Davidoff Colorado Claro

Today’s Featured Cigar:

Davidoff Colorado Claro  

••••••••⁠

The Cigar:

Davidoff is synonymous with luxury, as well as the finest handmade Dominican cigars. The Davidoff Colorado Claro series has been produced in very small quantities due to the tobaccos used in this blend not always being available. Making it a Limited release for the cigar enthusiasts and aficionados who seek an exceptional taste experience.The Colorado Claro series features a rare sun-grown Connecticut Ecuador wrapper reminiscent of the Cuban varietal - a dark, reddish-brown appearance, this rare wrapper produces a unique strong flavor.

The Flavors:

Unique is the best and only way to describe the Davidoff Colorado Claro. It is a complex blend with elegance and a balanced flavor profile, which is all extremely hard to do, especially with such a rare wrapper because your consistency could be much lower based on the yield of the production. Baking spices shines on my palate as I smoke this blend but in more of a sweet fall dessert way. 

The Cocktail: 

The Manhattan was the most famous cocktail in the world shortly after it was invented in New York City’s Manhattan Club, some time around 1880 (as the story goes). Over the years, the whiskey classic has dipped in and out of fashion before finding its footing as one of the cornerstones of the craft cocktail renaissance.

Ingredients: 

• 2 ounces bourbon or rye

• 1 ounce sweet vermouth

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• 1 dash orange bitters

• Garnish: brandied cherry

Method:

Add the bourbon (or rye), sweet vermouth and both bitters to a mixing glass with ice, and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a brandied cherry.

The Pairing: 

The cigar and the cocktail just scream luxury to me. A classic Manhattan drink is a great way to shoot back in time to the turn of the century when these famous cocktails were being invented. The sweet vermouth from the cocktail darkens the flavor profile and really creates a silky texture on the palate. The Rye whiskey adds a beautiful spice to compliment the cinnamon note in the cigar. This is one of the most well rounded pairings I’ve done. 

The Story:

Colorado Claro was named simply after that shade it became. The tobacco industry has 6 categories of wrapper shades and classifications. Starting with the lightest (Still green) Candela, Claro, Colorado Claro, Colorado, Maduro, Oscaro being the darkest. The tobacco aged into a beautiful brownish red that perfectly captures the colorado claro shade. The second story behind this blend is that it actually the same binder and fillers at the Davidoff Anniversario. The wrapper change completely hence the experience and strengthens the complexity of the blend. 

The Brand:

The Davidoff brand is truly the Bentley of the cigar industry. The brand stays true to their core values of Quality, Consistency & Innovation to continuously produce an unparalleled, flavorful, and elegant smoking experience. “Smoke less, but better. And then turn that process into philosophy.” - Zino Davidoff