Davidoff Year of the Rat (2020) Review

The Davidoff Year of the Rat Limited Edition 2020 is the company’s eleventh limited edition cigar inspired by the Chinese Zodiac. Each year, a distinct blend is featured in a different size, with elegant packaging that reflects the Zodiac motif. The Chinese New Year is celebrated between January 21st and February 20th, but Davidoff has always issued its Zodiac in November, and the Davidoff Year of the Rat followed suit. Read this review of the Davidoff Year of the Rat to learn more!

Davidoff Year of the Rat Review

A dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is sandwiched between a Nicaraguan binder and fillers made up of various Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. Cigars Davidoff in the Dominican Republic is in charge of production.

• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega Visus, Esteli Visus,), Dominican (Piloto Seco, Piloto Visus, Mejorado Visus, San Vincente)
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
• Factory: Davidoff
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

The Davidoff Year of the Rat is only available in one size: a Toro that is 6″ x 52. The cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes. A total of 10,000 boxes were released over the world.

The Davidoff Year of the Rat’s Ecuadorian Habano wrapper had a dark cinnamon hue with a faint oil sheen. The surface has some mottling that could be detected upon closer inspection. The wrapper’s deeper hue did a fantastic job of concealing the seams.

Davidoff Year of the Rat Performance Review

Pre-Light Sketch

A straight cut was utilized to remove the cap off the Davidoff Year of the Rat before lighting it. After removing the cap, it was time to begin the pre-light draw procedure. A blend of cedar, mixed fruit, and a slight cream flavor came through on the dry pull. This was a pleasant pre-show experience. It was time to light up the Davidoff Year of the Rat at this point and see what the smoking phase had in store.

Notes on Taste

With aromas of cedar, fruit, natural tobacco, and white pepper, the Davidoff Year of the Rat got off to a good start. It wasn’t long before the natural tobacco notes took center stage. The natural tobacco notes had a small bitterness to them, but they were balanced out by spicy and sweet notes in the background, with cedar, peach, and white pepper. The fruit flavors transitioned into more of a citrus character as the cigar went through the first third, and the natural tobacco took center stage. In the meanwhile, there was a thick coating of white pepper on top.

Burn

Despite some jaggedness on the burn line, the Davidoff Year of the Rat had little trouble keeping a straight burn path. The ash that resulted was silvery grey in appearance, with darker streaks intermingled together. This was skewed ash that was on the harder side. Both the burn rate and the burn temperature were perfect.

Draw

The Davidoff Year of the Rat has a little resistance to it, which I appreciate. At the same time, the Davidoff Year of the Rat was a low-maintenance cigar that had plenty of taste.

Body and Strength

The Davidoff Year of the Rat began off modest to medium in terms of strength and physique. Throughout the smoking experience, these traits intensified. The cigar entered the medium area for both qualities shortly before the halfway mark. In the second half, the intensity of the qualities continued to rise, but the Year of the Rat remained in the medium range.

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