It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years. I was working at Burns Tobacconist full-time and got to go to the IPCPR trade show for the first (and only) time. And Davidoff introduced their first blend featuring Brazilian tobacco: Escurio. They featured Brazilian tobacco in the filler (along with Dominican leaves) and binder, while the wrapper was an Ecuadorian Habano. For the 10th Anniversary, they put together a Limited Edition release that has one of the Dominican leaves aged in bourbon barrels. And contrary to so many recent Davidoff LEs, the price tag is still south of the $40 mark.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the original Escurio…I always “liked” it, but never really “loved” it…except in the Corona Gorda size that was just a full-bodied beast. This Gran Toro size, at 6” x 56 ring gauge, is bigger than I would have liked to have seen, but the results were actually better than I expected. The wrapper had a rich earthy aroma, while the foot was more of that hay note I expect from Dominican leaf. The cold draw had sweet notes evident and a touch of that vanilla from the bourbon barrels.
Fired up, the Escurio 10th Anniversary was immediately spicy and full-bodied. It had earthy notes at the base, with black and red pepper hitting the palate and nose, and that tantalizing sweetness playing around at the margins. The finish was long and satisfying, with more residual pepper and lingering chocolate notes.
I paired this cigar with some Elijah Craig Single Private Barrel, purchased from a local store that had it bottled at the standard 94 proof. That brought tons more sweetness and a bit of spicy bite of its own. The Escurio 10th Anniversary Limited Edition was spectacular, showing all the promise that the original release had, but more than rising to the occasion and becoming what it maybe was always meant to be. It would be a shame for this to be a one-and-done release, but that’s probably what it is…so buy them while you can.
