Today, we are reviewing the Davidoff Year of the Horse 2026 edition in the Toro Especial format. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the release of Chinese Zodiac “Year of” cigars. Davidoff is essentially the company that put this format on the map. It introduced the Year of the Dragon in 2012 to the Asian market, but the following year a global worldwide release was done for 2013’s Year of the Snake. This would incorporate some of Davidoff’s best tobaccos and feature exquisite packaging themed for the Chinese New Year. We are now making our way through the second iteration for the Chinese Zodiac, and 2026 marks the Year of the Horse. Similar to what Davidoff did the prior year for Year of the Snake, the 2026 Year of the Horse features a new blend and all new packaging.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
Unlike the first Davidoff Year of the Horse released for 2014, the 2026 is not a Dominican puro. It uses Dominican tobaccos for the filler, but it is more of an Ecuadorian-centric blend as Ecuadorian tobaccos are used for the binder and filler. Davidoff said that this has blend comprised exclusively of proprietary hybrid seeds with a combined age of 43 years.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian
- Binder: Ecuadorian
- Filler: Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: TABADOM
Vitolas Offered
There are three vitolas that were released for the Year of the Horse 2026. The Toro Especial that we are reviewing today was released to Davidoff Appointed Merchants and comes in ten-count boxes. The Torpedo was released to Davidoff Flagship Stores (those owned by Davidoff). Finally, the Gran Toro was released in an ultra-premium masterpiece humidor and only 20 units were created).
- Toro Especial: 6 1/2 x 55 (Appointed Merchant)
- Torpedo: 6 x 52 (Flagship)
- Gran Toro: 6 x 56 (Masterpiece Humidor)
Appearance (*)
The Ecuadorian wrapper Year of the Horse Toro Especial had a distinct shade of cinnamon color. While I don’t know the specific varietal of this wrapper, this shade is something that is common on several Davidoff limited releases over the years. There wasn’t much oil, but there was a slight amount of mottling on the surface. There were some prominent visible veins. Any wrapper seams that were visible were minimal.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
A straight cut was used to remove the cap on the Year of the Horse Toro Especial. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw experience. The Year of the Horse delivered a mix of cherry and earth notes. While it was a simple pre-light draw, it was an excellent one. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer and head into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Year of the Horse Toro Especial opened up with more notes of cherry and earth. In addition, there were notes of black pepper and natural tobacco present at the start. As the cigar moved through the first half, the cherry and natural tobacco became primary. The pepper and earth notes were joined by hay notes. In addition, there was a layer of black pepper on the retrohale.
By the start of the second third of the Year of the Horse Toro Especial, the earth and hay notes joined the cherry notes in the forofront. The natural tobacco notes moved into the background. I was a little surprised to see some of the pepper notes dial back, as usually this note increases in intensity during a smoking experience.
As the cigar moved into the final third, the cherry, hay, and earth notes remained primary. The pepper notes which had dialed back in the previous third increased with intensity, but did not reach the forefront. There were also some residual natural tobacco notes present. This is how the Year of the Horse Toro Especial came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
The Year of the Horse Toro Especial had a jagged burn line throughout the smoking experience.The burn was prone to meandering and it needed multiple touchups to keep it on track. The touchups did the trick, but the cigar needed more touch ups that I prefer. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose. This ash had a darker charcoal gray color to it. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.
Draw
The draw to the Year of the Horse Toro Especial was on the open side. Normally I prefer a little more resistance on the draw. I didn’t really see this cause any combustion problems, and I don’t attribute this to the meandering of the burn that occurred time to time.
Strength and Body
While the strength of the Year of the Horse Toro Especial remained in the medium range of the spectrum from start to finish, the flavors were quite bold for a Davidoff. These flavors started out medium-bodied, but moved to medium to full by the start of the second third. There still was a slight increase in strength and body in the second half, but in the end the Year of the Horse Toro Especial finished with medium strength and medium to full-bodied flavors.
In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained the edge throughout the smoking experience.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
Once again, Davidoff delivers outstanding packaging on a Chinese Zodiac release. This is some of the best limited edition packaging in the business. The Davidoff Year of the Horse continues that trend.
In terms of banding, the Year of the Horse follows the formula used for all of the previous Davidoff Chinese Zodiac releases. This consists of the standard Davidoff white primary band and a red and gold secondary band. The secondary band depicts the character of the Chinese Zodiac. It is worth noting that the Year of the Horse 2026 secondary band differs from the 2014 edition. The 2026 version is slightly more embellished and has an upgraded look.
The box packaging for the Toro Especial and Torpedo are similar. They use a frame style box with a green quilt-like design around the edges. I like the large band that keeps the cigars in place as opposed to a ribbon here. The wood box cover is a nice finish.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
My summation of the Year of the Horse 2026 Toro Especial is quite simple. This is a good cigar, but not a great cigar. It scores a respectable 88 points, and this was hindered by the fact that the burn could have performed better. 88 points puts a cigar in the average scoring range, but average doesn’t cut it for an ultra-premium cigar priced at $65.00. As a result, this is a cigar I would not recommend splurging on. Even if the burn scored higher, I still would be looking for something with a little more wow factor before I recommended a splurge.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Cherry, Hay, Earth, Natural Tobacco, Pepper
- Burn: Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium (1st Third), Medium to Full (Remainder)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Don’t Splurge
Score: 88
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop unless otherwise specified
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
