Blind Cigar Review: Davidoff Year of the Rabbit Limited Edition 2023
The eleventh edition of Davidoff’s tribute to the signs of the Chinese Zodiac is the Year of the rabbit. It’s a large double perfecto with an Ecuadorian wrapper Mexican binder with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers respectively. I’ve been able to smoke all the editions thus far and they have all be well received in their size and tasting profile. Having to smoke this blind, I was excited to smoke what looks like a well-made cigar with its pigtail cap.
Blend Specifics
- Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Year of the Rabbit Limited Edition 2023
- Wrapper: Ecuador
- Binder: Mexican San Andres
- Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
- Size: 5” 15/16 x 54 (double perfecto)
Appearance and Construction
This perfecto sports a squat pigtail cap with a few noticeable veins across the wrapper. It’s a bit dry as I run my figures across, and to the touch its firm with sufficient tobacco inside. Rolling in my palm I see how well-crafted the cigar is. The small opening to the foot gives off faint barnyard and wood notes.
Taste and Smoking Characteristics
I clip just enough to remove the pigtail cap which allows me to get a nice draw. As I take an unlit puff there’s leather and prune coming through. Using a long match I take flame to the tapered foot and I’m greeted with a salty and gritty start. The perfecto begins to develop leather and pepper with roasted nuts on the end. As the foot opens wider the smoke builds and with a retrohale I get honey and leather that clings to the sides of my mouth as I exhale. The pepper takes on a stronger role although does not overwhelm. The smoke is billowing now and the cigar is in the medium bodied range.
About midway the leather dominates and the finish becomes metallic. I get wood and roasted nuts with its progression and an unfortunate tinny impression. The retrohale gives coffee and nuts with a dry dusty finish. The grit returns from the wrapper as I take a slow draw with cocoa and a creamy finish that develops which is quite pleasant. The ash is grayish and long marking the quality of the roller. There’s some dried red fruits appearing while the metallic finish returns. The body of the smoke does not sway from its medium style despite the pepper and increased smoke production I get with another draw.
The final third gives more honeyed sweetness with toasted oak and dryness on the palate. Another puff delivers more fruit with leather and a short finish. Taking a retrohale the pepper returns along with cedar, almond and another metallic taste as the smoke wafts through. The ash continues to be solid and light gray with an ever present dead even burn. There’s some nice complexity to the cigar although not as pronounced as I’d like. Smoke production is consistently high with a noticeable aroma of oak and notes of cream and leather once again. Taking a final draw the wood profile and leather are in the forefront with a pleasant long finish.
Conclusion
Seeing this was a Davidoff cigar I was not surprised by its construction nor the way it burned and handled itself. The profile was spot on the medium style. I enjoyed the leather, nuts and dried fruits the cigar produced as well as its complexity as the cigar moved on. The metallic taste I got hurt the overall balance of the smoke and really off put my palate. I wish the flavors were a bit more intense and the finishes a bit longer. I would revisit this cigar in a few months as I’d like to see how it rounds out. As I said I’ve enjoyed the Davidoff Zodiac cigars and if you’ve smoke them already I would continue to check them out.