VISIT TO DAVIDOFF FACTORY
During the first week of February I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend a tobacco seminar hosted by Davidoff in the Dominican Republic.
This incorporated an agenda of presentations by Raymond Scheurer, Member of the Executive Board of Davidoff, Basel; tastings conducted by Henrik Kelner (master cigar blender for Davidoff,) and tours of the tobacco fields and factory.
The trip was an incredible experience and I feel very privileged to have been invited and given the opportunity to witness first hand all stages of production of this premium line of cigars.
Seven of us from Canada joined approx 30 other retailers and distributors from around the world and our five days called for a full agenda.
We were shown all stages of development of the tobacco plants: from the germination of the seeds (in peat moss imported from Canada!) to the harvesting, curing, fermentation and aging. Then on to the factory at Villa Gonzalez to see the rollers at work and the stringent quality control checks that are in place at each stage of production. The end result is perfection which ensures that each cigar in any given Series (Grand Cru, Classic, Special, etc) will be exactly the same irrespective of whether it is purchased in Amsterdam, Toronto or Singapore!
The photos show:
- tobacco plants grown in perfect climatic conditions and excellent soils, which delivers the first-class tobacco leaves required to produce Davidoff cigars;
- curing and aging (leaves are stored for up to four years before they undergo any processing at all)
- selection of the tobaccos to create a blend crafted for consistency of aroma, flavour and burn
- rolling which is a skill handed down from generation to generation
- tasting conducted by Henrik Kelner, who is unmatched in the country for his knowledge and understanding of tobacco and cigar making
- Avo Uvezian, founder of the Avo brand
- Canadian group which included retailers from Toronto, Montreal and Calgary and two staff members from GVA, distributor of Davidoff in Canada
Click any of the pictures below to see larger version
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