There are less than a dozen hours of the year
the year remaining. As I’ve done at this point of each year for over a decade, it’s time for an article filled with something we otherwise try to avoid: speculation.
Prior to the creation of
halfwheel, at a website I started called
TheCigarFeed, I’ve closed out the current year by asking 10 important questions for the cigar world for the upcoming year and trying to predict their outcomes. Some years, there is a struggle to get 10 questions and a very large drop off in importance after the first few questions. The 2020 list of questions none of which predicted or took into a global pandemic were all important, as the cigar industry was closing out a 2019 where business was down and internal tensions were high.
San Vicente Mejorado Viso 2
Yamasá Viso
Davidoff has not yet confirmed pricing, though the Davidoff Tampa location has it listed for $290 per box. It is limited to 500 boxes of 10 cigars.
Interestingly, while the cigar is called the Tampa Exclusive Edition, it will be sold at Davidoff of Geneva since 1911 flagship stores around the country. This is the fourth Davidoff Tampa Edition that the company has produced, the previous three have been exclusives for the Davidoff Tampa store, which is a franchise store owned and operated by the same family behind Corona Cigar Co.
“We are pleased to present this special offering that symbolizes the exciting cigar heritage that the Cigar City of Tampa provides,” said Lana Fraser, head of marketing for Davidoff of Geneva USA, in a press release. “Davidoff’s perfection of craftsmanship from the cigar’s construction, to the shape and taste profile shines proudly in this exceptional blend.”
Release Date: Oct. 1, 2020
Number of Cigars Released: 4,250 Boxes of 10 Cigars (42,500 Total Cigars)
Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
Visually, the AVO Regional North Edition is covered in a darker cinnamon brown wrapper that is parchment rough to the touch, though there is some obvious oil as well as multiple overt veins running up and down its length. The cigar has some nice give when squeezed and seems to be extremely well-rolled from the outside. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of strong barnyard, dark chocolate, cedar, lemon citrus, hay, earth and slight vanilla while the cold draw brings flavors of creamy cedar, leather, hay, white pepper, floral and raisin sweetness.
Release Date: November 2020
Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
“Extremely attractive” does not begin to describe the visual appeal of the Zino Platinum Limited Edition 2020, which includes a reddish espresso brown wrapper that looks like it was dipped in a vat of oil before being packaged. That wrapper is silky smooth to the touch and the cigar is both dense and very hard when squeezed. The aroma from the wrapper and foot is a combination of cocoa nibs, vegetal, leather, earth, manure and oak while the cold draw brings flavors of strong espresso beans, vegetal, leather, oak, grass, white pepper, and small amounts of both spice and a vanilla sweetness.
Release Date: November 2020
Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
My first thought is that I really wish this cigar wasn’t this big. I know that it’s going to be a long afternoon, and this is the first of three cigars I will smoke for the review. As is often the case with cigars of this size, the wrapper isn’t as flawless as a normal Davidoff robusto. There are some veins and wrapper stretching, the latter of which is a bit odd for a Davidoff. The aroma from the wrapper is a medium-plus mixture of barnyard, birdseed, and a salty broth flavor. The foot is medium-full with a sweeter profile that includes raisins, root beer, caramel and minor amounts of barnyard. There’s an even sweeter cold draw with notes of cherry cola, peanuts, syrup and a generic fruitiness.