star smoke without a doubt.

    • B****

      Anyone else find a cream taste? Like vanilla half and half meets hay in the second third?

    • B****

      I have to say, I’m smoking one now and it’s incredible. The draw is almost perfect, maybe a little loose, but the burn was slightly uneven at the beginning (nothing a little saliva on the thumb didn’t fix). This flavor is truly unique as I am usually a maduro fanatic. I will probably buy again, it’s worth trying.

    • p*********

      I smoked one of these for the first time on Thanksgiving. I must say I did find a tight and difficult smoke the first 5 minutes but from then on it was a smooth and quite balanced cigar. From a construction standpoint mine was perfect (I purchased it @ Davidoff on Madison). I do agree $13 there are better cigars out there no mater what your taste. But I like the cigar over all and it’s size/smoke time was perfect considering I had to also attend to a turkey. For those of you arguing with reviews take a chill pill it is a review and meant to be an opinion. I have personally found most reviews I have read about cigars very helpful and thank those of you who take time out to educate others.

    • r***

      That’s really great to hear. Again, sorry for being harsh, I don’t like it myself reading that, but it just got to me 🙂

      I had a Special R recently and it was a dud: 1/3rd of the circumference was not burning almost at all, which made it almost un-smokable and I had to leave it before it burned the first quarter.
      To their credit, when I’ve told this to one of the clerks at the Davidoff shop, they’ve asked me that in the future I keep these and return them for exchange or refund.
      For what it’s worth, the little parts that I did get to smoke though were not as enjoyable as the perfecto, which, in my opinion, has a very pleasant grassy and hay, slight sweet, slightly bitter taste that rounds off nicely as it develops, adding a bit of spice and strength.

    • A****

      Thanks Radu for your comments. Since this review, I have not repeated the single cigar review. I know it is not fair and I have cured that. In all fairness, I returned to review the Davidoff Special series and will be posting another review soon on the Special R. Though it was slightly better, the results were mediocre at best. But I promise I will not review another cigar on just one stick again.

    • r***

      As Danny Principe and others have pointed out, it’s highly irresponsible to write a review after a single sample has been analysed.
      While I respect anyone’s opinion on the flavour, aroma and strength of a cigar (such things being highly subjective it’s easy to disagree on them), it is well known that construction is a statistical issue, and when one criticizes so strongly flawed construction based on a sample count of one (1), it only makes them look unprofessional and irrelevant in their haste.

      Please, do yourself and your readers a favour and take the review down, or preface it with a note clearly indicating that one does not judge a cigar based on a flawed sample, that responsible reviewing needs to be statistically relevant, etc. and the review that follows does not meet these criteria.
      I suggest you read Min Ron Nee’s cigar encyclopaedia for a needed cure of principles to your approach.
      Don’t take offence at my message, please – its harshness only matches the gravity of your offence.

      Regards, Radu

    • J******

      @ricky

      Well, what oh what to say about you my little and obviously very uneducated friend. Let me give you a piece of advice and try and read this slowly so you take it all in. If you are going to come on a site that posts reviews (opinions) and slam someone for their opinion try to use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. I know a 3rd grader with better punctuation. You are sad my little friend. Go play in the traffic.

    • R*****

      Thanks for the honest, straightforward review, Aaron. While even super premium cigars are hand made products, it is unacceptable and extremely disappointing to have an experience like this one/ There’s no excuse for it. You are right in suggesting the shape may be the problem as it takes top-notch (level 7) torcedors to roll such a figurado and not that difficult to screw it up. Reminds my of the 5-pack of Cabaiguan Belicoso Fino cigars I had a few years ago, rested under optional conditions for six months and only one of the five cigars exhibited the quality of a $10 cigar — the other four had one or more issues such as bad burn, wrapper splitting, wrapper disintegration (unrolling) and draw issues.

    • D**** P*******

      I can’t say that I agree with this review. While not my favorite cigar, I have found that far more often than not, these deliver on construction. I think you should give them another chance. There is a reason that most people make it a point not to make a final judgement based on one cigar. No matter how consistent the company, this is still a product that is made entirely by hand, and there will always be the occasional dud.

    • C***** W****

      I’ll have to agree with Ricky on this one. Whilst he may not be the best typist, his point is valid. I’ve smoked many Davidoff and never had a bad one. The problems stated in this “review” can easily be attributed to how this cigar was stored, when it was smoked, where it was smoked etc. I think instead of people trying to make witty comments they should go out and buy one of these cigars and give it a try for themselves. I never trust and take a reviewer seriously after they smoke only one cigar and review it.

    • J******

      $13 should buy you a very good cigar, Cuban or non Cuban. The risk is selling them at this price point. One bad experience = never trying another. Hey Ricky, I saw these same cigars online for only $300 a box! Jump on it, also comes with a dictionary!

    • M*******

      Ricky, you may want to stop posting. Your lack of literacy is an embarrassment to anyone above a 2nd grade education. And that’s being generous.
      Don’t pay any attention to him, Aaron. Thanks for the review and suggestion to avoid this one.

    • J***

      Ricky, Please do us cigars smokers a favor and learn penmanship. You’re embarrassing yourself.

    • t*******

      Well, just in case…feel free to send me any extras!

    • A****

      tpetzold,

      I agree with you that I should give this one another whirl. I probably will, since I have access to all the Davidoffs at the B&M’s in Austin. I smoke so many different smokes that I don’t think it will be that soon that I return to this one. But I promise I will eventually try this one again.

    • t*******

      I liked the review. I am sure you know what you are tlking about. However, I say give another a try. There can be one bad one in every box. Davidoff is usually a very good cigar, as you pointed out, so why not? Keep it up, you kept me from buying some bummer cigars and kept me from overreaching on some more expensive ones. Thanks!

    • c******

      Is this comment a joke?If it is its funny.If its not it is very sad.

    • A****

      I am sorry you feel that way Ricky. But I stand by my review. If the construction wasn’t so poor I believe the complexities could have appeared. I have smoked several Davidoffs in the past and they all have performed very well and didn’t have construction flaws, but this was not the case with this vital. Upon reading other review sites, I am not the only one that had problems with the construction of the short perfecto. But in the future I would much rather smoke Avos and Paul Garmirians (which are other Henke Kelner involved projects) than Davidoffs.

    • r****

      You must be geting paid or your knolage of cigars is at best mediocre.to describe the short perfecto as simple,one dimentional is a clear sing of lack of knolage.do us cigars smokers a favor and stop printing your opinion ,my friend is embarasing to the cigar family.have a nice day

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Cigar Region Dominican Republic
Filler Dominican
Wrapper Ecuadorian Shade Grown
Binder Dominican Republic
Length 4.8
Ring Gauge 52
Vitola Perfecto
Construction Hand Made