Clubhouse 2021 from Davidoff: the test

Clubhouse 2021 from Davidoff Masters Edition was eagerly awaited. But the correct spelling is Club House - so two words. It was first launched in 2013 as a golf cigar. It will be launched again in 2021. Now exclusively available in Davidoff of Geneva flagship stores around the world since 1911, the tobaccos used are aged for an average of 6.5 years before the cigars are rolled. I noticed something very special about this cigar. Please read my test.

A cigar test is subjective

Note: How a cigar tastes is influenced by personal taste preferences, taste memories, the form of the day, what you have eaten or drunk beforehand. Even the lighting in the room has an influence on the flavour you experience. The notes described here therefore do not necessarily correspond to your own impressions.

Fact sheet of the Clubhouse, pardon, Club House

• Format: Toro (length: 159 / ring gauge: 52) > Gran Toro was communicated.
• Tobacco:
  • Wrapper: Dom. Republic
  • Wrapper: Ecuador
  • Filler: Dom. Republic
• Price: Status April 2021
  • CHF 32.00 / bundle of 10 CHF 320.00
  • EUR: Still unknown
• Buy a cigar:
  • Google Search > Make sure in the online shops that it is the 2021 line and not the one from 2013
  • and Davidoff online shop in Switzerland
  • and Portmann Tabakwaren AG in St. Gallen on site and in the online shop (licence holder)

Personal impressions of enjoying this Clubhouse

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First half

• Tongue, palate: A little pepper and acidity at the beginning / then spicy / slightly tart / lots of almonds with skin / dark cocoa / a slight sweetness lingers on the lips
• Retronasal: Lots of roasted flavours of tree bark (...huh?... „Tree bark“? Yes. What makes me think that? Please ask my brain, because it has pushed this impression into my consciousness).
• R+ ZiZo vacuum technology: Simply awesome > honey-roasted almonds. Ok, so I'm probably ready for the loony bin now...
• Umami: roasted / slightly spicy / juicy
• Strength 3/5

Second half

• Everything becomes more intense here. There are new impressions of roasted flavours from lots of dark, felled wood in the forest. I can no longer taste the slight sweetness on the lips from the first half. But the honey-roasted almonds become much more intense with the R+ ZiZo vacuum technique.

• I absolutely must mention this once again:

Note: How a cigar tastes is influenced by personal taste preferences, taste memories, the form of the day, what you have eaten or drunk beforehand. Even the lighting in the room has an influence on the flavour you experience. The notes described here therefore do not necessarily correspond to your own impressions.

What is „retronasal“?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the flavour. What it is, why it works and how to do it please read here. Take a look at the ZiZo vacuum technology in particular. Incredible enhancement of cigar enjoyment!

What is the „R+ ZiZo vacuum technology“?

This is the consummate pleasure of a cigar. Hard to describe. I'll try. Here's an example: a baby sucking on a dummy. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke gets into the mouth. But it passes over the tongue and goes straight through the nose. I tried it with about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practising: the smoke hit the back of my larynx several times. That was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's a perfect technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means „savouriness“, „spicy“, „essence“, „meaty“. This mixture of taste sensations is perceived on the centre of the tongue. You can find a good article about this on Wikipedia. 

Non Cuba cigars and the important acclimatisation process

Acclimatisation recommendation: 3 days in the humidor with cellophane.

The fact is: you don't know when the cigar was imported and how long it rested with the importer. You also don't know how long the resting phase was at the retailer. Cigars are in shock after being transported from the tropics to Europe. They have to acclimatise first. The industry is sales-orientated. The cigars have to be sold quickly. Therefore, they may not taste as they should.

If you buy single copies

Place the cigar with the cellophane in the humidor. If your cigar does not have cellophane: Put them in tubos and then in the humidor. Or you can put the individual cigars in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda inside. You then seal it and place it in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavour very quickly. This is demonstrated in this article with experiments.

Conclusion: Clubhouse smells unusually strongly of honey

I noticed a strong, honey-sweet odour from the wrapper. This happened after I took my third specimen out of the cellophane (on the third day after acclimatisation): WHAT?! What is that brilliant? This fragrance was so extraordinary that I can hardly believe it now. I sniffed the wrapper. It smelled damn good and honey-sweet. I placed the cigar about 50cm from me on the desk. Only after about 15 minutes did I light it. And during this time, the scent kept drifting over to me.

Fascinating!

Of course, I immediately unpacked my three other specimens: They smelled exactly the same! The first two specimens didn't smell like this. I'm really curious to see if you have the same experience after 3 days of acclimatisation. Please be sure to report back in the comments section below!

Well, as far as the flavour of the smoke is concerned, I have already reported on this above. For me personally, this cigar is a great and fascinating highlight. I hope you can buy one or more packs of them. Because the distribution channel for this cigar is very exclusive: only available in Davidoff flagship stores and in Switzerland via their own online shop.

The cigar is presented here and what is behind the exclusive distribution channel.