Davidoff 2020 Year of the Rat Cigar Experience

Davidoff 2020 Year of the Rat Cigar Experience

Every once in a while, one has the opportunity to sample a rare and limited cigar.  This, is one of them.  Hailing from one of the industry’s most respected brands, everything about this cigar gives off the impression of “special”, “occasion”, “celebratory”.  Let’s see what these tobacco leaves are made of.

ABOUT THE CIGAR – DAVIDOFF :: Limited Edition 2020 Year of the Rat

Since 2012  Davidoff has been releasing cigars within their “Zodiac Series”.  Each year, a cigar is released to pay tribute and to celebrate the Chinese New Year and features one of the twelve animals of the zodiac calendar for that given year.  The quantities for the initial 2012 release were not made available, however the 2015 Year of the Sheep remains the rarest with only 3,000 boxes produced.  The 2020 Year of the Rat is to date is one with the highest production quanities.

Here is a list of the previous editions:

2012 :: Davidoff Cuvée Selection Year of the Dragon.  Box of 10.  Size 52 x 6

2013 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Snake.  Box of 8.  Size 48 x 7.  Quantities produced:  4,500 boxes for a total of 36,000 cigars.

2014 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Horse.  Box of 9.  Size 60 x 6.  Quantities produced:  5,000 boxes for a total of 45,000 cigars.

2015 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Sheep.  Box of 8.  Size 54 x 6 1/4.  Quantities produced:  3,000 boxes for a total of 24,000 cigars.

2016 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Monkey.  Box of 10.  Size 50 x 6 1/2.  Quantities produced:  3,000 boxes for a total of 30,000 cigars.

2017 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Rooster.  Box of 10.  Size 50 x 6 3/4.  Quantities produced:  8,000 boxes for a total of 80,000 cigars.

2018 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Dog.  Box of 10.  Size 50 x 7.  Quantities produced:  4,500 boxes for a total of 45,000 cigars.

2019 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Pig.  Box of 10.  Size 56 x 6.  Quantities produced:  9,300 boxes for a total of 93,000 cigars.

2020 :: Davidoff Limited Edition Year of the Rat.  Box of 10.  Size 52 x 6.  Quantities produced:  10,000 boxes for a total of 100,000 cigars.

BOX DATE: 2020

SIZE:  52 x 6 inches.

FACTORY NAME: Toro

COUNTRY:  Blend of Ecuador, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic

———HAVE YOU VISITED OUR ONLINE SHOP?—————

There are some great looking cigars in this box.  The wrapper on these cigars is so dark, rich and oily and are an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.  The binder is Nicaraguan, and the fillers are from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic.  They are calling out to be cut and lit up.  The packaging and presentation of the Year of Rat is really on a class of its own.  The red lacquered box opens up to a leveled inside print of a stylish Year of the Rat rendition.

My personal tasting notes. 

1st Part

Right upon lighting this Davidoff, the cigar showed intensity and full-bodied strength.  The flavor was an unmistakably rich tobacco flavor.

2nd Part

Oddly enough, the power of the cigar diminished has this Toro kept burning.  The very tasty tobacco flavor was still present, albeit with much reduced power.

3rd Part

The last chapter of this story was an odd experience for me.  The cigar started off so strong and bold on both the strength and flavor profiles.  As it kept burning and smoking, it really reduced on both fronts.  This is not to say that the ending was not pleasant, on the contrary.  That sometimes harsh and strong sensation we get from the end of a cigar was instead replaced with a very mild and light tobacco. 

SUMMARY

This was perhaps a Benjamin Button type of cigar that starts off at the other end and finishes where you thought it would begin.  It is a good idea to have a few of these, and if possible, to age some to see how they evolve over time.  The tobacco used in the cigar is such high quality that the ageing potential is surely high.  Price has to be a factor and these cigars are not given away.  In Canada, they sell for approximately $180 CAD, in the USA for approximately $70 USD.  There is no doubt you can find a better cigar for those prices; however, these are collector’s and special occasion cigars, with great ageing potential. 

Looking forward to tasting and seeing the Davidoff 2021 Year of the Ox.

SCORE

Construction: 10 on 10.

Flavor: 7 on 10.

Evolution: 7 on 10.

Overall: 7.5 on 10

PAIRING SUGGESTION: 

The cigar was enjoyed with a Santiago De Cuba Rum tasting featuring the 11 and 12 year expressions from the highly sought after rum.  Both rums were fantastic, however to better compliment the Davidoff Year of the Rat, a rum that has less sweetness might be better paired, such as the El Dorado 15 year.

Single Malts would pair nicely with this cigar as well.  Here are some I think would pair well:

Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Years

Dalmore 15 Years

COMMENTS.  If you have tried one of these, or better yet, if you have comparison notes on the Year of the Rat vs the other Davidoff “Year of”cigars, please leave your comments!