Initial Thoughts
If most of you are like me, you’ve probably never heard of the brand of Debonaire cigars. I personally had never heard of them until I went to visit the Smith House here in Nashville about a year go. Once I was there I was introduced to one of the owners of Debonaire, Mr. Philip S. Zanghi III. We’ll call him Phil for short. To say that Phil is a character is probably the understatement of the year. Not only is he a character, he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in my life. After talking to Joshua at the Smith House he introduced me to Phil over the phone in the parking lot after I had left our interview. Joshua always says he’s a connector of people, and he’s not lying. So, Phil and I decide to meet the next time he’s in Nashville and chat it up.
So fast forward a couple of months and I hear from Phil that he’s coming into town and he wants me to come over to his hotel and chat about cigars. I can tell you that my wife almost sent out a search party for me because I ended up staying there for at least 3 hours. I told her it’d only be like 30 minutes. So Phil and I got through all the normal chit chat and next thing I know we’re talking philosophy and politics and stuff that I have no business discussing. All the while he’s puffing on cigars in his hotel room. He ends up giving me a few samples to smoke at a later date and for review etc etc. So I take my time getting around to reviewing them. In fact I smoked all the ones he gave me because I enjoyed them so much I had to go back out and buy some for this review.
Phil has an incredible story about how he got into this business. He used to be a boxer, then he started the Indian Tabac company and now he’s moved on to Debonaire cigars. I can’t even do his story justice. Trust me, if you ever get the chance to meet Phil take the time and do it. He’ll treat you like a brother in an instant. That’s just the kind of guy that he is… That’s enough about Phil, let’s get into his brand of cigars, Debonaire!
Looks
Now with a name like Debonaire, you’ve gotta step up your game when it comes to packaging. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Debonaire as this: “courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm”. The sophisticated charm is what resonates the most with me. When you look at the packaging of this cigar you can see that all over it. The image of a horse and carriage plastered in gold and black looks incredibly ‘debonaire’ or sophisticated.
Now, I’m not usually one for big gaudy bands, but there is something about this Debonaire band that doesn’t bother me or come off as intrusive. My favorite part about the band are the words ‘Ultra Premium’ at the bottom. Phil, doesn’t shy away from the fact that his cigars are going to be pricier than others. He believes they’re worth it and he’s not afraid to say so.
The wrapper on this cigar is a beautiful Nicaraguan Habano. The Maduro comes in a CT Broadleaf version as well. There are very few veins to find on the wrapper. The seams are almost unnoticeable. Overall this cigar looks fabulous. So it’s time to get into it and see what it has to offer.
Function
I clipped the cap with my Xikar Xi as per usual. I’m gonna use this until I either lose it or break it. No since in changing what’s not broken right? The draw down through the barrel is excellent. Lots of air coming through giving me a nice sense of what’s to come. Right off the bat I’m getting a nice rich flavor of crisp clean tobacco. Hints of sweet and spice as well. It’s not dense and earthy like I expected it to be. Just very clean tasting.
Smoking
I put some fire to this Debonaire Toro and it took right to the flame. One thing that I noticed again was how clean it burned. The smoke was a nice thick white smoke, but that flavor that came through was just clean and smooth. The cigar burned exceptionally well. The ash was strong all the way through giving me reassurance that I wouldn’t drop it on my lap, or on this keyboard which is always nice to know as well. I didn’t have a single issue with this cigar as I smoked it. The draw stayed consistent, the burn was great and that flavor was so clean. Speaking of flavors, let’s get into those.
Flavor
So, you hear me talking about that clean flavor over and over. You’re probably wondering what in the hell that is right? It’s hard to describe because I’ve honestly never experienced it in any other cigar. I’m so used to having a cigar burn and build up this tarryiness to it. Even when I purge it before taking the next draw there is just something about this Debonaire Toro that burns incredibly clean. In fact, I know why it burns so clean, Phil told me but I’m keeping that between me and him and his hotel room… Is that what she said?… Anywho, back to the cigar.
Right out of the gate this Debonaire Toro hit me with a slight hint of pepper, and cocoa. That was the most dominant note of the first third. The 2nd third started building into more of charry meaty note. Similar to if you were slow smoking a brisket. It was absolutely delicious. What I love about this cigar is that it’s so clean, that the flavor profiles are incredibly distinct. You don’t have to wade through a bunch of other aromas or notes to pick up on those flavors.
On the retrohale I was able to pick up more spice that faded into that strong meaty note that continues to stick around. It’s a great flavor profile overall all the way into the final third. In the last section of this cigar I noticed that the spice seemed to kick it up a notch and began to build into a nice medium-full strength cigar. Full of flavor and fairly strong in terms of nicotine as well. That savory meaty note is the backbone throughout the cigar. It’s also peppered with spice (see what I did there) throughout to give it some flavor complexity.
Would I Buy It Again?
Over and over again.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Maybe when I’m a rich cigar blogger I’d smoke these everyday.
Would I Buy a Box?
Without a doubt, it’s definitely box worthy.
Conclusion
Overall, this Debonaire Toro is a fantastic cigar. Delicious flavors, great draw and smoke. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s one of my favorite cigars now. Luckily one of my main shops in Nashville carries them now so I have a steady supply of these great cigars. Now, I just need to pair it with some delicious rum. I wonder if Debonaire knows anything about rum… Seriously, though do yourself a favor and track down one of these Debonaire Toros and pony up the $17+ and enjoy this cigar. I think you’ll love it as much as I did.
