It has been quite an amazing first year as part of the C.Gars Ltd team for me, from knowing very little about the industry, to being completely in love with the history, the stories and the art. At the beginning of February I was given the opportunity of a life time to not only visit the Dominican Republic, but to take part in the Davidoff Cigars ‘Viaje al Origen’ experience.After a long journey by car, train and underground from Norfolk to Heathrow Airport, and a brief overnight stop in Madrid we landed in the heart of Davidoff Country. From the second we stepped of the plane, we were treated to the VIP treatment, one may expect from this luxury brand.
Our first night was spent in Santa Domingo, at the exclusive Hotel Nicolas de Ovando. Dinner that night was paired perfectly with a range of local rums, and of course cigars. Our first night we had our pick of the Millennium Range. I chose to go with a Davidoff Millennium Blend Toro, followed by a night cap and a beautiful robusto. The next day started with a presentation by Klass Kelner, our guide for the week, and the son of the legendary Hendrik ‘Henke’ Kelner. This was followed by a guided tour of the historic city, and a wonderful lunch. We then hopped on a coach to and headed off to our second hotel. That evening we were treated to a poolside BBQ, steak, lobster, pork and much more were on the menu, and of course more exquisite cigars. I decided to start with a Davidoff 702 Series - Aniversario No.3.The night ended with surprise appearance by Henke, and seeing as it was Chinese New Year, he brought everyone in attendance a Year of the Pig cigar to conclude our first full day in the world of Davidoff.
Day 3 meant an early start as we were taken to one of Davidoff’s farms in Jicome. After a hearty breakfast, we were put to work in the fields planting tobacco. This was a first time experience for me (I’m not much of a gardener) but myself and Calum managed to plant the seedlings without too much assistance. In fact Calum enjoyed himself so much I’m pretty sure he planted a whole row! We then headed across the farm to the curing barns, the sights, sounds and smells were simply overwhelming. The level of care and attention to each and every leaf is second to none. A brief shuttle took us over to the growing areas, where we learnt how Davidoff are creating their own hybrid seeds to produce the best possible crop. The scale of the operation was a real eye opener for me, and gave me a real appreciation of just how much love and affection is given to the whole process.
At lunch time we were treated to fresh coconut water and a delicious selection of local food and beer. Our afternoon began with a short video presentation, then the main event of the day – A tasting masterclass with Henke Kelner. We were given 3 ‘cylinders’ of a single leaf, followed by a blend of all three leaves. As I am still developing my palate, being able to taste how each leaf effects the final blend was fantastic, the magic that comes with a perfectly balanced cigar is truly wonderful. We were then split in to teams and tasked with creating our own custom blend, using our recently gained knowledge. After much deliberation we settled on a blend that fit with all of our favourite flavour profiles. Back to the hotel and after a quick dip in the pool and jacuzzi, we were off to the award winning Sage restaurant in the heart of Santiago. We had the Davidoff Winston Churchill range to choose from. I decided on a Davidoff Late Hour Churchill followed by an Original Davidoff Robusto version, as I worked my way through a gigantic Tomahawk steak and more that a few large rums!
On the Thursday we headed to Villa Gonzalez, the iconic Davidoff factory. Room upon room of processing, fermenting, rolling, grading, banding’ the list goes on. The overall level of expertise at each and every stage of production was clear for all to see, you could tell that every single pair of hands that your cigar passes through belongs to someone who truly cares about the end product. Then came the big moment… time to roll our own cigars. After a short demonstration by one of Davidoff’s expert rollers it was my turn. Whilst I’d like to think I would make it as a professional roller, I think I’m best off sticking to marketing. I was simply amazed at just how much goes in to making the initial bundle, making sure that all the filler leaves are placed correctly, keeping the binder leaf flat and perfectly positioned, a true test of hand eye coordination. When it came to applying the wrapper, I summoned my best pizza cutting skills to shape the leaf, and under the instruction of our teacher Ramon, managed to roll something vaguely resembling a cigar.
That night we headed down to a luxurious beach side restaurant down the road from our third hotel of the trip in Puerto Plata. We were taken through a 3 course meal of local produce, prepared by an award winning chef, along with 3 cocktails, paired beautifully with the Discovery Range – Nicaraguan, Yamasa and Escurio. Our final full day was spent on the North Coast of the island on a fabulous catamaran tour, with a brief stop for some snorkelling, a chance to see some of the man made reefs and native fish in crystal clear waters.Our last night was the famous White Dinner, a chance to reflect on the once in a lifetime experiences we had had that week, drinks flowed, lobster was eaten and many cigars, namely the new Davidoff Winston Churchill Traveller LE 2019 were herfed.
All in all, I don’t think I will ever be truly able to put in to words just how much this trip meant to me, to be well and truly left speechless by the level of quality from seed to the cigars leaving the factory to make their way to customers all around the world.Thank you to each and every person who took care of us on the trip, thank you to Mitchell Orchant - C.Gars Ltd for giving me the opportunity to represent the company and an extra special thank you to Henke and Klass for treating us all like members of the family.My visit well and truly was ‘Time Beautifully Filled’
Until next time,
Happy Herfing.