It has been a while since I talked about DAV Cigars. They are a loyal sponsor of Stogie Press and I truly enjoy their craft. You may have read my past reviews of their line and today I offer the 4th review, this time on their Mestizo line.
The DAV Cigars Mestizo is described by the company as ‘a rich full body cigar with tons of flavor and complexity’. The blend is described as:
- Wrapper – San Andres
- Binder – Olor Dominican
- Filler – Dominican
They are presented in 10-count cedar boxes and offered in 3 vitolas:
- Corona (6 x 42) MSRP $7.50
- Double Toro (6 x 54) MSRP $11.00
- Robusto (5 x 52) MSRP $8.00
For this review I sampled 2 of the DAV Cigars Mestizo Robustos, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The DAV Cigars Mestizo is a gritty and very dark brown cigar that has some noticeable veins and a simple cap. The cigar is packed well and has slight oily sheen to it.
A single black and silver band adorns the cigar using the same design as the others in the DAV portfolio. Just remember black is the Mestizo. The term Mestizo means ‘a man of mixed race, especially one having Spanish and indigenous descent’.
Running the Mestizo across the nasals I detected a sweet fermented leaf along the barrel along with earthiness and a pungent fermented leaf off the foot. Interesting, I would say there are some well fermented leafs in this blend which I am anticipating will translate into a fine smoking journey.
Slicing the cap with my double blade Xikar cutter, I proceeded to give the Mestizo some cold draw puffs. Wow… there is already a big dose of red pepper warming the lips, tongue, and cheeks even before I hit it with the flame. As I get past the pepper and puff it some more, I noticed notes of light citrus tang and earth also.
With the preliminary examination peaking my interest, I reached for my triple flame torch lighter, making sure the flame is turned down to medium, and started to warm the foot slowly to an even orange glow. Turning the barrel I puffed it gently to get the ignition started. A soft whisper of air on the foot makes sure it is lit and ready to take me on a DAV smokey journey.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial light offers pepper on the retro-hale coupled with citrus and coffee on the palate
- Medium grey ash on slightly wavy medium char line
- Fruity aroma
- Cream notes enter the profile
- Thick and full volume of smoke – what I call smoke ring texture
- Dark chocolate enters in the start of the second third
- Dry leather notes highlights the profile with a noticeable herbal spice
- Sweet almond nuance enters midway
- Nut joins the fruit in the aroma as the cream increases
- The cigar starts to burn a bit hot to the touch at this point
- Maple Syrup aroma enters with an added orange zest
- The early wave grew into a need for a mild touch up
- Peppery spice enters deep in second third with an oak like wood note
- Extremely long ash has been growing since the first light and never fell even with the touch up
- Spice notes tone down and shift back to herbal spice
- Ash finally fell revealing an off center burn cone – explains the need for the touch up
- Pepper moves back in the final
- Medium to full in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 20 minutes down to the nub
Overall, the DAV Cigars Mestizo was a spectacularly full body cigar with hoards of complex flavor notes and aromas. This one hit the flavor wheel on all eight cylinders. There was a bit of waviness in the burn and it did eventually require a touch up, but that ash …oh that ash held on tight almost to the nub. At a price point of 8 bucks, this is most definitely worthy of a box buy and add to your after big meal rotation. I rate this a solid 93.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wave in burn; (-1) Off centered burn cone; (-1) Medium Grey Ash; (-1) Mild Touch Up; (-1) Burned a bit hot to the touch in second half
Bonus Points: (+1) Extreme Ash (+1) Box Worthy
