Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habana Jalapa
Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí, Ometepe)
Size: 5 x 48 Robusto
Strength: Medium-Full
Price: $18.00

This cigar was part of my Top Cigars list of 2023.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
From 10 feet away, I can smell dark chocolate, espresso, malt, fresh berries, cinnamon, maple syrup, cedar, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and vanilla bean.

I watched “60 Minutes” last night and there was a segment about West African musician Sona Jobarteh. She plays the Kora. She is popular worldwide except not so well known in this country. Her videos get millions of views. I love West African music and in my younger days, when I had an hour alone from my recording studio, I would play this incredible music and jam along with my bass. Freed me from the stress of the day so I could go back to the studio refreshed. You should check it out on YouTube.

OK. The cigar.

Nice looking firecracker. A lovely bronze burnish. Feels stuffed correctly. I put my PerfecPunch into action and remove the cap without remorse for the cigar’s safety. The draw is spot on.

Impressed with initial encounter. Smooth and rich. Like me. 40 years ago.

This is how an $18 cigar is supposed to begin. Complexity plants one on my kisser. I recoil in slow motion.

Flavors…raw sweet cashews, brown sugar, strong malt, black pepper, creaminess, carne asada, chile, sweet butter, peanuts, and nutmeg.

The finish blows my nuts off the floor and back into place. It is so rich that my tongue is no longer under my control as it moves like a lizard within the confines of good taste.

“Kambengwo” by Sona Jobarteh. Sing along if you know the words.

The burn takes its time. Alrighty then…
Strength is a mellow medium.

Davidoff cigars are wildly inconsistent…except for their price points…you can always count on this brand to be expensive. It’s a showoff brand at your country club’s bingo extravaganzas.

I’m really shocked how good this cigar is. Well-rounded in its attack.

The spiciness consists of black and poblano peppers. This Nic puro is nothing like those in the same category we are used to smoking. Very unique. See…blenders can be creative if they so desire. And $18-$22 sticks (Price range for the Nicaragua) can be more than fair to gain an exceptional and personal experience that delights the senses and palate.

I’ve smoked and reviewed $50 cigars that aren’t this good.

Transitions are quiet. The rich depth of this cold fusion device is enough.

Ever eat a piece of meat, or drink a glass of wine, or sip bourbon that just makes your head explode forcing you to be in that moment in which nothing else exists? Yeah. I’m having that. Wish I didn’t have to report to you and could just enjoy the cigar. But you pay me well, so…er, wait.

I’ve reviewed some Davidoff cigars I like and some I don’t like. This one, I love.

Strength makes its move to medium/full effortlessly. 1-3/4” burned. 25 minutes.

I’d love to try the 6 x 52 Toro Box Press. But then due to my Robusto’s diminutive size, this stick’s incredible flavor may not translate to a bigger size.

I have a boner this big.

Waffles smothered in sweet butter and maple syrup. Candied walnuts. Carne asada tacos with avocado and slices of poblano peppers. S’mores with white chocolate. A malty lager. Tangy dried apricots. All covered in brown sugar streusel. I could do this all day.

The cigar is a leisurely soul. Between the cigar and the West African music, I’m sail on sailor. My third eye goes blind.

First sip of water and the described flavors explode into a flavor bomb. But scissors have snipped the edges off the profile. Every note is devoid of square corners. This is true bliss and a wonderful way to start my day. Man, I want more. So, I stop this nonsense and snag a fiver. I’m like a kid in a candy store.

After my divorce at 22, my good friends got me a girl. Not a hooker. A girl they knew. I was so depressed. She had webbed toes. I thought I was having sex with a Pink Flamingo. I didn’t care.

This is a perfect blend. There must be some serious aging on this tobacco in addition to the manner of the plants chosen that make this like no Nic puro I’ve ever smoked.
BTW- This is Davidoff’s first Nic puro. They did a great job.

2” burned. 45 minutes. That’s what I’m talking about. Who needs a Toro?

Perfectly constructed. Transitions decide to wake up and fly like a cannonball. The finish is benevolent. If my sinuses weren’t destroyed by 50 years of retrohaling, I’d be on a higher plane.

Ever take a ride in a glider? A massive wingspan. And a cockpit for two that was so small, my claustrophobia kicked in. I was up front. The pilot sat behind me. The single engine plane pulled us up into the bright sky of San Diego. At roughly 3000 feet, the pilot told me to pull the giant steel knob that would disengage us from the tow. I did so but was scared to death. I heard a loud clang, and we were free.

The point? I feel that same freedom with this smoke. I am groundless and light as air. Or I could be having a brain aneurysm. Hard to tell.

I’m excited that I have a fiver on the way.

Strength hits full tilt at 2-1/2” burned. 60 minutes.

I laugh out loud. Charlotte comes in to check on me. I just smile. I can’t speak…which is how most of my friends prefer me.

Vision is gone. Thankfully, I can type from memory. Back in the day, if you took typing classes in high school, you would be the only boy in a class of would-be secretaries. I made serious dough that paid for 8-track tapes and Bob’s Bob Boy $1.25 combos in college typing papers for other students.

Know what a parrot is? A friend had a mean as a snake older brother that also frequented the Big Boy hangout with his sycophants. He would reach under the table and grab a guy’s nuts and squeeze the shit out of them. The ensuing sound from the victim sounded like…

Flavors have not changed. They have found their journey to the center of the earth…encapsulated in a ring of fire. The finish is the star in this house of mirrors.

We floated up to 10,000 feet. Not one sound could be heard. Total silence. Flashbacks of ‘shrooms kicked in. The pilot told me to grab the stick. There were two pedals that controlled the elevators. He let me fly for 10 minutes. My head was spinning in delight. Afterwards, they put their arm on me to sign up for lessons. I should have spent my skydiving money on glider lessons. But then fate would have had me crash the plane in convergence with crashing my head into the ground skydiving when I was 51.

My Palestinian neighbors are the sweetest people. They have a son in his early 20’s that lives with them. He helped me find a misplaced Amazon package. I asked his name so I could thank him properly. He said it was ‘Jihad.’ At some point in the future, a TV news reporter will interview me, and I will say that they were very nice people.

The cigar is sublime. I’m oblivious to everything around me.
A great cigar experience.

The cigar says goodbye at 100 minutes.

You can purchase this cigar from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code Katman.

RATING: 97

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, davidoff cigars, katman, Katman Rekap (2023) ~ Davidoff Nicaragua Series Robusto Box Press | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, phil kohn