In 2006, when its limited-edition Diademas sold out in two months, Davidoff sensed an opportunity. Enter the Salamones, which come in similar cabinets of 50. Says Michael A. Herklots, manager of Davidoff’s NYC flagship, “The success of the Diademas proved there could be room for more.”

Astute executives know there is no greater folly than rushing a half-baked product to market. Kindred spirits you will thereby find in the men behind Swiss-based Davidoff, which is well-known for taking its sweet time between issuing new cigars. ­Considering that legend has it that the company’s founder and namesake once literally torched thousands of cigars for not meeting his high standards . . . well, maybe that’s for the best.

Notable, then, is the recent introduction of the Davidoff Royal Salamones ($2,250/box of 50), an 8.25 x 57 stick that marries a zesty Ecuadorian wrapper (a hybrid created by legendary cigar blender Hendrik Kelner) with a mellow Dominican filler and binder, resulting in a well-rounded smoke with everything from hints of spice to deep, full-bodied notes. Like Davidoff’s Millennium Blend, the Royal Salamones comes with two distinct bands, just to reemphasize to everyone in the room that you are, in fact, in possession of a cigar that costs more than a porterhouse for two.

The sizeable stick is also destined to be a rare one: As with the company’s other cigars, the Royal Salamones are hand-rolled by experienced torcedores in the Davidoff factory in the Dominican Republic’s Villa Gonzalez: a process as exacting, in many ways, as rolling out a new product. A mere 100 boxes will be released for U.S. consumption, available only through Davidoff stores in New York and Las Vegas. Torch one up during your next board meeting, and revel in the notion that you’re likely the only man in the room who is. 

davidoff.com

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