Initial Thoughts
Apparently, when the new Millennium rolled in Davidoff decided it was time to change things up a little bit. They crafted the “Millennium Blend”. This blend comes in 7 different vitolas. However, the one I’m smoking today is of course the Robusto. It’s part of the Robusto collection that I’ve been making my way through the last week. When looking up information on this Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto again, there wasn’t much to be found. Only what Davidoff’s site says:
Davidoff’s Millennium Blend celebrates a transition — a beautiful shift to to a new millennium filled with invigorating, fresh horizons. Years of expertise inform the selection of new types of tobacco and blends to create novel flavors that stimulate the aficionados of this new time.
So yeah, that doesn’t give us much to go on. I did, however, find out that this cigar has an Ecuadoran wrapper, bound with Dominican leaf and filled with more Dominican leaf. That wrapper turns out, is grown exclusively for Davidoff in the foothills of the South American Andes mountains. You know you’re a big deal when you have a wrapper leaf grown specifically for you. I’m just excited we’re getting to smoke it.
Looks
Taking a look at this Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto it looks nearly the same as the rest from the Robusto collection. The band is identical, with the white oval and the golden trimming. All eloquent and almost royal in nature. Similar to the Puro Dominicano, this cigar has a secondary band. However, the big difference is that this font is a gold script font. Ya know, you have to be real in the new Millennium with a little bit of pizazz. The secondary band is the traditional white backdrop and again uses that classic gold coloring on the letters. Not too different, but just enough to let you know that you’re smoking a unique cigar.
I found this Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto to look slightly different than the others that I’ve smoked previously. The wrapper looks thicker and richer than the previous two Davidoffs that I’ve smoked. So I’m hoping this one brings some intense flavor but keeps that consistent construction that I’ve gotten hooked on with the first two smokes.
This Ecuadoran wrapper shows very few veins and I can only see the seam in the middle of the barrel. It has that great-looking dark brown color to it with a hint of red showing through. As I said above, it looks richer in color and in texture. I’m excited to get into it and see what it has to offer.
Function
After making quick work of the triple cap on the head. I tested the dry draw and it was superb. Just a bit of resistance but enough air to let you soak in some of the flavors.
The construction appears to be superb as well. No soft spots are detected in the barrel. The foot looks interesting to me. The filler leaves appear to be rolled in a circle style instead of the typical folding of the leaves. Just an interesting observation. Not sure that I’ve seen another foot of a cigar that looks quite like this. Maybe it’s just this one particular Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto. There is a bit of leaf sticking out of the bottom that looks like it didn’t get a clean cut. Not too worried though, everything else looks immaculate.
Smoking
In fact, talking about that little bit of leaf hanging off the foot, it actually helped light up this Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto. It caught fire instantly and started burning the middle of the filler. So it took a lot less time to get this cigar off and running. I was able to hold onto the first ash for well over an inch. It was a darker shade of gray than what I’ve been experiencing with the first two Davidoffs. Still a great-looking ash overall though.
The second and final thirds continued to smoke nice and even. I only had to touch it up once. One of the veins on the wrapper caused it to burn a little bit slower. I thought it might catch up with the rest of the burn line, but it never did. So I helped it out a bit. That didn’t bother me too much. Sometimes that happens. The rest of the cigar was burning perfectly though. Now, let’s see how that Ecuadoran wrapper tastes!
Flavor
One thing that has been consistent with these Davidoffs is the pre-light nosing. I instantly pick up a lot of hay and grass. More than I have from any other manufacturer. There must be something in the soil down there. Once I got the cap off I was testing the dry draw and picked up more of that grassy note through the barrel. It was followed by a very sweet nutty flavor. It’s something very sweet on the lips, maybe something like cherry. I can’t quite pin it down.
The first third brought on lots of char and toasted notes. The retrohale is lush with flavor, very creamy smoke that is kicked in the face with some black pepper.
During the 2nd third, this Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto starts to build into a medium-full bodied smoke. The spice from that black pepper begins to build and that nutty note keeps hanging around. You can certainly tell it has that Dominican filler in it. I’m starting to get that strength and spice that you pick up from other notable Dominican smokes, like the Opus X and the La Flor Dominicana lines.
The final third backed down from the spice just a bit. That strength started to give me a slight nicotine buzz. It was very tasty and built up in strength faster than I had anticipated. Overall, this cigar was a very complex and tasty smoke. I would say it’s my favorite out of the first three from the Robusto collection.
Would I Buy It Again?
Actually, this one I might buy again. I was impressed.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Not for this guy.
Would I Buy a Box?
Potentially, I would love to see how these guys age.
Conclusion
I really liked this Davidoff Millennium Blend Robusto. I’ve enjoyed all the Davidoffs so far, but this one is my favorite. It has a ton of complexity, great flavors, and offers some strength which I didn’t get from those first two. So I’m hoping I didn’t peak with this smoke. I hope the last two in the collection are still great! This one, however, is going to be tough to beat.
