A decade ago, the first Chefs Edition cigar was launched by Davidoff with six top European chefs. The inaugural 2016 premium cigar was conceived as a limited-edition run, available only at Davidoff-appointed merchants and Davidoff flagship stores worldwide. This year, the Chefs Edition by Davidoff casts its nets across the world, in collaboration with five chefs across three continents, all of whom are passionate Davidoff aficionados.
Collectively, these five chefs hold sway over a sum total of 11 Michelin stars awarded to their restaurants. The culinary household names who are part of this effort of conceiving the fourth edition comprise Paolo Casagrande of three-starred Lasarte, Spain; Christian Bau of three-starred Victor’s Fine Dining, Germany; Kirk Westaway of two-starred Jaan in Singapore; Nick Bril of two-starred The Jane, Belgium; and Michael Beltran of the one-starred Ariete in the United States.
Each box of the 2025 Chefs Edition consists of 10 x 52 Toro, limited to a global total of 17,500 boxes. This year’s Chefs Edition box (RM3,900) is made of a robust wooden frame, carved with individual grooves for the 10 gourmet cigars to nestle within. It is then fitted and topped with a 100 per cent natural marble reminiscent of a kitchen chopping board.
View this post on Instagram
The tobaccos selected for this special edition are derived from Davidoff’s White Band Collection, such as the Dominican San Vicente Visus (which was aged for 15 years), as well as the Dominican Hybrid 98, selected for its fresh lemon notes (which we also tasted in this year’s Year of the Snake Limited Edition), and an Ecuadorean wrapper.
Its Dominican Piloto Seco filler is perhaps the most novel introduction to this year’s edition, having undergone a five-year Yagua ageing process, in which the tobacco is wrapped in natural Yagua palm leaves to confer extra smoothness, sweetness, and complexity. The latter is the first time the Yagua technique has ever been applied to tobacco within a Davidoff cigar.
In the tasting, the elegantly balanced cigar is a reflection of the light, fresh kitchen characteristic that each of the five chefs is known for. This finesse is representative of Davidoff’s aim to showcase a food-friendly cigar, one that ties into its two-decade-long connection with the Davidoff Tour Gastronomique cigar—which framed the idea of a unique masterpiece being the bridge between haute cuisine and premium handmade cigars.
An opening puff of this Chefs Edition introduces cayenne pepper and whipped cream, while the Yagua ageing adds a floral complexity to the bouquet. More flavours begin to reveal themselves through this hour-long smoke with rosewood, leather, and a faint rumour of lemon, before its climactic ending of fresh spice, coffee, and oak.
“I am thrilled to be launching another Chefs Edition—a cigar that not only delights the palate but also tells a story of culinary artistry and tobacco craftsmanship coming together,” Edward Simon, chief marketing officer at Oettinger Davidoff, said in a statement. “Watching the chefs co-create and refine the blend alongside our master blenders has been truly inspiring. Their refined palates brought to life a cigar that embodies their signature taste profiles, as well as our signature Davidoff sophistication. I am confident that our ‘chef d’œuvre’ will be well-received by aficionados and connoisseurs of life’s finest pleasures.”
