Factory: Davidoff – Santiago, DR
Size: 7″x52 Torpedo
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: U.S. Connecticut
Filler: Dominican Republic, Peru
Dateline Brooklyn, New York, where urban artists Mike Baca and Fernando Romero are members of a local artist collective known as URNY, or “Urban aRtists New York.” Some years back, Oettinger Davidoff decided to put an urban spin on their Zino Platinum line, and commissioned Mike and Fernando to do the artwork. Needless to say, the result was edgy and just what the doctor ordered.
It also got them their own brand–Back2Back. Originally, Back2Back cigars were offered in traditional shapes and sizes with bands that boasted original URNY artwork. Made in Nicaragua, those first cigars had Nicaraguan-forward blends and can still be found online depending where you dig. However, the Back2Back URNY Limited Edition 2019 Torpedoes can only be found at Famous Smoke Shop.
Little more than one year ago 2,500 cans of the Torpedoes were released for worldwide sales—a total of 30,000 cigars. Presented in URNY decorated canisters of 12 cigars, the package symbolized the spray paint cans the artists use for their murals. Everything was going fine until COVID19 ravaged the earth. Unfortunately, Oettinger Davidoff was compelled to close them out, and Famous Smoke Shop drew the lucky straw.
Made only in one size, a 7”x52 Torpedo, the blend consists of a plush Ecuador-grown Connecticut seed wrapper over a U.S. Connecticut binder that surrounds a unique blend of Dominican and Peruvian-grown fillers.
If you love the look of figurados, like this long Torpedo, the Back2Back URNY LE 2019 is a prime example of the finest handcraftsmanship. The wrapper is virtually flawless, silky to the touch and evenly packed to the gills. It has a pleasing barnyard aroma, and one of the most beautifully tapered caps I’ve ever seen on a Torpedo with pencil-point sharpness. I flagrantly chopped mine pretty deep to ensure a good draw, while Jared used a perfect cutter to custom cut the head until he got the best draw. (The perfect cutter method is actually a good way to go with tapered heads.) Cold draw notes for Jared were on the order of figs, shortbread, and molasses – like a Fig Newton. I got a pleasant sweetness with some nuttiness and wood.
This Torpedo offered a nice volume of smoke once lit, which had an appealing creaminess to it. The initial notes were somewhat peppery and oaky, but the pepper exited the scene fairly early, leaving a curiously woody finish and a nice floral aspect. The burn was excellent in terms of evenness and firmness, jettisoning about one nugget per-inch. For the most part, the LE 2019 Torpedo was exceedingly smooth throughout with a straight down the line medium body and strength. The cigar sweetened up a little more by the midsection. The occasional note of ground coffee snuck in, yet the Torpedo remained pretty linear from there with a little more body and strength arriving in the last inches.
Smooth and creamy with a well-balanced mix of oak and sweet elements forming the base, plus a very floral component and a light, spicy finish. The cigar builds evenly in intensity yet is far from intense in terms of overall strength. Let’s say it’s rich, savory, and balanced with just the right amount of edge.
I paired mine up with the Johnnie Walker Game of Thrones “A Song of Ice” blended Scotch Whiskey, and it went beautifully, mirroring the profile of the cigar in several ways: sweet, spicy, and very smooth. For that matter, any fine single malt like the Japanese Suntory Whiskey Toki shown in one of the above pix, or bourbon on the sweeter side would do just as well.
(Find more drink and cigar combinations here.)
A long luxurious smoke in the true Davidoff-made tradition. If you’re in the market for a cigar that’s elegant, smooth, creamy, well-balanced, and flavorful, the Back2Back URNY LE 2019 Torpedo is all of those things for a Dominican Connecticut of this caliber. Got that Connecticut junkies and new cigar smokers? The cans also might be well-served by having a sticker on them that says, “Amazing Value!,” especially if you’ve ever wanted a Davidoff level of quality cigar at a more than reasonable price. So, take your shot, especially while it’s hot.
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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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