Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/797484
26 tobaccoasia / Issue 1, 2017 March / April Davidoff Royal release Davidoff 702 series Cohiba Atmosphere - Genting Dream Cruise Norio Hattori In operation since November, Dream Cruise is homeported in China and cruises to Asian desti- nations. The Dream Cruise Cohiba Atmosphere is a glamorous affair and on-board dress code is eveningwear from 5pm with serious recommenda- tions such as 'never throw cigars overboard as the cigars may be carried by wind back into another stateroom and cause serious fire'. Cohiba supply is forecast to be quite low this year but the positive effect is that it leaves some space for other brands, and we see a strong in- crease in demand for other countries of origin such as Honduras and Nicaragua, a few of which have recently received serious distinctions. Neya F8 Patriot has been voted in the 'Best Buys of the Year' by Cigar Aficionado; sporting a Habano Ecuador wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers, this is a blend that balances flavor and affordability. Cigar Journal has voted Ashton Paradiso Quintes- sence Robusto their 'Cigar of the Year 2016'. Market- ed within the US as San Cristóbal and elsewhere as Paradiso for legal reasons, Paradiso has been cre- ated by Master blender José "Pepin" Garcia from Estelí in Nicaragua, with Nicaraguan tobacco and an Ecuadorean wrapper. In Asia, it is available in most Davidoff cigar divans, and is easily recogniz- able from its colorful parrots and gold medals on the ring. And there are now more Davidoff shops: a re- tail concept store in Beijing's Oriental Plaza opened late 2016 and in April a new store is opening in the ION Orchard shopping complex in Singapore. As in previous years, Davidoff has been very active with its new releases. Some of our favorites are the beautifully packaged regional Davidoff City Editions for Taipei, Singapore, and Seoul as well as country editions for Japan and China. Another striking novelty is the Davidoff Royal Release. With a blue packaging not often associated to cigars, and tobacco aged for at least eight years in Royal Bales, it has been crafted by eight of the finest Davidoff cigar rollers and features a special Aromatica Do- minicana wrapper not seen on any other Davidoff cigar. Additionally, the tobacco used for this Royal Release has been harvested separately from other crops. Available for a limited run only, Davidoff Core 702 is the result of a challenge by Davidoff's master blenders to reimagine and reinvent their most iconic cigars – the Davidoff No.2, 2000, Spe- cial R, Aniversario No. 3 among others and give them an exciting twist in the form of a new 702 'Habano' wrapper from Ecuador giving these clas- sics a bolder, more intense edge. Though some might be surprised, there is also a country of origin closer to us: China. Even if the association does not spring to mind, Chinese ci- gars (handmade and machine-made) are steadily but seriously improving their quality and we would recommend trying Great Wall Cigar Legend no 1 and Wang Guan (Guocui) or 1916 Great Century Cigars for a taste of the best. Having started much later than