Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 5.75 x 39 per individual cigar
Strength: Mild/Medium
Price: $75 for three intertwined cigars
Date Released: 2006

My cigars received 42 minutes of naked humidor time.

BACKGROUND:
I bought this culebra because of a post made from Cigar Deal Hunters by Smoking Hub. Instead of $75.00, it was $56.25. The price has since reverted back to $75.

This is what iHeart Cigars had to say:
“This inventory was purchased from another retailer’s private collection, we do not have the individual coffins.

“We believe these to be from around 2006.

“The Davidoff Special C boasts an exceptional draw given its unusual format. Each Culebra is made up of 3 cigars tied together with a ribbon. Each cigar in the Culebra is a 38 Ring Gauge, features Dominican Fillers with an Ecuadorian wrapper.

“The aromas are dark with a peppery base. Notes of coffee, leather and toas are available throughout. Towards the final third you will notice the pepper dissipates and is followed by a warm nuttiness. The Davidoff Special C is an example of a Culebra done right.”

In 2009, Cigar Aficionado reviewed the cigar and rated it 85. The price then was $48.00.

It is very difficult to research a 20-year-old cigar, even if it is Davidoff. But as I don’t know anyone in the cigar industry…that will return my calls, we will just proceed without having firsthand information about its roots.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
We’ve all smoked a culebra or two. And I’m guessing that they weren’t tied together like three ornery cattle that wandered off. I’m going to show you a video of the untwirling, Nebraska style. If I destroy them, I will still publish this for posterity’s sake.

Yes, I know I mispronounced “Culebra.”

I try to elicit an aroma from the cigars and there is nothing but dry hay. Uh-oh. But when I put nose to open end, there is a bit of sweetness and floral.

I just noticed that these sticks are not open at both ends like most culebra I’ve smoked. One end has a cap.

These sticks look humorously horrible. Like someone squeezed out a doo doo without the use of a Fleet Enema.

The cold draw is amazing. Lots of sweetness, cedar, almonds…scratch that, hazelnuts, and white pepper.

Again, most culebra will revert a bit to the original cigar shape we all know and love. Not when the baby has been held in bondage for two decades.

I can’t find the end of the cigar with my lighter.

The draw is extremely open. Too open. There is not enough resistance. Hopefully, once I get half an inch or so in, it will recover.

Well, it tastes like hay. Dry hay.

The cigar must be better constructed than I give it credit for because the burn is very slow despite the open draw.

Sure enough, as the first half inch performs incendiary seppuku, the cigar gets mild flavors of creaminess, cedar, white pepper, and lemon peel.

Look at the char line. Not bad at all.

The thing is that I don’t have an editing bay for video. Sure, I can do easy edits on my iPhone or even YouTube, but those are still largely above my pay grade. I’m thinking that as my days are numbered, what harm can it do to bring you into my lair and share 8 minutes with you. We’ll see. Just think, in a year or two AI will offer free editing at a superficial level which would be just fine. But by then, I’m lying on a beach on Lake Michigan counting trash barges and sipping virgin Pina Coladas.

What stands out is the creaminess of the blend. Cigar Aficionado was pretty tough on this cigar just a couple years after its release. They gave it an 85 and said the last third was like cigarette tobacco. I hope that’s not what’s in store. Each of the three sticks cost me $18.75. Fuck, I have a list of cigars I like better than 85.

The first inch is history, and the lemon peel sweetness moves neck in neck with the creaminess.

I watched a two-year-old interview that Rick Beato did with Stewart Copeland. It’s been around 22 years since I spoke to him, but I saw the old Stew I knew. I could almost anticipate what he would say. I bet his camp might be worried that I can hold my own. That’s a reasonable concern but I’ve been told that they won’t get in touch with me until a week before Copeland’s July 30 appearance in Milwaukee. Truthfully, I’ll be happy if I just get to spend a couple hours with him at his hotel. I don’t have a gnawing need to be on stage.

The first half took 20 minutes. It was OK. The problem with expensive cigars is you make excuses. I don’t know if the cigar aged out or it wasn’t all that great to begin with. The last great culebra I smoked was the EL Pulpo Octo Ocho (Luxury Cigar Club). That trifecta ran $41. I also liked the El Viejo Continente Mare Nostrum. It ran $18.65 at Cigar Page. I also liked the Tatuaje Fausto “The Old Man and the C” (Smoke Inn). It ran $7.50.

I’m waiting for some depth, transitions, and complexity. None of that is in play. It smokes like a $2 Oliva Lancero 2nd.

I thought I could trust Davidoff. I was wrong. I need to wash my mouth out with buckshot to get rid of the acrid taste.

I apologize if you trusted me and bought one of these skinny bastards when I suggested it a week or so ago. I’m your bitch.

Whether it aged out or wasn’t good to start with, I wasted half a C note.

RATING: 60 It only gets a score that high because it’s pretty.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, culebra, davidoff cigars, Davidoff Special C Culebra | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, katman, phil kohn