Davidoff Millenium Lancero 2023 LE Review (FEBW2)

[MrBirdman]

Right now Davidoff is my favorite NC brand. I’m not necessarily saying it’s “the best” (whatever that even means) but I’ve been going back to them a lot over the past few months. I’ve always been a big fan of the Grand Cru series, and the GC 2 and 3 are part of my regular rotation. In that, they’ve replaced the Coloniales. But the biggest driver of my interest lately has been Davidoff’s run of 2023 LE’s: The 2023. Signature #1, the Millennium Lancero., and the. Anniversario #1. All three cigars had previously been in Davidoff's Regular lineup, but we're discontinued due to lack of popularity. Presumably the vitolas played a big role in this, since lanceros are well known to not be especially popular in the non-Cuban world and few people have the time or money to smoke a nearly 9 inch cigar from Davidoff. 

For today's review I am doing the Millennium lancero. It isn't a true lancero measuring a 40 ring gauge by 7 inches. I have enjoyed these, though perhaps not quite as much as I expected. Out-of-the-box this looks fine but there is a notable soft spot in the middle of the cigar and near the cap. Davidoffs usually have a firmer body despite always drawing perfectly – these don’t. After a guillotine cut though the draw seems just about perfect. 

Opening Third 

Things open up with pretty classic Millennium blend notes, some leathery-ness, a touch of sweetness and what I might call “tariness” (but in a good way). Retrohale is leather with touch of bakers chocolate. Flavor is a touch under medium, body is light-medium, and strength is light. Burn is absolutely razor sharp. Despite my relatively languid smoking pace, this is burning quite quickly, and that accords with my past experiences with this cigar.  

Second Third: 

Some fig gets added to the previous notes as the leather becomes sweeter, and the flavor hits medium. I also start getting some spice – not pepper spice but cinnamon, maybe nutmeg too. Those notes are also common in the Millenium blend. The overall impression is quite enjoyable and what you’d expected from a millennium lancero. My one surprise consistently with this cigar is that it doesn’t have quite the intensity one might expect from a lancero in this blend. Maybe that’s the 40 rg, but I’ve had plenty of 40rg lanceros with lots of intensity. The retrohale is similar to the palate, but is building a kinda of sweet-spiced breadiness that I’m getting into. Body remains under medium. It doesn’t hold much of an ash, which is fine by me. I ash regularly and see no benefit to a long ash besides keeping the cigar lit a bit longer. Charlie Minato mentioned that drawing air through the ash does change the flavor. Towards the end of the second third, the spiciness picks up, and there is some pepper creeping in now. While I’m usually not a fan of pepper, for now it doesn’t bother me. It’s balanced with the other, sweeter spices, though it’s more prominent on the finish.  

Burn seems to go through the soft spot without any issues. Still quite good and still smoking very quickly. Into the last third in 55 minutes. Strength has picked up quite a bit over this third and is now over medium.  

Final Third 

Into the last third that spiciness continues to build, with the leather and baking chocolate still present. Some cocoa starts coming into the retrohale, which I am a big fan of. Not a massive evolution in the flavor profile, just a gentle building with some changes. The strength and body have gone up, and are now both over medium. Actually getting a mild nic buzz which is pretty rare for me for any cigar, let alone a Davidoff. This is the best third of the cigar, which is always a good sign, though the buzz is a bit much for me. 

Overall: 

One of my best experiences with this cigar, and a great way to enjoy the Millenium blend. A shame they were discontinued but at $29 it’s a reasonable price for a Davidoff LE. I was between 92 and 93, but the last third was good enough to put this at the higher level.  

93 

[Glass Half Full]

Totally agree on the three new Davi's you mentioned -- the LE Signature #1, the Millennium Lancero, and the new Anniversario #1.  They're all wonderful in their own ways (as I find them to be remarkably different from each other).  I find it's easier to justify the Davidoff premium for those three LE's as they consistently deliver on their promise, at least in my experience.  

Thanks for the review!  It's a good reminder to enjoy more of those

[MrBirdman]

53 minutes ago, Glass Half Full said:

They're all wonderful in their own ways (as I find them to be remarkably different from each other).  

Totally agree - I’ll be following up later in the week with the Signature 1 and possibly the Anniversario (although not sure I’ll find the time). 

[wjs]

Great review, thank you for sharing. 

Your comment on the nicotine buzz raises an interesting question - is the buzz a positive or a negative? ie: is this something folks seek out or ardently try to avoid (or like wine & oak/alcohol/tannin - it depends)? I had a Cohiba Black a few days ago and the last third really got to me, which isn't common and begged the query.

[MrBirdman]

17 hours ago, wjs said:

Great review, thank you for sharing. 

Your comment on the nicotine buzz raises an interesting question - is the buzz a positive or a negative? ie: is this something folks seek out or ardently try to avoid (or like wine & oak/alcohol/tannin - it depends)? I had a Cohiba Black a few days ago and the last third really got to me, which isn't common and begged the query.

It depends. Generally I only mention or take much note when it becomes a bit more than I’d like. This was just a tad over that point, and was probably a result of having a meal replacement shake beforehand rather than a solid meal. 

[VeguerosMAN]

22 hours ago, wjs said:

Great review, thank you for sharing. 

Your comment on the nicotine buzz raises an interesting question - is the buzz a positive or a negative? ie: is this something folks seek out or ardently try to avoid (or like wine & oak/alcohol/tannin - it depends)? I had a Cohiba Black a few days ago and the last third really got to me, which isn't common and begged the query.

Too much buzz can make you sick. Just a touch of buzz is relaxing imo.

[MagicalBikeRide]

Nice review. Thanks. I’ve really wanted to try the recent No 1 LE, but haven’t found one while travelling. They’re $130 - $160 USD for a single here in Ireland or UK. I just can’t pay that much.