Wrapper: Dominican Yamasá
Binder: Dominican Yamasá
Filler: Nicaraguan (Estelí, Condega), Dominican Piloto and Mejorado
Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $19.70
Humidor Time: 10 weeks
Number of cigars smoked prior to review: 1
Today we take a look at the Davidoff Yamasá
Thanks to Eric Anderson for the sticks.
I know this is a ridiculously expensive cigar like everything in Davidoff’s catalog. But after writing two bum reviews of cigars not worthy of your dough, I decided to give peace a chance and write a fawning review of a cigar that no one can afford.
BACKGROUND:
Debuted at 2016 IPCPR trade show.
Released September 2016,
From the Davidoff.com web site:
“The new Davidoff Yamasá has been 20 years in the making. It all started out with Master Blender Henke Kelner’s impossible dream to turn the unforgiving swampland of the Yamasá region into a successful tobacco-growing field. When everyone said it couldn’t be done Henke persisted. He held an unwavering belief in the natural bounties and potential for the land.
“And he was right. On an endless pursuit to bring cigar aficionados new tastes, experiences and pleasures, Henke Kelner and his team of experts relentlessly nurtured and cultivated the Yamasá soil – a soil that was relunctant (sic) to change. Discovering that the soil contained too much sand and loam, they added nitrate and calcium by hand to each and every single tobacco plant. In Henke’s own words, they “continued, continued and continued” until they got it right. Thanks to his determination, a journey into the new Davidoff Yamasá series is truly one to an undiscovered planet.
“The new Davidoff Yamasá series combines tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic with a wrapper and binder from the Yamasá region. The earthiness of the Yamasá region together with the spice and sweetness of the Nicaraguan Estelí and Condega tobaccos and the Dominican Piloto and Mejorado tobaccos will rouse your taste buds like never before. The cigar has a deep and complex body that slowly reveals itself through an array of beautiful flavors: nuts and spices, coffee, cedar wood and notes of black pepper. It’s a cigar that burns with the same pioneering sense as its creator. In fact, you’ll wonder how it was done. The answer – the strong conviction that in fact, it could be done.”
SIZES AND PRICING:
Robusto 5 x 50 $19.70
Toro 6 x 52 $22.70
Pirámides 6.125 x 52 $23.00
Petit Churchill 4 x 48 $12.90
DESCRIPTION:
Not the most consistent looking cigar in the world. For $20, it should have a gold lame’ condom on it. With your name inscribed via lasers.
Seams are fairly tight. A shit load of big veins. Triple caps are inconsistent…sort of sloppy. Bumpy and lumpy. The stick is solidly packed.
The wrapper is a mottled, oily chocolate/gingerbread brown with a touch of tooth.
AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell chocolate, spice, graham cracker, salted caramel, cedar, strong espresso, and an undefined sweetness.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell potent black and red peppers, dark chocolate, espresso, Indian curry spices, salted caramel, and cedar.
The cold draw presents flavors of barnyard, weak coffee, milk chocolate, more caramel, cedar, exotic spices, and nougat.
FIRST THIRD:
Ever get tired of reviewers that describe three flavors and give the cigar a mid-90’s rating? Or describe the cigar as aesthetically perfect but their photos show something completely different? Look at the photos of this cigar on other review sites. This is one butt ugly stick.
I did read a few reviews and I am blown away by the lack of detail, incorrect info, the usual description of “earth and leather.” You know what leather tastes like? I do. Because I’ve licked my imported, custom made, Italian leather, bass guitar strap while being stoned. But what about the rest of you that didn’t get stoned and lick a guitar strap? What the hell does earth taste like? Lush soil from Napa and Sonoma counties? Or the dry dirt in Phoenix? These are flavors used to describe what the reviewer can’t taste.
Now here is the really important question. How many times must you lick leather and eat dirt before it becomes muscle memory? And easily recognizable when you smoke a cigar? I rest my case.
I read all the reviews and then ignore them. Find me one review that doesn’t use the combo of earth and leather. And minimal descriptions…and then the cigar rates a 97.
Where was I before the rant started?
I expect extraordinary things from the homunculus. No construction issues. No burn issues. And I do expect this flavor profile to kick my ass from Puff #1. Here we go.
OK. First puff. The draw is very good. A pepper bomb of enormous proportions destroys what nasal hairs I have left from the last peppery cigar.
Holy shit Batman. This clears my sinuses and I can feel a few synapses in my brain fail to react.
Flavors struggle to break on through to the other side of the peppery interference. There is a dash of spice, chocolate, nougat, salted caramel, hazelnuts, heavy on the malts, grass, and gingersnaps.
Strength is immediately medium/full. Half an inch in, I give the Davidoff Yamasá its props for a good start….but honestly; I can name dozens of good $10 cigars every bit as good. This blend will need to stand on its head to be worthy of a good rating considering the price.
The char line needed a minor touch up at the start but is doing fine now.
The blend transitions to a creamy chocolate malted. With a dust of jalapeno on top. The new Starbucks drink called “Snow White Pubes and the 7 Testicles.”
The Davidoff Yamasá stalls. The building of nice flavors stops dead in its tracks.
I wouldn’t be one third as critical with a $7 cigar. But this blend deserves to be put under a microscope to prove you’re not paying simply for the Davidoff brand to show off at your exclusive men’s club.
The char line goes wonky on me. Not good.
I just notice in this photo that there is a large soft spot just below the cigar band.
If you read Cigar Aficionado, you notice a pattern when the magazine reviews a Davidoff. I can’t remember any of the blends ever getting close to a 90 rating.
Sonovabitch. The char line goes nuclear on me. If I don’t attend to this, the Davidoff Yamasá will do a serious canoe on me.
I’ve only burned 1-3/8” but I know where this is going. The Davidoff Yamasá is not showing any significant reason to spend $20 on its purchase. More PR bullshit. I don’t care if they stuck 27 different tobaccos in it, use at least #8 rollers; not #3.
Flavors are stuck and going nowhere.
I smoked my first one three weeks ago and figured it needed time but possessed a decent amount of potential. Sad to say, what I got then is what I get now. Overpriced catalog quality.
SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
Flavors perk up. Much better. But I expected to have this level of quality half an hour ago.
Flavors just spooge all over my cat. I can now taste very definitive essences of chocolate, caramel, creaminess, espresso, hazelnuts, pepper, cedar, exotic spices, Vanilla Wafers, nougat, cotton candy, and salty pretzel.
While most of these flavors were exhibited at the start of the cigar, now they are the bold and beautiful.
I still do not understand the constant burn issues. This is nuts.
The creaminess is just terrific now. In partnership with the chocolate, nuts, and malts, it makes for a tasty $5 shake.
“That’s a pretty f***ing good milkshake. I don’t know if it’s worth five dollars but it’s pretty f***ing good.”
The flavor profile is inconsistent. One moment, it is excellent…the next moment it wreaks of being very ordinary. I don’t care if from this point forward that the Davidoff Yamasá makes my pancreas sing an aria, it ain’t going to get a decent rating.
This is the perfect example why real aficionados don’t smoke Davidoff. It is purely a status cigar. Why? I have no idea. Maybe for the same reason that Macanudo is the most popular cigar amongst golfers.
Godamm the Pusherman. I was absolutely positive I was going to be treated to a really great cigar experience and instead I get three highly critical reviews in a row.
Not even at the halfway point, my mind is made up…DO NOT BUY THIS CIGAR!
Based on the first half, if I had blind taste tested this blend, I would say it was worth no more than $7.
The halfway point is upon me none too soon. Smoke time is 45 minutes. If I wanted to make a point, I’d let the friggin cigar canoe on itself and take photos…thereby shortening this review dramatically.
Eric also sent me the Petit Churchill (4 x 48) and it was much better than this Robusto.
I had no burn or construction issues. And it was a little firecracker in the flavor department.
I just re-read a bunch of reviews of this cigar. They all rave about it. Have I gone nuts? None show a large selection of flavors. Just the usual crap. 10 weeks isn’t enough humidor time? The Davidoff Yamasá is described as a perfectly constructed cigar yet their photos say something completely different. In contrast, they show the PR photos of the cigar and they must be photo shopped. Because they look nothing like the real stick.
They describe perfect burn lines and their photos show the same thing I am experiencing. Either the reviews don’t want to raise the ire of Davidoff or…I can’t think of another reason. Writers will do anything to stay in the good graces of manufacturers. Anything.
Fortunately, you have me to tell you the truth.
LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.
Same ol’, same ol’.
The char line is now a canoe. This happened to me on the first cigar I smoked but I crossed my fingers that I just got a bum cigar. Now I know different.
I have all these wonderful PR photos from Altadis that I would have shown if this had been a great cigar. The Davidoff Yamasá doesn’t deserve that kind of praise. No photos.
It’s moments like this I am grateful I’m not in the pockets of manufacturers. Every single review tells you about the 4 or 5 flavors found in this blend. This $20 cigar should provide a kitchen sink of flavors. And earth, leather, and wood should not even be in the picture. Wood. For chrissakes. Licked any wood lately?
You have to give Cigar Aficionado props for not playing the game with Davidoff. You also, only rarely, see Davidoff ads in that magazine.
There is no complexity. No flavor transitions. No surprises. Just an ordinary $5 stick.
Ever wonder why that most of the cigar industry hates me? This is why. I refuse to buy into their bullshit.
Eric also sent me a couple of Casa Turrent 1901 cigars. I tried one for the first time last night after a day of frying my palate and I was blown away. The price? Less than $8 per stick and it kicks ass on the Davidoff Yamasá.
On a happier note, I had a colonoscopy on Friday. The prep is brutal beyond description. The fasting, the 4 liters of poison to be consumed, the ass faucet, and then the procedure. First time I ever had Propofol in my system along with Fentanyl and Versed. Man that shit fucked me up. I can’t believe Michael Jackson took Propofol every night to go to sleep. What a stupid asshole. I was hung over for 36 hours from that shit. The good news is I only shat myself 4 times.
Speaking of shit, back to the Davidoff Yamasá. I haven’t described much of anything since beginning this review because I am still waiting to taste some decent, consistent flavors.
I had a rock n roll story prepared for the end of the review. The Davidoff Yamasá doesn’t deserve it.
Just got a cup of coffee to see if I can jump start some flavors.
It does help. Now I taste coffee in the cigar blend. Yea!
Seriously, it does bring out a lot of creaminess, cocoa, malts, and nuts.
Strength hits full body with a big dose of nicotine. Shit.
Flavors finally begin to see some complexity with only 1-1/2” to go. A couple of transitions occur.
I really wish other reviewers would inform us how long they allowed their sticks to rest in their humidors before lighting up. Without that info, it is impossible to compare reviews.
The nicotine is now giving me an LSD flashback.
One last annoying fact…every time I stop puffing for more than a few minutes, the cigar goes out.
If you buy this cigar, I will come to your house and let my cat kick your ass.
P.S. Just hours later after publishing this review….I heard from poor Eric Anderson who feels bad for sending me an expensive cigar and I didn’t like it. He has negotiated a peace treaty which requires me to visit him within the next 21 days. When I get there, I must give both his Great Danes blow jobs. I said OK. (Thank God I spent 5-7 at San Quentin in the 1980’s…otherwise..)
RATING: 75
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
Thanks Katman.
I think I’m setting some sort of a record for shitty cigar donations. LOL
Hopefully, this prevents others from dumping their dough down the latrine.
Enjoyed the review, especially the “Pulp Fiction” quote: Vinnie Vegas lives!
Eric, my son….if you go by the other reviewers who are like lemmings that how can it be your fault?
You have no idea how much I appreciate your support.
I’ve given up counting on an authentic review from the Big Guys. It’s all horseshit!
I also bought one of those based upon a great review that I read somewhere. While I didn’t have the construction issues that you experienced, it sure tasted like shit. Speaking of shit, glad your colonoscopy is behind you.
I guess size matters. All other reviewers raving this blend are talking about Piramides, Petite Churchill or Toro. Cutlightsmoke reviews the Robusto too, he was not impressed. So either different vitola uses its own receipt, or only a particular group of bunchers are responsible for the Robusto, and these guys are proved to be inmature
That’s pretty lousy quality control for such a status driven brand.
That’s why we love your reviews, Katman; you call them like you see them.
Katman, thanks for saving me some cash. Have you thought about a public service article where you list all the cigars you feel are overpriced dog rockets, like this one?
I smoked the yamasa toro a couple months ago. It had the flavors of the millennium and Colorado blends that I think are unique and really tasty. On the downside it had a raspy, hot cayenne finish which completely detracted from the experience. (Chefs blend had this also). It was disappointing at this price point. Don’t know if age will improve it.
Davidoff are junk you are just paying for the name katman tells it how it is love his reviews