Review of 1907 By Dunhill CigarBy: Gary Manelski 1907 by Dunhill cigars were introduced in May 2014, and are being distributed by General Cigar. The 1907 line of Dunhill cigars is named for the year that Alfred Dunhill opened his flagship tobacco shop in London. The venerable Dunhill brand is now a registered trademark of British American Tobacco (BAT). It has been several years since I've smoked a Dunhill, that being a mild cigar from their well-established Aged Selection line. The brand has only one other line named Signed Range, which are fuller cigars that were introduced in 2001. The new 1907 line was designed to fit between the other two existing lines as a medium bodied smoke. Dunhill 1907 cigars are made in the Dominican Republic with a blend of Dominican and Brazilian filler tobaccos, Dominican binders, and Honduran wrappers. The cigars are available in four sizes priced between $8.25 and $9.25. The size sampled for this review was the Robusto, which measures 5 x 52 and is priced at $8.50 per single cigar. The sample Dunhill 1907 Robusto began with a peppery flavor, then after about five minutes, a less amount of pepper combined with a woodsy taste. After another five minutes, some sweetness emerged as the cigar started to become more creamy. Five minutes later, the flavor was still woodsy and creamy, but became less sweet with a hint of spice. The cigar stayed in the medium range for the first 30 minutes, then moved up to medium-to-full as the flavor and texture became less creamy while the woodsy taste became dominant. This was a complex smoke with boutique-like characteristics, making for a nice addition to the Dunhill brand. It took me 40 minutes to smoke the Robusto down to about 2½ inches remaining, when the cigar went out by itself. No relights were needed during that time, but one minor touch-up was applied about half-way through to keep the burn nice and even. The cigar had a good draw and held a long ash. I rate the Dunhill 1907 Robusto with a solid 4 points on a 5-point scale. I think that this cigar has the potential to improve with a little time in the humidor, as the sample was reviewed one day after it arrived in the mail. However, the Dunhill 1907 as reviewed was still a solid smoke and a decent value at $8.50 per stick. Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. Dunhill 1907 Review Update: After about seven months in my humidor, I sampled another Dunhill 1907 cigar, and found it to be much improved. The cigar began with a peppery flavor and had an open draw that was not too loose. After a few minutes, the pepper faded and gave way to a very pleasant rich tobacco flavor with some hints of spice. The cigar was medium bodied, held a long ash, had an even burn, and did not require any relights nor touch-ups. It took me 50 minutes to smoke the Robusto down to two inches remaining. The cigar not only tasted better and was more mellow than before, but it also smoked better, too. Therefore, I'm upping my rating to 4.5 points on a 5-point scale. |
|
