Lounge Lizards - a Cigar and Lifestyle Podcast

The lizards discuss the Davidoff Chef's Edition 2021 cigar paired with Dalmore's Cigar Malt Scotch.

Show Notes

The lizards discuss the Davidoff Chef's Edition 2021 cigar paired with Dalmore's Cigar Malt Scotch. // Join the Lounge Lizards for a weekly discussion on all things cigars (both Cuban and non-Cuban), whiskey, food, travel, life and work. This is your formal invitation to join us in a relaxing discussion amongst friends and become a card-carrying Lounge Lizard yourself. This is not your typical cigar podcast. We’re a group of friends who love sharing cigars, whiskey and a good laugh. Email us at loungelizardspod@gmail.com to join the conversation and be featured on an upcoming episode! Find us on instagram: @loungelizardspod

What is Lounge Lizards - a Cigar and Lifestyle Podcast?

Released every Tuesday, the LOUNGE LIZARDS podcast helps listeners navigate the experience of finding and enjoying premium cigars (both Cuban and non-Cuban) and quality spirits. Episodes range from 60 to 90 minutes and feature a variety of different topics including food, travel, life, sports and work.

The podcast features seven members: Rooster, Poobah, Gizmo, Senator, Pagoda, Grinder and Bam Bam.​

This is not your typical cigar podcast. We’re a group of friends who love sharing cigars, whiskey and a good laugh.

Join us and become a card-carrying lounge lizard yourself! Email us at hello@loungelizardspod.com to join the conversation and be featured on an upcoming episode!

Welcome to the lounge lizards podcast. It's so good to have you here. It's a leisure and lifestyle podcast founded on our love of premium cigars, as well as whiskey travel, food work and whatever else we feel like getting into. My name is gizmo. And tonight I'm joined by Poobah Senator rooster and ban.

And our plan is to smoke a cigar, drink some scotch, talk about life, and of course have some laughs. So take this as your second form of limitation to join us and become a card carrying lounge lizard plan to meet us here once a week, we're going to smoke a special edition new world cigar. Share our thoughts on it and give you our formal lizard rating.

We'll also chat about a variety of other things for the next hour. So sit back, get your favorite drink, light up a cigar and enjoy. As we paired down, Moore's cigar malt scotch with Davidoff 2021 chefs edition.

So this cigar is a wacky blend. It's a hybrid Ecuadorian. Uh, Mexican binder and a Dominican filler from four different regions, which I thought was pretty wild. You said Mexican, Dominican, Ecuadorian and Ecuadorian. Yeah. This is very much like our scotch pairing. Yeah. Wow. So it's a 48 by seven inches. Um, it's a, it's a Churchill by Davidoff.

So you guys know a little bit more about this, regardless of. Rooster. I think you rooster knows the most, that you know, the most on it. So what is the story with this? They work with chefs and so basic, basically this is the, uh, if you could call it the third edition of the chefs additions, there was the first one that I think came out about, I want to say, like at least seven years ago, six to seven years ago, then there was the edition number two, and this is the third chefs.

This is a church hill. So I think this is the longest chefs edition that they came out with and the cigar was created with four different chefs and out of the four chefs, three of them have Michelin stars for chef is Juan Amador from Vienna. Second one is Norbert neater. From Italy and the Masa Takayama city.

I know Masa and horray. Valeho from Mexico city. The first of these three chefs have each earned three Michelin stars. Each that's pretty incredible. Yes it is. Yeah. So it's their, I guess their, a pallet as somehow involved in this and the input and the, in the blend of these, of this particular scene. And I think there were different chefs who were involved in the first and the second, uh, chefs submission steak.

So, so, uh, on the call, draw that the smell. What are you guys getting? Honestly, not much, maybe a hint of pepper. I don't know. I'm getting sushi, pasta tacos. Uh, not much on the draw, the coal draw. It tastes like Cedar. Very Woody. I agree. Not much on the cold drop, but if you smell the rapper, I mean, it's just got a sweet chocolaty.

Well, you must have delicious different one than I have.

Are, you must have the Camacho maybe Camacho. All right. Let's make about, I'm not getting cardboard nuts. I don't have the Camacho. No. Hey, here we go. So I haven't had one of these. I know the rest of you guys have had one, right? Let the magic begin. Everybody else has had one. Yes, yes. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah, it's very good on the light.

It's very, um, it's very, it's actually. I find that to be a, uh, unique for Davos. Um,

having smoked one of these once before, um, I mean, right on the light you get like vanilla and Cedar.

Definitely. That's very good. It is good. And it moves around. It builds up. It'll build, I find that, I mean, I've had this before, so I've got, I got pepper all the way through. I'm getting it right away. Yeah. Which I love, do you feel it on the back of your tongue? Yes. Yes. Yes. So that's where you feel the pepper that's exactly right.

It's a very, uh, I think they call it a linear cigar. When you feel the spy. On the back of the time, I feel like it's very, well-rounded like it's, it's, it's smooth. It has a little spice, a little sweetness, but nothing's kind of trying too hard. The combustion is fantastic. Oh, that's great. And the packaging on this.

Oh yeah. We, you know, we should talk about that a little bit. It's the presentation's incredible 10 sticks and you get a porcelain Ash. With a cover on top and the cover can be used as a tray, or it's got like indentations for glasses and glasses and your cigars, the presentation is outstanding. It's like, yeah, it's the best presentation from Davidoff in recent, no doubt.

It's outstanding. Something usable, something you would really use. And I think probably ever dab it off. I feel like if any of the brands really loves. The packaging plays such a big role. It's, it's more than just the cigar, but usually a lot of the things that they give you with these sticks are not all that useful, but I was blown away just opening that.

It's like an experience just to unpackage these. Yeah, it really is. It's it's this cigar and I don't want to jump ahead. It's a wonderful cigar. I know you haven't smoked it gizmo, but it's. I'm enjoying it already. It's great. Is everyone getting right off the bat millennium, like, but all flavors, we're definitely going to get a light.

That's the, we're going to get to that thought of what I, when I looked this cigar, I said, wow, this is like a millennium, but I'm not sure who said it, but it's like a mini millennium on steroids. Yeah. It's a great way of putting out. So you're, you know, for those listening, you can find these cigars really anywhere.

Good Davin. Officer's sold online in retail stores. And, uh, you know, to, uh, to your point about, uh, the presentation, when these came in, it was like a 15, 20 pound box. Yeah. Well, and then, you know, when you open it, what surprised me the most about it is Davidov generally is a very expensive cigar and this is what I think it probably ranges from a.

30 to 45, depending on where you buy it, the first steady, reasonable, including the, I got like a discount and stuff. I, you know, I did like 39. Yeah. So, you know, anywhere you're going to find them somewhere around that 40 mark, but to get them in that 10 pack with the ashtray for that price, that gives me.

It's a good, it's a good price home run with the presentation. That is it's very nice to your point. You, you really can find these anywhere. I first found this cigar. I was in Baltimore a couple of months ago. I've actually never spent any time in Baltimore. I was my first time. And I remember the photo Baltimore, my condolences, well, I was going to go exactly there.

I mean, in fairness to Baltimore, that's city gets a bad rap because I was not excited about needing to be in Baltimore for business, but no offense to those listeners in Baltimore. No, no, no offense and actually credit because the waterfront in Baltimore is incredibly beautiful. Yeah. We were staying at the four seasons there.

I finally finished up everything I need to get done. Work-wise and I'm wondering if there's a cigar lounge somewhere nearby. No exaggeration about a three, four block walk from the hotel. There's a cigar shop. So I go in there to see what they have. They've got a bunch of drones. I was impressed. And then I saw some David offs and I had picked up a couple sticks that was going to buy in.

As soon as I get to the register to pay, I go, whoa, wait a minute. They had the chefs edition. They had just gotten it in. There was only one stick that was purchased at that point. The guy must have got it within the last couple of days. And I actually smoked the first one. Um, obviously we'll talk more about it, but just a very impressive cigar and has got a lot of buzz.

I feel like, I mean, as soon as I lift that up in that lounge guys, walking by notice the stick and said, oh, is that the chef's edition? How is it everyone wants to try this cigar? Well, so I think the dimension is impressive. It's a, it's a beautiful cigar. It looks great in your hand. Poobah. Nice oily, elegant stick.

Yeah.

What's interesting too, about this. When I was reading about it today, you know, prepping for this is that I don't remember. I don't know if Davidoff usually does this, you know, rooster may know better. You guys may know better, but they announced that there's a limited amount of boxes. So only 9,500 boxes of this are to be released.

So I thought that was interesting given how pretty available it is. That's not a lot of boxes for worldwide consumption. Nope. 9,500. I also have to say I was thrilled to see that they decided to make this in a Churchill because the only Davidoff Churchill I've had is the late hour. And I think of any size, the late hour comes in.

The Churchill is by far for me, at least the best. I think Davidoff makes a hell of a Churchill. So I'm thrilled that they decided to do this for the chef's edition. That's a super, super, super decent process. Yeah, great Columbus. Very good combustion. The draw is very, it's perfect. The draws. Perfect. For me, it's a combination of peppery and creaminess.

It's creamy. How do you do that? I don't know. How do you do that? How do you do that? And there's vanilla in there and then it gets bigger. Um, you know, it's not, it's not for the faint of heart. I get the vanilla on the, after. For me, not right at them on that draw, but, and the aftertaste it is finish and it's, uh, it's it, but it is not by any stretch of the imagination or a mild cigar.

This is not a typical Davidoff view, um, where it's, you know, medium. This is not to me. It's this is a medium full to full. I agree with that. Completely agree with that. That's why. The flavors are millennium like, but the millennium is at its strongest, medium full. I don't think it ever gets truly full.

Nope. We're the late hour Churchill I think actually gets full. And so to me, it was sort of a hybrid of the strength of the late hour, but the flavor profile of the millennium, it has this cigar has a level of refinement that maybe the late. Doesn't where the late hour kinda hits you, like where it hits you a little bit, like kind of pre-buy for, at some point during the, during the, the journey of that smoke, I'm talking specifically about the Churchill now where it, you know, not that it's not refined.

Um, cause it is, it's a sophisticated cigar. And it's unique and it's in how it tastes, but this has, this has a level of complexity. I think that's worth the premium price. I think that is that, that, that, that makes it a real standout. It's a real standout because there's a level of complexity here. That's not in the, in, in, in the standard production Davet offs angry with for my first time smoking.

And I think complexity is the perfect word to me. This is a more complete. Millennium. If I were to sum it up in a short sentence for me, that's what I'm getting at for the listener. This is a group that doesn't love. Davidoff. I mean, like does not love, whoa, whoa. No, we don't. I love.

I think the only sticks that universally the lizards enjoy are the millennium laid down the late hour and that's it. That's it. That's everything else to have it off makes I don't see anyone here regularly soaking or raving about, so I think true is exactly true. We're we're not huge Davidoff fan. And the fact that we're all reacting so strongly to this cigar and saying that we love this.

Yeah. Cause I just want to put that out there for folks that it's not like this group . Fanboy club. We're not at all. Actually I'm actually quite the opposite. The ones we, the ones that we just happen to like, or the millennium in the late hour. Um, not that the others, by the way, not that the others are, are, are bad.

They have enough makes great cigars overall. They make very good cigars, but many of them are, are lighter bodied cigars. I don't have the complexity, I think for the pallet of this group. And I think their pricing strategy makes a lot of decisions for us. I mean, if you're going to spend 15, 20 bucks on a stick, you know, it's gotta be really great when you know, we're going to go for a Patrona, we're going to go for a great Cuban.

I think the way that they price their cigars, if I'm going to reach for a Davidoff and spend that money, it's gotta be outstanding. But this, this is it's expensive sticks, and this is very, very good.

There was thought put into this and it's different. I do have to say that I have, you know, kind of revisiting the grand crew series by Davidoff and, uh, especially the ground crew Torah really enjoyed that stick lately. Got a box of that. It's triple Torah. It's a quadruple Toro. There you go. Um, BAMS favorite size.

It's funny. Cause the Toro, my wife complains about Toro in millennium is an awful, the Toro in millennium is for some reason consistently off. I agree. It doesn't even burn well, no, no, I that's. My biggest frustration is just the construction of the millennium. Turo is, is off. Something's not right. 'cause it wasn't even the ones that you got for Christmas at the club that will remain nameless that we, that we, uh, frequent in Georgia somewhere in Georgia.

Um, but it's even if you buy. Bye singles are about, I mean, everyone that I've ever had, um, there's something about them. They just don't burn properly. And because of that, I feel like the way it delivers the flavor, it's got a harshness to it. They almost feel in the back of your throat where. The pyramid version of that, it's smooth, it's refined.

It's, it's what you'd expect. And the Robusto and the petite Corona are also great in millennium and the Robusto in late hour. The late hour Robusto is a great cigar, a really, really great cigar. Well, let's see, bam. About the, uh, the Toro millennium. You you're the expert on the millenniums. I don't know, from an name.

But what's unusual. You won't get the flavor notes in the, in the Toro that you get in a pyramid. I mean, it's yeah. I agree with that. Because to your point, weird to your same blend, it is. Yeah. It doesn't burn the same way. No, because the ratio is different. Right. You're getting less of the rapper with the Turo and more of the tobacco inside and it just changes it up.

But to, to BAMS exact point, the only millennium I ever had for a while was the total. And I, I didn't like it at all. I know I categorically didn't want to smoke the millennium series and it was bamboo said to me, have you ever had the pyramid? And I said, no, how different can. That's it. I'm telling you, you got to try the pyramid.

And ever since I lit one of those up now it's part of my regular rotation. I always have a few boxes of a period. Also the petite Corona thing is a fantastic site. It's just so expensive. It's so good, but it's so good. So that's my one frustration smell. And I were talking about this lately. Almost all flavor millennium boutique Rona is excellent, but the price point is ridiculous unless you're, you'll get it on pay $14.

Retailers for that stick. I may as well buy an exclusivity and just smoke half of it and throw the rest of the way. It just feels like a better

LFA. I know with your smoke on them and they are good. They are, I mean, it's a really satisfying cigar quick cigar. You feel like you beat the system and you go, wow. That's what, that was really a good short smoke. Maybe one of the better short smokes around. It's hard to it's painful. It's painful to buy a full box.

Yup. So that the Davidoff story is interesting. I was looking into it a little bit. Obviously they, I think they're one of the rare brands that, that had a very successful existence in Cuba, left Cuba. And then almost 10 years later started the Dominican heavy version of, of Davin often and created a really luxury cigar.

No very sought after the, uh, you know, the pre embargo, the avid offs, by the way. Yeah. Rooster has them all in his special Stokes, Irish, whatever Cher, I sure wish one day. Yeah. All Cuban Davin offs were discontinued in 91. Oh, he brought Zino Davidoff burned like a, a huge, he. I don't have, I'm not an expert on the brand history of Davidov.

I'm not going to pretend to be, but I know that he did set fire to, um, a significant amount of cigars in the thousands. Um, because he was so frustrated with the quote, I think, with the quality of what was coming out of Cuba and, um, uh, at that time, and I, I can't, I don't you'd have to Google that. I'm not a cigar historian, but I know that he, he, uh, it was a big deal.

He liked did it publicly. And, uh, certainly the, the Cuban government wasn't big on that. And he moved on, um, move this business on and then I want to say, they went to, I could be wrong. Someone's got to Google this. We need to produce or person to Google something. But I want to say. I don't think they went to Nick to the Dominican Republic.

First. I want to say they went to Nicaragua and then got hustled out. It wasn't the only thing that Honduras or something. I mean, they didn't wind up in the Dr right out of the gate. They, they were, they had the jump around a little bit, just like Padrone had two here. So I have, uh, I took some pictures of the men, Ron knee book today before I came.

And what it says is that all with is can a discontinued. According to a mutual agreement, neither Davidoff nor Quba tobacco, who that's, the predecessor to Habana Sesay could offer any Cuban Davidow for sale. After the last day of 1982 Dominican Davidoff started to appear in the market in November, 1990.

So I guess there was some, an eight year swing, right. Which is probably where he was trying to figure out how to restart the business. Right. But it's, you know, it's interesting that not only did they, I don't know if it was a mutual parting of ways, but they parted ways. And he, he left with the brand. Yeah.

You know, most of the other ones, he, they just kick the families out and it took them over. Well. Yeah, they, well, they just said, we're gonna, you know, you can stay here and you can work. You know, the other makers let families who own those businesses fled, which is why. You know, going back to the whole subject of how, if the embargo was ever lifted, it would be problematic from a trademark perspective here in the U S you know, how do you sell Cuban Mani, Christos, and, and, and, and Nicaraguan Monte Christos in the same store, they would have to open up basically the casita Havana's, uh, retail outlets.

But it would start all kinds of lawsuits. Yeah. That would be very challenging. Once the Cuban market opens up and we start getting Cuban cigars in the U S and when they would be two different Cohibas right, right. That's, we'd be a mess. That's why it's never as many, as much as they say, oh, we're going to look the embargoes going to be lifted.

Like no one wants the embargo lifted the embargo. Wouldn't do anything except there'd be a mad rush on supply for Cuban cigars here in the states. And there'd be all kinds of lawsuits and prices would skyrocket. It's the worst thing that could ever happen to Cuban cigars for the Cuban cigar smoker here in the us, it would be a mess.

Prices would be through the roof. Lawsuits. Centerline supply would be horrible. I mean, there already is right now, just because of COVID and everything else going on. So let's, um, let's dive into this scotch. So Senator picked up this Dalmore down more cigar mall. So, so basically I figured if we're having the chefs edition, which is supposed to be a full bodied cigar, almost like a really nice meal.

You've got to pair it with something nice. The only single malt I know of that is designed to be smoked with a cigar. Is this Delmore, a cigar mall was apparently discontinued in 2009. They then started using older single mall to make it, which increased the price significantly. It's a really bizarre, I'm actually really glad that gizmo walked us through the chef's edition.

How. This mix of everything. I mean, Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Ecuador. Yeah. And this scotch 70% of it is aged in all the Rosso Sherry casks. The remaining 30% is in ex American bourbon barrels and, uh, Cabernet barrels, which is really bizarre. I've never seen that in a scotch or so it should be chiming in.

Yeah. Beautiful color. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.

oh boy. Oh boy. That's delicious. I can see some smiles and a lot of places. Wow, man. Wow. That's different. That's good. It's very smooth. No, no. No ice permitted. Is it a lot like the Kirkland sponge? No, no, not even close. No, we're all drinking this neat. And this is one of the smoothest scotches I've ever had.

Wow. Quite good. Yeah. You know, wonderfully Paris with the chef's edition. It does. It's great. I don't know why I expected that the Shugar malt scotch to be like. That my expectation. Yeah. When you hear about a scotch that's made for cigars, you kind of question it, right? Yeah. It's true. But this is legit and it's legit.

It's not cheap. How much, how much was it? Senator? It's like, it's one 90 a bottle. Wow. So I wish you didn't say that they put it in the Cabernet bottle or the Cabernet barrel, because you would have picked that up. No, I don't know if I would have, but I don't know if I would have or not. I don't think I would have either.

I feel like you can, there's a sweetness, maybe that's from the bourbon barrel, but there's a sweetness to it. That's um, but it's like not, but it's balanced. It's not very, it's not, it's not sweet, sweet, but there's just a hint of sweetness there. That boy is nice. Angry. There's an interesting, and tell me if I'm crazy, I'm trying to get a note here, but I'm not a connoisseur.

I'm not a kind of short, but like on the news. It's it's very different. What I would expect when I tasted this, there's a disconnect. I agree. Not in a bad way. It's just surprising, like scotch it's just tasted, it just fucking smells like scotch, but when you taste it, yeah, it gives pipe them. I mean, I didn't say it didn't smell like scotch.

It's really good for me on the nose. You get like dried fruit. But when you actually sip it, it there's this sweetness that you don't. I did maple maple a little, yeah. Almost like a maple. I was hesitating and saying that, but I actually think that when you sip it, you can actually get this strange wine, like tastes.

That's right. Honestly, that's what I was saying. That's exactly where it was going. I'm like, I wish you wouldn't have told me about this Cabernet because like I'm biased, but it's, there it is. I mean, it's no joke there. It tastes a little bit it's different and there's a wine taste difference is in that cask.

That's, what's creating that, that crazy is from what I've read. Everyone is trying to, the only thing that they publicly released is that 70% of it has been in a Sherry. They don't tell you the breakdown, but most people have said that they think 10% is in that cab cask. And it's amazing for only 10% of what's in that bottle to come out of a Cabernet barrel.

But you actually get it on the finish. It's a very complex. Yeah, because if you, if you the bell Vini, right. I'm going with a chip putting a champion. Yeah. That's a good idea. Oh, So open it up, get a different note. Yeah. Um, that's aged in Sherry casts. Yeah. Depending on which one you get. Well, well, it's similar to this and that, so that the 12 double-wide is half Sherry, half American Oak, but you don't get that.

You don't get that note. You don't get that fruit. There's like that fruit forward. Right. Note that's in, in, in that you don't it's treading any notes of bitter cetera. Tophi custard tophi. I'm getting that. Yeah. Carmel, a little knit maple, a bit of maple for me. Buttery mouthfeel. Buttery. Yes, definitely.

Buttery, definitely tophi maple. That's how that all works for. Awesome dude. This is super delicious. Excellent. It's excellent. Those were all the notes that I'm getting from my Brooklyn lager, Nana, from your phone.

So I don't, I'm not a wine guy. I'm not a wine connoisseur like you guys are. Do you guys enjoy wine with cigars? Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. Like I enjoy wine, like honestly, in the shower.

I'm joking. Cause I mean, yeah, of queer now. Um, so very bizarre that you say that because this will sound strange. I actually first started smoking cigars for years, primarily drinking wine with cigars more than scotch. Now I drink scotch more with cigars than I do wine, but no exaggeration when I was at a college.

I was living in DC and every Sunday, my roommate and I would grill steaks. We'd set up on our rooftop and I'd have a bottle of wine, a big cigar, a nice steak. And I just, for me, why it actually pairs fantastically with cigars because you know, cigars, especially the kind of cigars that we smoke. Even when I first started smoking cigars, I wasn't smoking Connecticut shade, cigar.

I like fuller. They were shitty cigars now for what I smoked, but they were full flavored. So that can withstand that holds up against a really rich cab. It holds up against a bold scotch. So I think at Paris fantastically to the cigar. Yeah. And what kind of wine are we talking? Like what do you go for? Is it like a dark red?

What are you for me? Yeah, it's a full bodied. Red cab would definitely be the preference or a red blend. That's got some really nice complexity. Like a Bordeaux style blend. So we're all about a third of the way through this cigar. What are we, uh, what are you, what are you feeling right now? So it's one act so far, right?

Yeah. A lot of creamy notes. Agree. Cedar, um, still, still getting, I think initially I got like more pepper that I'm getting now. I agree. I feel like it's actually gotten a little sweeter as I'm smoking further along. That could be from the Scottish. Yeah. I got that though. Even before the scotch, it was after like the first inch of Ash.

I started to buy, set up. Hurry. Yeah. Okay. It's a really, it's really nice. It's uh, it's elegant. It's elegant. It's a special occasion. Cigar it's. If, if somehow you could smoke one of these in the same spot that you'd smoke, maybe a late hour Churchill after a lot of, you know, where that fits into an evening.

Um, where a really nice Churchill fits into an evening, unfortunately, due to the price point and the availability and everything else, it doesn't fit like that. But I think that this is a cigar for after a meal or after a really great meal. It's what it's designed to do. You know it, it's got it. It's complex.

It delivers it's got power. Yes. And, um, Uh, there's no bitterness whatsoever. None. It's, uh, the burn and the draws. Very, it's just very, it's very good. And no citrus in this either. All right. So when we get to writing this, band's giving it a two. Yeah, that's right. No, no, it's not one of these. It's not one of the fruity cigars like Bentley.

Would you consider this a one and done cigar for the evening? Is it, does it have a caliber of cigar where you have your dinner? You have your cigar and you go home. No, but this is the wrong group that asked that question. Yeah, that's true. That's true. Most they can sit down and do seven cigars. Could it, could it be, could it be the last cigar of the evening?

Yeah. You know, as it is an after dinner cigar. Yeah. I would not want this on an, on an empty stomach. No. Oh, you know, I'm, you know what I'm thinking about too? Like we talked about presentation 10 cigars, the way it like the way it shows up at your door, this is a great gift for a cigar smoker. Like around the holidays, you know, your boss, somebody you work with, you know, a friend that smokes cigars, a family, like this is a perfect presentation for the whole.

It's super duper. Like I'd be thrilled if somebody gave me a box of these for federal dinner party. If you pulled out that Ash tray full of Tennessee's beautiful sticks. Impressive. Yeah. Here's a thing that's pleasing to me about it is that it delivers

a lot of these Davidoff releases, quite frankly, aren't that good? A lot of them aren't are overpriced and, and not, and don't deliver it like this does. Uh, so when you throw in the combination of, of the presentation, which is, I think it's unanimous, um, even based on other reviews that I've read online about the cigar after smoking the first one, when I saw that, when I received.

Ashtray in the, in the cigar tree that comes with it. It's fantastic. I was a little giddy when I got it. You're like, this is really nice. And then, so it wasn't, that, that was just really nice. Then you smoke the cigar and you go, this is really, really, really nice. So I think when you put those, all those things together, um, it's a really nice package.

It's in and you actually feel like it delivered on value. Um, when, when with some of these other releases, like the, like the year of the ox and some of these other, that big, huge ring gauge cigar that came out last year, um, and some of these other releases and even some of the, the other quote, unquote LA marketing cigars, like the Royal and some of this other stuff, they don't live up to the price.

And this, this does, yeah. This delivers, this is worth it's value. It delivers on price on the experience, the presentation, which for me is a, is a, is a pleasant surprise for, for what Davidoff has done in the past, which some of these releases have not been, they've not blowing my hair back. This kind of did as a question, or am I wrong or did I, am I, are you guys I'm pleased with it?

I'm right behind you. A hundred percent with you. Would any of you put this ahead of the late hour Churchill? I think it depends on what you're looking for at any given moment. It's more refined, a little bit more smoother than the late hours late hour has like the. I don't know if, you know, lack of a better word, like, well, edginess is a bite bite.

This is like very complex, very smooth. So now with all that said, would you put it ahead to, yeah, so to, to me it's a very easy answer. Absolutely. I'm sorry. I would put this ahead of the millennial. Thank you to me. This is as good of a dab it off my head. I mean, it's almost no contest. And then the question is just where do you rank after that?

The millennia, again, this is also a limited production. Well, that's what I'm saying. Our you're going to get that elaborate all the time. Millennium is a standard production, so this is a special steak it's here in Ghana. So my feelings about the late hour, it's just, that really holds a special place in my heart.

Like when you're a few scotches deep, a few cigars deep, that really, just to me, it just buttons up the night, you know? And I think about how many times we've all smoked those outside around a fire, you know, whatever it may be like. It's, it's just a great cigar. So I guess I just attach my memory to that.

Do I agree? And I actually think it's one of the best cigars that to pair with Scott. And it's not a coincidence that obviously that the late hour is aged, the tobacco is actually aged in X single-malt barrels. So they're trying to impart some of that flavor, but just when you pair that with a Macallan, I mean, it's incredible in a way that obviously you'll enjoy a millennium with a scotch, but for me, the late hour is the perfect cigar, certainly to pair with a single mom and this, I would put right up there with that.

Yes. And, uh, Not to go on and on, but yes, this is better. This is a better cigar. It's a, it's a more, it's a more complex cigar it and it's delivering and it's delivering in the power department. Oh yeah. It's but, but in a good way, some flavor bomb in a good way. Yes. It's, it's a full of flavor. It's full and it's full.

Um, and it's.

Uh, it's, there's no doubt about it. Um, several knocks and cigar, you feel good about it? What are your thoughts? I think it's fantastic. I think it's very elegant. I like your point. I'm very relaxed. I think it's pairing well with the scotch. I want more of them. This is a slam dunk. I agree. I'm on fucking more of these.

Yeah, I agree. And I think the biggest. You know, I I'm critical of Davidov because price point does matter. Right. We can pretend it doesn't, but no one wants to feel like they're paying and not getting the same value in return. And with so many I feel like that's the case. You're spending a lot of money for a stick and you're not getting back nearly what you paid for.

And this is one of the few cigars, and I'm saying this to anyone out there. Skeptical of spending 35, $40 on a stick. This is one of the few Davet ops that is special enough that I actually think warrants that price tag for the limited release, because there are a lot of limited release cigars. They put out that are 40th stick that I've bought.

And I sit there and say, there's no way I would ever pay this again for, for that. Right. No way. There's absolutely there's stuff that I've, you know, you. That we've picked up as singles that are limited releases picked up multiple singles and said this no way, no way. This is not a $40 cigar. Yup. This is a great, so what do they do every year?

They do a year of the ox. You're the rabbit on the Chinese calendar. Right. And then they also do, do they do one Ellie a year or multiple. They do one Ellie with the, with the year on it. Right. So it's a 20, 21 alley. Yeah. So where would you put given your, I haven't smoked most of those now, thereby, um, so I know that you guys have, I don't know if Poobah has, but this is definitely better.

Did you rank those though? Would you say the LEDs are generally better? The, the year of those or are, are better? Depends on the year. You know, the last one was the year of the Ark. What'd you came in like a 50 rain gauge and a 60 re-engage. I didn't have the 50, I have the 60 re-engage it's a big, it was, it was a good cigar, but not quite like this wasn't as complex and not deserving of its price point.

If we're being honest, I mean, I'm sorry that year or the ox I had that cigarette. I had a couple of those. The smoke output is tremendous. I enjoyed sitting back and just being a chimney for an evening, but for food, I think that cigar was $45. I spent on it. It's not worth $45. A beautiful, no one, but this is your right.

And th this is like, to me, I feel like this chef's edition Churchill is a cigar that is meant to be smoked with others. It's meant to be. Together. It's it's meant to be shared together if makes you, it's not something that I would smoke by myself on my deck or, or in a lounge by myself. This is a celebratory stick.

It's a commute. It's it really, it feels that way. It delivers in that way. It looks, that looks that way. It's very, it tastes it's. This is a celebratory cigar. This is a cigar that you sit down, everybody lights. And you have it together. And, um, what more can you ask for out of a stick? I think that that's, as much as you can ask for, if we were to go up to that hotel and all the, uh, where, uh, you know, we're go where, where wherever, and go and go away and sit around a fire, or like we're doing tonight.

This is the type of cigar. Hey, let's all night went up. Totally. Now let's let me ask you a question. Let's say you're sitting with a group that there's some guys there that don't smoke cigars, like, like we do, or like, would you, would you share this with amateur frustrating moments, by the way, never you'll have sticks for them.

That's in the guest humidity. The problem is it's called Camacho. They see you're smoking something else. Yeah. Yeah. And they get bent that. And eventually ended up giving them one and they don't understand it. They smoke too quickly. I noticed guys going through cigars very, very quick, and I'm a fast smoker, but I take my time, I think, uh, w w we would disagree.

I know you do well with your cigars, but I make love to. I make love to this cigar. I take my time, everything you're putting the ball on the tee right now. I can tell

you'd make love to a catcher's Mitt

in high school. I have.

It's called conditioning. The kid, he could do a small scale production. Bachelor of auditioning.

Put me on the end of the conveyor belt. Oh, that's right. That's right. Well, I think we can all agree. This is a nice, I will say though, so. I hear a lot of guys we've talked about this and I hear some guy say, oh, you know, well, you've got cigars for those kind of guys that you give out. And I have to say, first of all, I have a hard time wanting to stock like, shit.

I don't like to smoke. Right. What's in my human or every single thing in there I would smoke. And what I will say is obviously I have plenty of friends who don't know anything about cigars, but they're interested, right. They'll occasionally smoke a cigar. What I do love. Would I give this as the first cigar to someone who's a novice?

No way. Exactly. It's a very strong cigar, but what I will say is, you know, I, I have a few friends that I've had come by the last, this past year who don't smoke very often and I've given Patrones that they really, really. And they're just ripping through these. I mean, these are guys who smoke like one cigar and that's it they're done for the day.

And they're ripping through these Patreons and I'm sitting there saying, holy shit, they're like, this whole box is about to be gone. So I'm pulling out something that I don't necessarily reach for all the time. And I'm like, you know, they'll probably enjoy them. And what's amazing when you introduce people and just like us, when you introduce them to good cigars, I'll never know.

After I, I had a whole box of drones out. Everyone's smoking XQ CBOs, Lebanese. Can I have another, can I have another? And I pulled out a box of Oliva Melania's oh. And literally I had one of my friends say to me, This is not as good as the other cigars you are giving us. What is this? I'm sitting there saying he's only had these this day and he's instantly picked up on the difference between a Patrona and Oliva.

They're very different. They're not the same cat category of class any day of the week. So I do think people's ability, their pallets ability to learn and adjust happens pretty quickly. Oh, it's certainly. Remember when you gave me my first X placebo at the lounge, how quickly my pallet changed. I literally went downstairs, returned everything.

I had purchased 10 minutes before and bought all patrols. True. I'll never forget. Gibbs literally looks at me. So thank you so much. This is incredible. And he goes, the problem. Everything. I just bought downstairs. I don't want after having a cigar. And I said, don't worry about it. Just go down and tell me you want to exchange it all.

And he literally did that. Yeah. Yeah. And, and it's, it's what ends up happening with the Cuban vortex. You know, you, once you, you know, you smoke a D four, then you smoke them in your smoke. Amani Christa number two, and a good one. If you can have, if you find a good one and you end up going down in the same.

Yeah. Who, who, who, who could believe that, that this world is, is wide open and that opens up a whole new world to, um, the best, in my opinion, the best of the best. I mean, there's there, there's Padrone. There's Davidoff and there's there's Habana, SSA and everything else. Um, it's hard to top that. I mean, the only grinder over here, he would add placenta.

I would say that, you know, for a novel novice to give this cigar would, you know, it's too much. If it doesn't make sense, we really want to go through the dabbled offline. You start off with the, with the thousand series, the 2000 series, and then move up to the ground. Then the millennium and then the special edition, this is a full flavored cigar.

It's a big circle, but I would also argue if you, if you have friends like mine that have gotten hooked on Patrones, you'd start them at a millennium. Oh yeah. And then honestly, this next, because a late hour, I think, I think rooster was very accurate when he said there's an edginess to the late hour, which if you're, if you're, if you smoke a lot of cigars and you like full flavor, you, you want that ed, some.

But for a novice cigar smoker, that's going to be a, that's going to be a big leap, but I feel like this is right in between a millennium and a late hour. Yeah. It's more complex. It's, it's, it's it's full body, but it's, um, it has a complexity that neither the millennium or the late hour has that is, that is unique onto itself.

Right. It's like no other Davidoff that, that, that, that I've had, um, And, um, and kudos to, to the folks who, who blended this, this isn't, this is, uh, it's, it's, it's really, it's a special occasion cigar. Um, and I want more of them. I may wind up with three ceramic ashtrays

because they are good. I mean, they're really good. Now, one. Yup. Yup. Not once in the whole room. The whole room. Not one time. If you haven't heard one click, it's a great post Thanksgiving meal cigar. Oh yeah. Chris bottom day. Ah, fuck man. Oh man. They did a good job and I just love a Churchill. So when you get a great church, there's nothing.

Than a great Churchill. I'm so glad you said that. I've said this a thousand times, the late hour Churchill in your hand, just like this cigar, nothing feels better to smoke just in your hand. It's the perfect ring gauge. The smoke output is still great. You can just smoke this for, you know, you can watch a football game, you can spend a lot of time doing something and just enjoy that.

I, I mean, it's Churchill is a legendary. It's fantastic. Yeah, it's it is. And it's, it's power. You feel powerful just the way you can hold it. You can hold it with four fingers. You feel powerful and feels good. It's fighting a Churchill and cigars are about time. Time spent beautifully time, beautifully filled.

That's what it is, is that tagline beautifully filled. Right. But, so when you're made of Churchill too, you're also in a mindset you're in a mindset of you sit down and you're saying, this is an, this is a time investment. Yeah. And, and so you're also, you know, there's a mindset to Churchill because you, you, you.

You've got the time you've got the you've you've you've you've thought about it planned it, or it just happened to fall upon you, but regardless you're there. And you know, when you, when, you know, when you light it up, that you're in the zone and I think that plays into it that, you know, you light up a reboost STO you know, you're, you could be, you know, driving somewhere.

You could be, you know, Hey, I got, I got, I got 40 minutes. I'm going to, I'm going to get a smoke in, um, you're in the zone and you're ready. You're, you're prepared for the delivery of it too. So I think the mindset that you're in when you smoke one plays into it, it's important. And, uh, I'm ready when you light one of these up as this is shaped like this you're ready.

You're you're saying to yourself, I'm all in. And I think that goes to the point about price too. You know, somebody asked, my brother actually asked me any of the days, why the hell would you spend 35, 40 bucks on a cigar? And to me it's like, all right, if I can get the 90 minutes or two hours, even if I'm smoking slowly of just absolute relaxation and enjoyment, where else can you get that kind of.

For 30 or 40 bucks. Yeah. You're exactly right. Or you think about it. I've had to ask around

well, I'll tell you, unless you're getting a foot massage, it depends on the company, but the gizmo to your point, I mean, Friends of mine who are, uh, they would call themselves novice cigar smokers. And they would say, oh, you know, if I would normally spend 10, $15 on a cigar, I'm not going to spend much more than that.

And they're buying reduced dose. You think of a Churchill? I mean, it's basically almost to reboost dose. Yeah. And a late hour for instance, is $25. Yeah. It's actually a phenomenal value for that stick. Even this at 30 something bucks it's to reboot. Right. It's well worth it. Right? So you were saying they could cut it in half and smoke the other half later gizmo.

I knew that was coming. No, no gears. Mercedes desert. We'd cut them in half. He's criticizing how I used to cut my cigars before I got my broccoli. Cut them.

Education never ends. I'm going to go smoke outside.

You guys want to give it, uh, the, the formal lizard. You guys ready? Yep. I'm ready? Yeah. I'm ready. Got, well, I'll have to round up and give it a nine. All right. I am also going to give it a nine I'm in the exact same camp, easily. A nine for me. It's a 10 oh, rooster high praise. I love that nine. Now I put a millennium at nine.

Yeah. Okay. So it's, and it's a much different cigar for me, but I get a different type of appreciation for this cigar than I would a millennium, but I happen to love both. So for me, from the point of view of the love of the cigar, it's a nine for me, the official lizards. Across all of us as a 9.2, that's very high, very, very strong recommend.

Oh yeah. And you know, I respect, I respect, uh, roosters 10 because out of everybody here, he certainly is smoking currently smoking the most avid offs. Yeah. You know, I'm giving it a 10, not just for the cigar yes. For the cigar, but also the packaging and everything else that, that as well. And the name of the scotch again, Dalmore it's the Delmore cigar mall.

Very good. Very good. It's a perfect pairing.

I'm glad to hear it because it was a risk. So the irony I've only had, how many guys have had downward. We talked about it. We did. How many guys have been ever more before? Never. Never, never, never, never. All right. So I'm the only one that's tried down more and I've always looked at this bottle and rooster, and I were just talking about this, the other.

I mean to have designed a scotch with the intent to smoke it with a cigar, I've been curious and I thought maybe it's just a marketing gimmick. And I said, yeah, What a better time to try it than now. Right? As well. Yeah. Very thoughtful. 700 chefs edition 2021 boys. 9.2. Fantastic. All right, we'll see you next time.

Thanks so much for joining us tonight. Hope you enjoyed it. If you have any comments, questions, if you want to reach out, say hello, tell us what you're smoking. Email us lounge, lizards pod. Loungelizardspod@gmail.com. Really appreciate your time. And I we'll see you next week.