Davidoff Yamasá Robusto

Davidoff is well known throughout the cigar industry for their high standards of quality and excellence. The tobaccos that are used in the different blends have been cultivated in accordance with the most ancient traditions, in the richest soils and ideal climatic conditions of carefully selected fields. All Davidoff cigars are handmade in the Dominican Republic, where for over five centuries this art has been passed on from generation to generation. The Yamasá in your shipment today is named after the Yamasá municipality in the Dominican Republic north of the capital Santo Domingo. Part of the Black Pillar series, this impressive smoke was given a rating of 90 from Cigar Aficionado, and our panel rated it even higher. According to Davidoff, the Black Pillar series: “…links how nature’s elements have influenced the soil, plants and tobaccos that are found in our special blends.” Yamasá is famously known for how challenging the region is and that is exactly where the gorgeous wrapper leaf is from. Underneath the seamless wrapper is a Yamasá binder and a blend of Dominican Republic Piloto and Mejorado leaves and Nicaraguan Condega and Esteli leaves. Toast the foot and you’ll find smooth notes of rich spices, sweetness, and leather. Medium to full in body, pair this smoke with a cappuccino.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.