Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Costa Rican
Filler: Peruvian, Dominican
Size: 7.1 x 56
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $22.00
Today we take a look at the Daughters of the Wind Dahman by Casdagli Cigars.
Samples provided by Casdagli Cigars. They are a sponsor of this site.
BACKGROUND:
Jeremy Casdagli, owner, said this in an email to me:
“Other than the wrapper leaf (Ecuador Habano) the binder and filler are all very exotic leaves … you tasted the Calico last year … same blend…and this blend also worked on Rabicano & Sabino with a few minor tweaks.
“Most of these are totally new tobaccos to the market; when they were introduced last September.
“The factory is a tiny one that very few have heard of – for the sake of names you can just call it Casdagli’s Boutique Factory in Costa Rica. I have been working on special projects with them for around 7 years; run by “expatriated” Cubans.
“July 2018, they presented me with some totally new tobaccos from Peru and the Dominican Republic – as well as their own Costa Rican leaves. I was the chef provided with the best ingredients and selected the leaves we wanted to play with … a “fuma” tasting . Then with these leaves, we spent 2 days fooling around with the percentages and primings using the Dahman vitola as the base . Blend number 5 was selected!”
Photo of Jeremy Casdagli after returning from an all-night session of Estonian cricket:
From the Casdagli/Bespoke Cigar web site:
‘The Daughters of the Wind’ is a famous Arabian poem written in the 6th century inspired by the beauty of Bedouin horses. In the early 1900s, Demy & Alick Casdagli purchased the Sheikh Obeyd stables just outside Cairo and became celebrated breeders of Arabian racehorses. They gained particular success with breeding the Dahman strain with a famous mare called Bint Bint Durra. ‘The Dahman is a very rare breed famed for its strength , elegance and refinement. We wanted to celebrate this with the launching of a small production of cigars with these attributes.’
“The cigars of the Daughters of the Wind Line™ are handcrafted in Costa Rica at the exclusive boutique factory “IGM” in San Jose. These are truly unique cigars combining rare tobaccos from Peru, Dominican Republic and Ecuador along with tobaccos from IGM’s own plantation in the mountains of Costa Rica. These full bodied yet complex cigars deliver rich, sweet and spicy notes to the palate.
“Bespoke Cigars will be rebranded as Casdagli for the USA market.
“In 2018, due to a trademark dispute over the word ‘Bespoke’ between Alec Bradley Cigar Corp and Stirling International OÜ both company owners, Alan Rubin and Jeremy Casdagli, met at last month’s IPCPR in Las Vegas. The intent was to reach a mutual agreement preventing confusion in the marketplace and costly legal fees.
“It was agreed that Stirling International OÜ would change its brand name in the USA retaining its trademarked Bespoke Cigar name in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. It was also agreed that all existing Bespoke Cigars’ stock would stay on the shelves until the rebranding was completed prior to Christmas 2018.
“Starting from Christmas 2018 Bespoke Cigars’ products marketed in the USA market will carry the company owner’s family name Casdagli. The image of Colossus of Rhodes on the logo, names of the cigar lines and vitolas will remain unchanged.
“Our family has a rich history of trading luxury goods since the 1800s. In the search for a new brand name, I felt it was inherent to celebrate the family tradition by renaming Bespoke Cigars’ brand as Casdagli,” adds Jeremy Casdagli, Founder and Co-owner of Bespoke Cigars.”
APPEARANCE:
As is the norm for Casdagli blends, the cigar is gorgeous. The wrapper is a glistening milk chocolate with hints of orange hues from the sunlight. The sausage is perfectly filled as I can feel, up and down, the humongous stick that the resistance is spot on. No hard or soft spots.
Seams are non-existent. Plenty of small veins. An invisible triple cap. With a small pigtail atop the cap. And the cigar band proudly displays the Arabian horse…(no skulls).
The newer releases now show the Casdagli logo rather than the Bespoke logo.
SMELL THE GLOVE:
Loads of dark cocoa, black pepper, cream, malt, sweet barnyard, espresso, cedar, baking spices, dried fruit, and vanilla nougat.
The cold draw presents flavors of black pepper, bittersweet chocolate, caramel, orange zest, chocolate covered raspberry gel rings, vanilla taffy, cedar, malt, and salted nuts.
FIRST THIRD:
This is a big honker. Requires some careful toasting of the enormous foot.
Impeccable resistance to the touch and flawless resistance to the draw. No need for my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool.
The richness takes off like a rocket. Deep aging is immediately apparent. You know you’re on the right track if the first puffs put you in suspended animation…like Walt Disney’s head.
For such a big cigar, the draw is at parade rest with no sign of a struggle.
Flavors tumble into morphing mode so quickly that I barely have time to identify them individually…milk chocolate, creamy, creamy, creamy, malt, a mild nuttiness, a couple signs of baking spice, the orange zest hangs in the background providing that extra little punch, sweet marzipan, strong meatiness, and smoky maple wood.
Strength is a solid medium.
Casdagli must use #12.5 rollers. 99% of huge cigars I’ve smoked are a struggle. Pinched cheeks, eyes rolled back til they are showing only white, and uneven fillers. The Dahman says a pox on you false prophets and seeks the high ground with an unimpaired draw that smokes like a Robusto.
Like any good expensive cigar worth its salt, the Dahman gets down and dirty with a constant flow of palate pleasing flavors. The complexity kicks in like tickling the ass of a mule. Transitions begin and fly by at speeds never clocked before. The finish coats my teeth like a warm blankey.
I’ve reviewed 14 Bespoke blends over the last 3-1/2 years. Never has a single blend let me down. I can count on one hand the number of manufacturers that can do this. And I’ve been reviewing for 10 years.
And in 3 of those years, a Bespoke blend made my Top Cigar of the Year. And mind you, this is long before Jeremy Casdagli decided to become a sponsor.
Some folks get it wrong. They feel that I give great ratings to sponsors. It is the other way around. I only accept sponsors whose products I’m a huge fan of. It makes it easy on me. I can’t take on a sponsor whose cigars I don’t like…because I’m brutally honest and that doesn’t go down well with potential sponsors. They have issues with sending me dough for an ad and I proceed to bash their products.
I’m reviewing the cigar with 2 months of humi time. Jeremy feels 4 months is optimum. Casdagli cigars get better and better with time. I’m just an impatient S.O.B.
Besides, his blends taste better at 2 months than a Padron of equal pricing does at 6 months.
This is one of the smoothest Casdagli blends I’ve smoked. It is like lying naked on silk. (Try getting that image out of your head).
The richness is akin to chocolate truffles, eggnog with nutmeg, homemade gingerbread, and pecan pie.
The balance of sweet and savory is matchless.
Normally, I am not a fan of ginormous sized cigars. Not in this case. Doesn’t matter what size a Bespoke comes in, it smokes with a purposefulness that defies the stereotypical expectations of size. (My wife would argue).
Lol…this is such a killer blend. If I give it a 100 rating, readers will scream at me. It is just that dumb notion that there is no such thing as a perfect cigar. Balderdash! A perfect cigar does not mean it is better than any other cigar on the planet; rather, it means it fits my palate like a flesh tuxedo. At this singular moment in time in our great cosmos, this cigar leaves nothing on the table. It is unparalleled for my palate. I’ve rated countless cigars with a perfect 100. My detractors would say it is too much. C’est la vie.
By the way, Small Batch Cigar rated this blend #5 cigar of the year for 2018.
SECOND THIRD:
2.33” takes 45 minutes to smoke. This will be my longest review ever as I don’t know when to shut up. And I do it in real time…none of this going back and editing bullshit…I make an ass of myself, so be it.
Strength begins its journey…closing in on medium/full.
So, Jeremy knows I was in the C.I.A. as a young man and asks that I teach a Russian oligarch a lesson he will never forget. He tells me if I don’t do this, he will withhold the $42K sponsorship fee he pays monthly. I hate being backed into corners. It is what it is. I use my PerfecDraw tool to give the oligarch a fatal reaming. I need the dough.
The second third detonates. I have Estonian Kissel all over my puss.
If the Daughters of the Wind Dahman was any more complex, my testicles would implode. The cat hates that.
This redwood tree burns continuously whether I puff on it or not. It is a fire fighter’s worst nightmare.
I’m going to have 2 more birthdays before I finish this cigar and its review.
Definitely medium/full now. The spiciness is minimal but efficient enough to provide that little kick in the arse. Need that punchiness.
Like Moe loved to say, “Spread out!” And that is exactly what the flavors do…but due to the complexity, this is not a flavor bomb. All partitions are executed with aplomb. They twist and turn like a snake on acid. The sweet stuff: chocolate malted milk balls, fresh berries, gingerbread, sweet and sour orange zest, nougat, vanilla ice cream, salted caramel, and maple syrup.
The savory: Smoky meatiness, charred wood, salted nut meats, a touch of buttered rye toast, some peaty elements, and black coffee.
The Dahman is bloody intense. I can’t imagine a better smoke.
Ever notice how you ‘need’ to imbibe a liquid refreshment with your stogie? I do all the time. Yet, I’ve not touched my water bottle. I don’t need no stinkin’ wetness. The cigar does not dry out my open maw.
Flavors float around that I have no names for. They are there, so they exist.
OK. The cigar is becoming stronger. My vision blurs and I lose the use of my right foot.
Due to the size of the Daughters of the Wind Dahman, it is a true journey in the ever-expanding world of tobacco excursions. It never looks back…it moves forward in a frontal assault that expands the hell out of the complexity.
I’m now going to just sit back and enjoy the cigar. Will be back atcha’ for Thanksgiving when I get to the last third.
The Allan Parsons Project is playing.
LAST THIRD:
Strength is now full tilt. I cannot recommend this cigar to newbies. I don’t want thousands of brain impairments on my head. You aficionados? You will survive to tell the tale…although, you may not be able to have an erection for 24 hours. If you are married, that means no impact.
The Dahman has now taken on a mysterious life of its own. Surely, indescribable…but I will continue to write regardless if you’re still awake or not.
This is one of those beautiful blends that doesn’t require you have an over amped palate…like me. But then, after over 50 years of smoking cigars has its upside. Those that just know what they like or don’t like will go bonkers over this blend. Pure unadulterated joy.
Flavors show up unexpectedly and then are taken out like a sniper shot between the eyes. The morphing process is like riding the Teacups at Disneyland…except you don’t need to throw up. Fast and Furious XVI.
This will be a 2-1/2 hour smoke. If you tear it down, this means that for the $22 cost, it provides total rapture for less than 7 cents per minute. Fair enough.
The last third is a marvel. Not a lick of harshness or bitterness. It remains smooth and balanced. The construction throughout the smoke has been spot on. Not a single touch up of the burn line required.
I’m now ruined for whatever cigar I choose next this day.
Listed on the Casdagli web site are 24 USA stores in which you can purchase Casdagli cigars. You can go to Small Batch Cigar as well for a nice selection and use the 10% off promo code Katman for any Bespoke purchase.
I’ve broken my own record…62,326 words.
And we end with Led Zep playing “I Can’t Quit You Baby.” How appropriate.
RATING: 99
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by the Katman 
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