Davidoff’s exclusive Masterpiece Series smokes deserve an equally impressive humidor…
Some might say Zino Davidoff invented the desktop humidor, so the brand he established in Geneva in 1911 knows a thing or two when it comes to storing tobacco in an optimal environment for the next generation. And every now and then they do something really special to cater to those cigar aficionados who want the same bragging rights in the cigar world as the owner of a Mercedes CLK SLR has in the car world. For as with many things, exclusivity is king. Especially when executed to perfection using over a century of expertise.
Once in a blue moon something comes out of their facilities that is so special they only make 400 of them globally. At 50 cigars per humidor that means only eight people on planet Earth will have the keys to the Masterpiece Series I castle, and to get these smokes you have to buy the humidor. If you miss the Series I they are making a total of 20 of these works of art — eight in the Series I release, and 12 in the Series II. Each for a cool US$15,000 a piece, complete with 50 Masterpiece Series cigars. Blended by Davidoff ’s Master Blender exclusively for delivery with the accompanying humidor, we’re told that these sweet and spicy special limited edition toros will light up your taste buds with notes of spice, leather and wood, all derived from the well-aged Dominican tobaccos used to fill the Ecuadorian wrappers holding them together.
Are they pre-Castro Cubans? No. But are they something special for a truly special occasion? Absolutely. And will they be a talking piece? For sure. We all know that cigars should be stored in a proper humidor, and that is particularly the case with the good stuff. As with great wines, storage is a necessity if you are to enjoy your cigars at their best. This means a controlled environment where they can await consumption in humidity similar to that which they were created.
To a certain extent it helps to think of them as delicate flowers — leave them out in an air-conditioned room and they soon dry out and wilt. Store then in an airtight box and they go moldy. So the trick is to store them in a cool, humidity-controlled place where they will retain their structure and taste. Some might also say that key to this is also to not store different cigars together — or risk the transference of flavours between them for a mélange disrespecting each, and reflecting none.
In the case of the Masterpiece Series cigars this explains why Davidoff has gone to such great lengths to make sure the lucky recipients are assured of optimal storage. The interior of each Masterpiece Humidor delivered with your cigars is made of Gabon wood, known as okoumé, from central West Africa. Okoumé is odorless and tasteless, and so avoids flavour transferring to your cigars from the wood. Fitted with not one, not two, but three, proprietary Davidoff De Luxe regulators to maintain a stable 70-72% humidity inside (the outside is hand varnished to ensure the moisture does not escape), you can rest assured your blue moon smoke will be a good one each and every time. ■
By DUNCAN QUINN
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