At the the start of 2022, Davidoff would release its fourth limited edition cigar under its Davidoff Winston Churchill brand, the Davidoff Winston Churchill 2022. It was back in 2014 when Davidoff decided to give the Winston Churchill brand a complete makeover. This included creating a whole new blend, revamping the packaging, and rebranding the cigar as “Davidoff Winston Churchill.”  It’s also a cigar where distribution was targeted to the company’s appointed merchants and flagship stores. Since the rebrand, there have been two core lines released: Davidoff Winston Churchill and Davidoff Winston Churchill  – The Late Hour.  In addition there have been four limited editions – each with a different blend and size. Today, we turn our attention to the fourth limited edition – the Davidoff Winston Churchill 2022.

The following is a complete list of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition releases. These have been one-and-done limited edition releases.

Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2016 The Raconteur
Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019
Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021
Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022

Without further ado, let’s break down the the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 is a multinational blend making use of tobacco from four countries (Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic). The blend is meant to incorporate elements from the two Davidoff Winston Churchill Iines – the Davidoff Winston Churchill and Late Hour.

Production is handled at Davidoff’s factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: San Andres Negro Seco (Mexico)
Filler: Nicaraguan (Estelí Seco, Condega Seco), Dominican (Piloto Mejorado Visus, San Vincente Seco & Visus)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Cigars Davidoff

Vitolas Offered

One thing that is unique about the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 is the size and shape. The cigar is a 5 7/8 x 61 perfecto. This is the first time a perfecto has been used across the Davidoff Winston Churchill line. The cigars are presented in ten-count boxes. While it’s a limited edition, a large production of 12,300 ten-count boxes was made available.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 had a roasted coffee bean color with a rosado tint to it. There was a slight amount of oil on the surface of the cigar. There were also some visible veins and visible wrapper seams on the surface. The perfecto is tapered on both ends, but not to a point. There is a very small cap at the header, and the footer is slightly open. The tapering was slightly sharper toward the footer.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. A little less than 1/2 inch was clipped to allow for tapering, yet still have enough surface area to puff. Once the cap was clipped it was on to the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered wood, hay, light spice, and floral notes. Overall this wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw. Since the pre-light draw is not included in the numerical or value rating, there was no loss of points here. At this point, it was time to toast the footer of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 opened up with notes of coffee, classic wood, and lemon. The coffee notes went primary and the word and lemon notes moved into the background. As the cigar progressed through the first third, some additional chocolate notes that also joined the background notes. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered an additional layer of black pepper as well as some additional wood notes.

As the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 moved through the second half, the coffee notes remained primary. Some natural tobacco and black pepper notes joined the lemon, wood, and chocolate notes in the background. The wood notes took on somewhat of a damp/dank quality. At the same time, the wood and pepper notes increased in intensity.

By the end of the third, the damp wood joined the coffee notes in the forefront. As the cigar entered the final third, the coffee and wood notes remained primary. The black pepper notes were now more prominent in terms of the secondary notes. There were still notes of lemon, chocolate, and natural tobacco. This is the way the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

Overall the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 performed excellently when it came to its burn. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and a straight burn line – requiring minimal touch-ups along the way. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper complexion. This was an ash on the firm side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 was excellent. It had a touch of resistance – which is something that I like. This was also a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022  delivered a medium-strength, medium-bodied smoking experience from start to finish. There was a slight increase in intensity along the way, but in the end both attributes remained medium. The body had a slight edge throughout the experience and came close to the medium to full threshold, but it just didn’t make it there.

Banding and Packaging Notes

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 sticks with the basic banding formula similar to previous limited editions. The gold and white Davidoff Winston Churchill band featuring the Churchill silhouette and a black and gold secondary band denoting its as a limited edition. The boxes being designed to resemble Winston Churchill’s briefcase was a great touch.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Overall I found the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 to be a tale of two cigars – and its the case where the first half smoked better than the second half. One thing I noticed and liked is as the cigar burned into a wider portion of the cigar, the complexity went up. Net/net, there are two significant things: first this cigar scores a very respectable 89 points, and second, it’s a $34.00 price point. At $17.00 I would lean toward a buy with this cigar. At $34.00, I’m more inclined to recommend trying this cigar first and seeing if it worthy of a purchase.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Natural Tobacco, Damp Wood, Lemon, Chocolate, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent

Rating

Value: Try a Sample
Score: 89

References

News: Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 and Accessories to Launch in February
Price: $34.00
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Winston Churchill

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted

Originally posted on January 1, 2023 @ 5:19 pm