Cigar Review: Winston Churchill No. 10

[goyankees]

I found it so much easier to do cigar reviews in the summer. With the cold weather the places to smoke are limited, and my schedule has been so hectic lately that I have had to neglect the site. Excuses, excuses but it is true. Hopefully once Ashes is open I will be able to devote an hour every other day to smoking a cigar for review.

Today’s cigar comes from Davidoff of which I am a fan. However, at an AVO event the other night at Barrister cigars I was told that Davidoff likes to toy with their blends from time to time and not make the changes public. For instance the Davidoff line no longer utilizes Connecticut wrappers because they do not like to deal with General Cigar’s ownership of the tobacco plantations that supply that leaf. So they moved to an Ecuadorian wrapper instead but did not bother to inform their customers. Instead they slowly made the transition until all the lines that utilized that wrapper were changed.

Cigar: Winston Churchill No. 10
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 5.25 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Mild

Appearance & Construction (17/20): I will admit I am not a fan of the Ecuadorian tobacco leaf. In general I find them to be thin and frail and that was evident in this cigar. There was a small split at the foot, and when I clipped the cap the cigar split some more. I know it was not user error as I keep my cigars in the best conditions possible. The cigar had some veins, but nothing major to question the quality of the leaf other than the general weakness the region offers. The cigar had a nice balanced weight, and the band was a classy red and gold.

Flavor & Notes (29/30): I find that generally speaking most Davidoff products (Avo, Winston, Davidoff, Etc) all have similar qualities in terms of the pre-light. They seem to all share a barnyard like scent of dry grass and hay. There was some cedar as well, but I will attribute that to it being without the cello in my humidor for about a year. The notes of the cigar were consistent throughout and were very pleasant to the palate. The first third of the cigar was wood with a touch of brown sugar. During the second third the notes changes places with brown sugar taking the lead and wood taking a backseat. The final third of the cigar was wood, with some spice and sweetness to it.

Burn/Ash/Draw (25/25): Despite the split at the foot, the cigar burned even throughout. The cigar offered a nice light gray ash that held very strong which was nice since wearing ash is not something I enjoy. The draw like most Davidoff products was free and easy. There was no effort required here to enjoy this smoke.

Overall (21/25): The biggest problem I have with all cigars from Davidoff is the price. They are over-priced because of the name that is known worldwide. At 15.00 American there are so many more smokes at a lower price that are equally enjoyable, but they do not carry the prestige this brand carries. I guess that is why I choose to visit this stick from time to time.

Rating: 92
Price: 15.00

[big04deuce]

Thanks again Barry!

[tx_tuff]

I agree the price on the Winston Churchills are high, I sure don't buy that many of them. But look at the score you gave it, and I agree. Not to many cigars rate as high as this one in my book. And its a good chsnge of pace from the full body smokes a lot of us enjoy.

[DBCcigar]

Well....

I was going to comment, but I see he's been BANNED!

Fixing to do a review on the Chequers!