Score: 9.0
This special, limited edition anniversary cigar was issued to celebrate what would have been Zino Davidoff’s 100 birthday this past March 11th. The presentation is right on par with Davidoff’s detail to fine packaging. The box, which contains 10 cigars, features a vintage, sepia-toned photo of a dapper, young Zino Davidoff standing in the doorway of his Geneva shop ca. 1940 on the top. Inside you’ll find a booklet with an illustrated biography of Zino Davidoff. Very classy.
Being that this is an unusual perfecto shape, specially rolled to recreate Zino Davidoff’s 1948 Diademas, I give it props for it’s flawless construction. Moreover, unlike other Davidoff cigars, the Diademas Fina does not wear the familiar white oval band.
From the start, the cigar burned perfectly and drew well, producing a very long, firm ash. Plus, it smoked very smoothly and trouble-free for well over an hour with an appealingly sweet aroma. Over the years, I’ve ascertained that Davidoff cigars have a distinctive tobacco flavor that I would describe as woody (in the cedar wood sense) with a subtle sweetness.
Davidoff has not released the blend of the Diademas Finas for reasons of their own, but I’m 99.9% certain the wrapper is Grade-1 U.S. Connecticut. The fillers and binder are almost certainly Dominican-grown tobaccos grown among their myriad plantations. As there was no bitterness at all to this cigar, I’d add that all the leaves have been very long-aged in cedar rooms, which may also account for the prominence of this cigar’s woody, medium finish.
That said, the Diademas Fina was “conservative” in flavor. Personally, I would have liked a more complex smoke. But what continues to amaze me about Davidoff cigars is how they tend to “lock-on” to a particular flavor and strength (in this case mild to medium in body), and rock steady from start to finish. That in and of itself is a testament to the kind of tobacco selection and craftsmanship that goes into their cigars.
Did I enjoy this cigar? Yes, and I do recommend it. Is it worth $22? I’d say that if you’re accustomed to the Davidoff lines or similar luxury-class cigars that lean toward the mild side, it probably is. Look at it this way: the Diademas Fina is one of those rare, “special” cigars. So, if you’re a collector, you may want to add it to your list.
Appearance: 9
Construction: 10
Burn: 9
Draw: 9
Aroma: 10
Flavor: 8
Final score: 90
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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