The Royal Release Salomone’s regal packaging is trumped only by the beauty of the cigar itself. Everything about these products bespeaks the quality therein. Few cigars are as glorious to behold and smoke as the one pictured here.
Years ago, when I first began to work with Davidoff, I couldn’t get over how wonderful each product offering was. As I spent more time enjoying White label cigars, I did eventually get used to them. At some point, I got spoiled. When you are able smoke a Davidoff #2 daily, for instance, it is easy to take the quality for granted.
Snapping into the present day, I have been reminded, once more, just what Davidoff is capable of due to the majesty of the Royal Release product line. We have been carrying them at the Davidoff Cigar Bar since they were first available. Again, the luck of my job and exposure to this product is what allowed me to respect and enjoy it so thoroughly.
Davidoff had offered a Royal Robusto and Royal Salomones in the past. The latest incarnations are referred to as the Royal Release and the blends and processes behind making these cigars have been further enhanced to create a cigar truly worthy of the name it bears. And the experience of smoking one only further cements that notion.
My preference in the previous iteration was the Robusto. I prefer the Salomone from the Royal Release. I found it to be an incredibly experiential cigar. One that you want to spend two hours enjoying. Since I don’t often have two uninterrupted hours to smoke, the cigar dictates that it isn’t something I can do regularly. I prefer this. I don’t want to lose my taste for these cigars. I want each one to mark a special occasion or a wonderful day.
The Royal Release cigars are literally a product line unto themselves. Even with all the other tremendous offerings from the Davidoff portfolio, these are different. The complete journey from a seed to the cigar itself takes over 10 years. The Royal Release tobacco is aged for 8 years and very closely monitored throughout that process to ensure the perfection that is intended.
The blend itself is highlighted by a wrapper leaf that Davidoff only uses for the Royal Releases. The wrapper leaf is called Aromatica Dominicana. These wrappers are only meant for use on this product line and will never be featured on any other Davidoff. The binder is called Habano Ecuador and the filler tobaccos are largely ligero tobaccos, from the top of the plant.
There are only 8 people that roll these cigars, only master rollers are allowed to work on this project. The cigars themselves are glorious and the smoothness of the Aromatica Dominicana wrapper leaf is a visual cue to the highest echelon of quality that has been achieved.
The presentation and packaging of the cigars are also in lock step with product. The boxes are a regal blue with gold highlights. When you open the box, you will find each cigar nestled into a trench perfect for just that cigar. Also included in the box is a certificate from the company that certifies the quality of the product, signed by the Master Blender, Henke Kelner, himself. The signatures of the Master Rollers are also included.
These accoutrements, while thematically congruent, are just reminders of what’s been accomplished by the cigar itself. No matter what industry or walk of life somebody comes from, the most impressive thing one can do is put their best foot forward and truly show the world what they are capable of. Davidoff has achieved this, in spades, with the Royal Releases.
Smoking one of these cigars is the ultimate nod though. While the packaging and story behind the cigar complement it very nicely, it’s incumbent upon a cigar of this echelon to carry its own weight.
The first time I smoked a Royal Release Salomone, I couldn’t believe how smooth it was. I had been pretty well versed on the technical specifications and blend prior to lighting up… none of that matters when you are lost in the sheer enjoyment of the cigar itself.
The smooth texture of the wrapper leaf in your hand is echoed by the smoke itself. While there is quite a bit of strength built into it, the Salomone’s best attribute is how incrementally that strength comes on. Other cigars of that size that feature that much ligero tobacco are the type you might have to let sit down for a while and then resume. The Royal Salomone, however, entices you not to lay it down for fear of missing out on the nuances therein.
It is subtle. It is complex. It is transcendent. This cigar will leave you altered when you are done with it. You are changed for the better, understanding what Davidoff’s halo cigar offers. I was completely blown away. My respect and love for cigars was emboldened. While I had enjoyed so many wonderful cigars in my charmed life as an employee of Davidoff, I posit that this cigar is second to none. Whether you want to mark an occasion, forget your troubles for two hours or just bask in the glory of somebody else’s brilliance this is the cigar for you.
The only thing left is to find a warm, comfortable place to enjoy such an offering. Perhaps a cozy little spot across from the Wynn with incredible views of the Strip.
That’s where we, at the Davidoff Cigar Bar, Las Vegas, put our best foot forward. Our aim is to offer a venue commensurate with the esteemed cigar I can’t stop pontificating about.
We would love to have you enjoy our view of the strip, in our comfortable seats, on a perfect day and enjoy this truly remarkable offering from Davidoff. While our staff ensures your enjoyment by tending to all the other details.
I sincerely hope that you will take me up on this invitation. Fear of missing out is a real thing and if you truly love the highest quality cigars on earth, it’s a moral imperative that you smoke the Royal Release from Davidoff so that you don’t miss out on the splendor of a cigar with a decade of love and effort behind it.
We will be waiting for you,
Rich Wilson
Assistant General Manager/Cigar Ambassador
Davidoff Cigar Bar – Las Vegas
