Davidoff Cigars

It is quite funny that many seem to consider it a profound relief that quality cigars do not always come from Cuba or from the Cuban Tobacco Monopoly, just like the Davidoff cigars. Because that would also mean that the competition between cigar makers would remain healthy, and thus allowing a more generous choice for cigars and more competition in terms of quality.

Such can be said with Davidoff, one of the more prominent brands of cigars and among the enduring brands that continuously offer the best of the tobacco experience.

Yet formerly Davidoff did have Cuban cigar manufacturers to supply their brand of cigars. When Cubatabaco offered Davidoff to do the production of their cigars, it was hardly resistible since the factory in the offer was the recently erected El Laguito, the same factory that made the famed Cohíba –Fidel Castro’s personal brand of cigars. And among the output of Davidoff cigars were the Ambassadrice (the most resembling to Cohíba), Dom Pérignon, and the Châteaux Series (though the Château Yquem line was discontinued after problems with proprietary trademarks, Dom Pérignon was also sharing the same brand name with the popular wine label, Dom Pérignon).

Though both parties of the agreement were enjoying weighty success with sales the following years, trouble began to surface and sour the agreement. An emerging rival, Alfred Dunhill Ltd. was also approached by the same tobacco makers Cubatabaco in attempts to also land a deal for cigar manufacturing. That caused Davidoff to question the marketing practices of Cubatabaco whose blatant monopolistic attitude was certainly detrimental to both Dunhill and Davidoff.

After repeated attempts to dispute the ownership rights to the brand, the quality of the manufacturing (as skilled tobacco makers have begun fleeing the trade embargo stricken Cuba), Davidoff decided to sever business relationships with Cubatabaco, which culminated to Zino Davidoff’s personally burning some 100 tobacco stocks (obviously from Cuba) those that he did not see fit to carry the Davidoff cigars brand.

Davidoff cigars did bounce back into the cigar business successfully, and now most of their cigar products are either made in Honduras or in the Dominican Republic under the blending directions of Heinrich "Henke" Kelner. But even with the change of production site and the change of manufacturing factory, the Davidoff cigars still resembles slightly with the Cohíba, but having a lighter wrapper texture.