Davidoff Maduro Toro

When it comes to reboots, whether it be movies, soft drinks, music, or in this case, cigars, I tend to lean towards the original as being almost always superior to the new product. The new version may not be bad, I just think that if the original was popular enough to warrant a redo, then it is popular enough to be left alone. I’m more than happy to admit that I have been proven wrong before, and that this is by no means a hard rule. But what does this have to do with Davidoff Cigars?

In a true display of luxury, the Davidoff Maduro made its return at the 2024 ProCigar Festival in the Dominican Republic, displayed alongside a very unique item that captivated auction attendees. The highlight was the beautifully crafted Monolith Humidor, hewn from a solid piece of moca cream limestone and featuring an interior of okoume wood. This luxurious container held 120 Davidoff Maduro Toro cigars and commanded a winning bid of $35,000.

Yes, Davidoff of Geneva has reintroduced the Davidoff Maduro, a line that originally launched in 2008 and was discontinued in 2016, now updated for 2024 to reflect modern consumer preferences. This new version features an Ecuadorian wrapper that undergoes a 16-month fermentation process due to the thick texture of the leaves grown high on the plant. Davidoff describes the leaf as Corte #7. After fermentation, the wrapper is aged in bales for two years, enhancing its rich and complex flavor. Additionally, the new Davidoff Maduro uses a Mexican binder instead of the original Dominican binder, while retaining the Dominican filler from its predecessor.

Davidoff Maduro Toro Breakdown

Appearance

Davidoff stays true to their classic White Label banding with this cigar. The Davidoff Maduro gives a unique visual twist to the conventional brand with its dark and oily Ecuadorian maduro wrapper standing in stark contrast to the clean, white oval band. The black and gold sub-band is a clean and clear emblem of what specific cigar I am about to light up.

The wrapper leaf itself is notably thick and hearty, with veins running the length of the toro, being raised and visible but not disruptive to the roll. The seams are evenly placed, and if it were not for the thickness of the wrapper leaf, would be near invisible to the naked eye. The roll itself is firm yet pliable, and honestly rather heavy for its size.

The aromas coming from the wrapper are distinct and rather strong. Notes of baking chocolate and freshly ground coffee are prominent, with fresh-cracked black pepper balancing the intensity. The foot of the Davidoff Maduro brings more of these notes mixed with sweet raisin and a light fennel. The draw on the straight cut is an excellent 9/10, and I am surprised by the big notes of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, spicy chili, and sweet fermented tobacco that almost leap from the cigar. This is unlike almost any other Davidoff White Label that I have smoked (outside of the Millennium).

Smoking Experience

As expected, I have to give the thick wrapper leaf an extended toast to ensure an even and complete light. This results in a little bit of a bitter char to begin the smoke, but it quickly dissipates to reveal a very earthy dark-roast coffee. It’s like a mix of Colombian coffee beans and mushroom coffee. Dry black pepper zings my nostrils, and I pick up a spicy red pepper flake. The smoke is not overly thick, though it coats my palate thoroughly. It’s relatively bold for a Davidoff White Label—I’d put the flavor at medium/full, body at medium-plus, and strength at mild/medium.

Progressing past the first impressions, I can already tell that this is going to be a long, slow smoke. The burn line is near razor sharp, and has hardly moved down the toro. The earthy coffee I picked up at first light is still present, and is now mixing with a generic damp wood character. A new note is intriguing me in a weird, yet not altogether bad, way… I can only describe it as the smell of a closet containing clothes that have oils and sweat embedded in them. It’s a swirl of cologne and body odor, with a dash of leather and old fabric. The draw is still an excellent 9/10, and the flavor, body, and strength are holding steady from first light.

Wow, this is a slow smoke! I am almost an hour in, and am only now approaching the halfway mark. For as sweet and chocolatey as the cigar was on the pre-light draw, I am finding that it is not carrying over nearly as much in the smoking experience. The smoke is plentiful and drying to my palate. The mix of red and black pepper has become the anchor of the flavor profile, and it is balanced nicely by damp cedar and wet, spent coffee grounds. It’s like you if you were scraping out your coffee pot on a camping trip with a stick you found lying around. Transitions are not jumping out at me, but the consistency of flavors is enough to keep me more than satisfied. The burn has acquired a waviness, and is teetering on needing a touch-up. Yet, I hold off for the time being to see if it self-corrects. Flavor is holding firm at medium/full, body has walked back slightly to medium, and strength has ticked up to medium.

Finally popping the band on the Davidoff Maduro, I am a little disappointed in the lack of transitions, although the complexity of the flavors present have kept my interest since first light. All of the damp wood, wet coffee grounds, and pepper have held throughout, but the addition of a dried raisin sweetness ushers a noted flattening of the overall profile. The easily distinguished notes that have entertained me are still here, but are muted by the sweet dried fruit component. Flavor has dropped a notch to medium-plus, body is steady at medium, and strength is maintained at medium.

As I place the Davidoff Maduro Toro in the ashtray, I find final notes of heavy black pepper laden on my palate, almost completely drowning out all other flavors. It’s a rough finish to an otherwise enjoyable smoking experience.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

So, this is a tale of two smokes. I originally smoked the Robusto vitola of the Davidoff Maduro to start the review, and my smoking experience was COMPLETELY different. The draw was snug and the burn was bad, requiring multiple touch-ups and a full re-light. The flavors were bitter, harsh, and basically just pepper. That is why I switched to the Toro vitola to see if it had any difference, and boy did it. This blend went from being my least favorite Davidoff I’ve ever smoked, to a cigar I would definitely smoke again. Albeit, the price tag is more than I normally want to spend on any cigar (what can I say, I’m a cheapskate).

• The Davidoff Maduro currently has 12 check-ins on dojoverse.com, and ranks 3,087 out of 5.4k cigars with a “Smokable” rating of 93%. This places is in the bottom 57 percent of all cigars on the all-time leaderboard.
• This cigar is currently available in three vitolas:
  • Short Corona: 4″ x 43 | $43.00 MSRP
  • Robusto: 5″ x 50 | $50.00 MSRP
  • Toro: 6″ x 54 | $54.00 MSRP

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