Davidoff Yamasá Staff Review

Davidoff Yamasá cigars have been around for ten years, but remain a lesser-known blend within the famous Davidoff portfolio. I’m smoking a 6-by-52 Toro for today’s review. Yamasá cigars are named for the Yamasá region in the Dominican Republic, where select tobaccos for the blend are harvested. The area is notoriously difficult to cultivate tobacco, but the folks at Davidoff wanted to create a cigar with rare tobacco that is hard to grow.

Yamasá is part of Davidoff’s Black Label collection, a series of cigars that are stronger than the company’s iconic White Label blends. Black Label cigars include Davidoff Nicaragua, Escurio, and Winston Churchill Late Hour. Yamasá cigars feature the elegant black-and-silver Davidoff cigar band at the top with a secondary red band announcing the blend underneath. As fans of Davidoff know, Yamasa cigars are expensive, ranging from roughly $16 to $28 each. Davidoff cigars are well known for their quality and consistency, but they are blended to appeal to connoisseurs with high-end tastes.

Yamasá cigars debuted in 2016. The blend features a Dominican wrapper grown in Yamasá, a binder from Yamasá, and Dominican and Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Despite the steep price, Davidoff Yamasá cigars appeal to many, thanks to an attractive complexion with a touch of oil on the surface of the medium-brown wrapper leaf. An intriguing bouquet of earth, leather, coffee bean, and musky forest floor comes off the foot of the cigar when I unsheathe a Toro from its cellophane.

After gently squeezing the cigar, the Toro showcases perfect density beneath its seamless wrapper from head to foot. The cold draw is earthy and tangy, offering a nice mixture of sweet and spicy flavors for a preview. Once I start toasting the foot with my torch lighter for a few minutes, chalky tasting notes of black pepper, molasses, and barnyard create a noticeable impression. The cigar unfolds with elements of the brand’s Nicaraguan blends.

Davidoff Yamasá is more intense than most Davidoff cigars, but it’s much tamer when compared to today’s stronger Nicaraguan blends. Delicious undertones of nuts, raisin, and pepper develop slowly, while bitter notes of peat and mushroom also influence the taste. The Toro burns beautifully, showering my palate with effortless, silky draws throughout the first twenty-five minutes. However, the cigar’s bitter character interferes with an otherwise smooth and succulent smoke. Hints of mushroom, fennel, and pine resonate in the aftertaste of several draws.

Notes of coffee and espresso come into play in the second half, but the texture is on the dry side. The profile would be noticeably more enjoyable without the lingering chalky and vegetal aftertaste. I would pair a vintage bourbon or rum—a naturally sweet spirit—with Davidoff Yamasá to offset the cigar’s dry, bitter tendencies. After the last band is off and I’m savoring the nub, oily notes of charcoal and wood glaze the palate, while subtle undertones of molasses offer some balance.

Overall, Yamasá is best suited for fans of Davidoff who are accustomed to the brand’s prestige and don’t mind paying higher prices for their cigars. For those with a more conservative budget, Yamasá could be a risky investment if you’re expecting to smoke a special occasion cigar that blows your expectations out of the water. Try a single before you buy a whole box. In the meantime, we’ve got plenty of affordable alternatives to Davidoff cigars to consider as well.