Dunhill Aged Cigars Cabreras Review

[punch]

Date Tested: Various 08/05/06 – 12/13/06

Storage: Cooler, In tube, 68 – 72 Deg. F, 67 – 70% RH

ConditionsTested: 12/13/06; 51 Deg. F, 48% RH

This cigar is a Churchill measuring 7.0 X 48. This cigar is made in the Dominican Republic and has a Connecticut wrapper surrounding a binder from the Dominican Republic. The filler is a blend of Brazilian and Dominican tobacco. The cigar comes in a cedar lined Aluminum tube.

Dunhill is an old and respected name in cigar making. This version of the Dunhill uses the finest tobaccos and is aged in cedar lined rooms for a minimum of three months before shipping. I am guessing that the batch that I am testing has aged longer than that since at least one stick was covered with a nice plume!

This cigar is a mild blend that will not overpower even the most inexperienced cigar aficionado. In spite of this, the flavor is complex enough to provide enjoyment for even those of us who have been at this a while. This is an elegant cigar for people who enjoy elegant refinement. The "hot sauce on everything" crowd of "extreme this and extreme that" need not apply.

This cigar lights easily and burns quite well. Construction varies from very good to flawless. Fill is tight with a near perfect draw. Lighting this cigar starts a near continuous stream of aromatic smoke. Ash is inconstant, with most of the cigars tested providing a good firm ash. However, the cigar that I tested on December 13 had a very flaky ash in spite of the firm fill.

In spite of the high cost of this cigar (around $12.00 each), I found the flavor to be a bit lacking compared to the Davidoff line, and possibly even the Punch Gran Cru, which is a much less expensive cigar. However, I did not seriously downgrade this cigar in this respect since flavor is subjective.

Scoring (November 25, 2006 testing) was as follows:

Wrapper – 9.5
Cap – 9.0 (highest testing 10.0)
Fill – 9.5 (highest testing 10.0)
Smoke – 9.0 (highest testing 10.0)
Burn – 9.0
Ash – 9.5 (7.0 for 12/13/06 testing)
Harshness – 10.0
Flavor Quality – 8.0
Flavor Intensity – 8.0
Satisfaction – 8.5

Total Points – 90.0 (Highest 97.4, lowest 89.5)

Grade – A-

While this is a well-made and classy cigar, it is also an expensive cigar. In truth, there are better cigars out there for the price. I would recommend this cigar for the smoker who likes mild cigars and has the money to spend on the best. However, for the average cigar smoker, I would have to leave it as – Recommended with reservations.

[PUFFNMO]

Thanks Punch - excellent review. I've been curious about these particular stogies, but now feel I don't really need to buy any. Onward & upward... Larry.

[JBI]

I have a partial box of 1994's that I purchased from the Dunhill store on Newberry Street in Boston when it was still there many years ago. These are nice and creamy with some light complex nuances of muted cedar, cream and dry white chocolate. I like these, but they are mild.

JBI