Davidoff is a Swiss luxury tobacco goods brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 name, which is carried by a range of products including cigars, cigarette

Cigarette

A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...

s and pipe tobaccos. Its cigarette brand is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco

Imperial Tobacco

Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...

 but the company is otherwise independently owned.

History

Zino Davidoff was born on March 11, 1906 in Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

, Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

, present-day Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. He was the eldest of four children born to tobacco merchant, Henri Davidoff. Even in his own autobiographical

Autobiography

An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...

 writings, the facts on his youth are a bit hazy, as he was quite young during this time and could only piece together some stories of his youth. His parents were either cigar merchants or cigarette manufacturers in Kiev. Fleeing the political turmoil, his parents left some of their family behind and emigrated to Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 in 1911 for a better life, where they opened their own tobacconist

Tobacconist

A tobacconist is an expert dealer in tobacco in various forms and the related accoutrements .Such accoutrements include pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, pipe tampers, ashtrays, humidification devices, hygrometers, humidors, cigar cutters, and more. Books and magazines, especially ones...

 shop in 1912. Finishing school in 1924, Zino went to Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

 to learn about the tobacco trade, spending time in such places as Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 and finally Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 where he spent two years working on a plantation and first encountered Cuban cigars.

Returning to Switzerland around 1930, he took over his parents' shop. What had originally been a modest tobacco shop grew into a rich business during and after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Neutral Switzerland was spared much of the havoc wreaked elsewhere in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and became a haven for wealthy tobacco customers. Zino was particularly successful in marketing the Hoyo de Monterrey

Hoyo de Monterrey (cigar brand)

Hoyo de Monterrey is the name of two brands of premium cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in Honduras by General Cigar Company, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match.- History :...

 Châteaux Series of Cuban cigars created for Zurich

Zürich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

 cigar distributor A Dürr Co. in the 1940s and named after great Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

s. Around this time, Zino is also credited by many as having invented the first desktop cigar humidor

Humidor

A humidor is any kind of box or room with constant humidity, and ideal temperature, used to store cigars, cigarettes, or pipe tobacco. For private use, small wooden or acrylic glass humidor boxes for a few dozen cigars are used, while cigar shops may have walk-in humidors, sometimes consisting of a...

, in order to preserve cigars at the same conditions of humidity and temperature under which they were rolled in Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

. Davidoff also had success writing several books on cigar smoking and Cuban cigar brands.

In 1970, Zino sold his small but highly successful tobacco shop in Geneva to the Max Oettinger Company. Zino stayed on as Davidoff’s ambassador until his death in 1994 at the age of 87. He was survived by his wife, a daughter and his three siblings.

The Max Oettiger Company, which took over Davidoff, was founded in 1875 and was one of the first importers of Havana cigars to Europe, selling its wares in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and Switzerland. Headed by the Swiss-born Ernst Schneider, Oettiger paid in excess of $1 million for the Davidoff shop, considered by many at the time to be an exorbitant price.

Cuban Davidoff cigars

In 1967, Davidoff was approached by Cubatabaco

Cubatabaco

Cubatabaco, short for "Empresa Cubana del Tabaco," is the Cuban state tobacco company. The company was formed in 1962, after the Cuban tobacco industry had been nationalized by Fidel Castro's socialist government. Cubatabaco handled all production and distribution of Cuban tobacco products both...

, Cuba's state tobacco monopoly

Monopoly

A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...

 after the Revolution

Cuban Revolution

The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...

, about creating a personal brand of cigars for his stores. The cigars were rolled in the newly-established El Laguito factory

Factory

A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...

 in Havana, which had been established to roll Cuban President Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...

's own private cigars, Cohíba

Cohiba (cigar brand)

Cohiba is a brand for two kinds of premium cigar, one produced in Cuba for Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for US-based General Cigar Company...

. In 1968, the first productions of Davidoff cigars were released, which included the No. 1, the No. 2, and Ambassadrice (which all shared the same sizes as the early Cohiba line) and the Châteaux Series (now no longer under the Hoyo de Monterrey label, but exclusively made for the Davidoff marque).

In the 1970s, the Mille Series, a milder blend than the rest of the line, and the Dom Pérignon, named for the famous champagne

Dom Pérignon (wine)

Dom Pérignon is a brand of vintage Champagne produced by the Champagne house Moët & Chandon and serves as that house's prestige champagne. It is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who was an important quality pioneer for Champagne wine but who, contrary to popular myths, did not discover...

, were released on the market. In 1986, a special limited release of 80 Anniversarios cigars were made to celebrate Zino's 80th birthday

Birthday

A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...

.

In 1982, the Château Yquem cigar produced by Davidoff was discontinued after the owner of Château d'Yquem

Château d'Yquem

Château d'Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur wine from the Sauternes, Gironde region in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards known as Graves. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château d'Yquem was the only Sauternes given this rating, indicating its perceived superiority...

 wine protested their unauthorized use of the trade name. The Château Mouton Rothschild came out shortly after, though with a different blend and slightly different size to its predecessor.

The Cuban Davidoff Line

The cigars within the Cuban Davidoff line included...

• No. 1 - 7½" x 38 (192 x 15.08 mm) Laguito No. 1, a long panetela
• No. 2 - 6" x 38 (152 x 15.08 mm) Laguito No. 2, a panetela
• Ambassadrice - 4½" x 26 (115 x 10.32 mm) Laguito No. 3, a cigarillo
• Tubo - 6" x 38 (152 x 15.08 mm) Laguito No. 2, a panetela (same blend as the No. 2)
• Dom Pérignon - 7" x 47 (178 x 18.65 mm) Julieta, a Churchill

Châteaux Series

• Château Haut-Brion - 4" x 40 (102 x 15.87 mm) Perla, a tres petit corona
• Château Lafite - 4½" x 40 (116 x 15.87 mm) Franciscano, a tres petit corona
• Château Lafite-Rothschild - 4½" x 40 (116 x 15.87 mm) Franciscano, a tres petit corona (name changed from above circa 1983)
• Château Latour - 5⅝" x 42 (142 x 16.67 mm) Corona, a corona
• Château Margaux - 5⅛" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
• Château Mouton Rothschild - 6⅛" x 42 (155 x 16.67 mm) Corona Grande, a long corona
• Château Yquem - 6" x 42 (152 x 16.67 mm) ?, a long corona

Mille Series

• 1000 - 4⅝" x 34 (117 x 13.49 mm) Panetela, a small panetela
• 2000 - 5⅛" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
• 3000 - 7" x 33 (178 x 13.10 mm) Ninfa, a slim panetela
• 4000 - 6⅛" x 42 (155 x 16.67 mm) Corona Grande, a long corona
• 5000 - 5⅝" x 46 (143 x 18.26 mm) Corona Gorda, a toro

Special Production

• 80 Aniversario - 9¼" x 47 (235 x 18.65 mm) Gran Corona, a giant or presidente

Apparently after numerous disputes over quality and ownership rights over the brand, Zino Davidoff and Cubatabaco decided to end their relationship. Leading up to this, in August 1989 Zino had publicly burned over one hundred thousand of his cigars that he had deemed of low quality and unfit to sell. The Cuban Davidoff line was officially discontinued in 1991 and an agreement was signed that no more Cuban Davidoffs would be sold in Davidoff shops worldwide. A Dominican

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

-made Davidoff cigar had already hit the market in November 1990, where production of the sizes that had been made in Cuba continues to this day.

Former managers at El Laguito have claimed that the Davidoff blend was very similar to Cohíba, though with a lighter wrapper leaf. The bands used on Davidoff cigars themselves are of the same format that personalized diplomatic cigar bands

Cigar band

A cigar band is a loop made of paper or foil fitted around the body of a cigar to denote its brand or variety. Although origins of the device are the subject of several legends, modern historians credit a European immigrant to Cuba named Gustave Bock with invention of the cigar band in the 1830s...

 had been in previous years. Adriano Martínez, a former executive of Habanos SA

Habanos SA

Habanos S.A. is the arm of the Cuban state tobacco company, Cubatabaco, that controls the promotion, distribution, and export of Cuban cigars and other tobacco products worldwide. The word habanos means literally from Havana, and is the word used in the Spanish-speaking world for Havana cigars...

, confirmed in Min Ron Nee's Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars that the Cohíba Línea 1492 was made to fill the gap left by the discontinuation of Davidoff.

The huge success of the Davidoff brand may have been instrumental in making Dominican premium cigars the number-one bestsellers worldwide, though many would argue that this is solely as a result of the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 embargo

United States embargo against Cuba

The United States embargo against Cuba is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo partially imposed on Cuba in October 1960...

 on Cuban cigars. Speculation is rife in the industry about the possible effect on sales volume following Castro's death and the likely easing of the import ban.

Davidoff Products Today

In August 2006, Imperial Tobacco

Imperial Tobacco

Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...

 acquired the worldwide Davidoff cigarette trademark from its owners, Tchibo

Tchibo

Tchibo is a German chain of coffee shops and cafés, also known for its weekly-changing range of other products. The latter includes: clothing, household items, electronics and electrical appliances...

 Holding AG for £368 million (€540 million). Imperial Tobacco Group had been the licensee of the worldwide Davidoff cigarette trademark since its acquisition of Reemtsma

Reemtsma

Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH is one of the biggest tobacco and cigarette producers in Europe and a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco. The company's headquarter is in Hamburg, Germany.- History :...

 in 2002.

The cigarette range includes the Magnum, Supreme, Classic, Mild, Lights, Magnum Lights, Slims, Super Slims, Ultra lights, Menthol, Menthol Lights, One and Gold. Rothmans, Benson & Hedges

Rothmans, Benson & Hedges

Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. is a Canadian manufacturer and distributor of tobacco products. It was formed by the merger of the Canadian units of Rothmans International and Benson & Hedges, owned by Philip Morris. When British American Tobacco bought Rothmans in 1999, it spun off its 60% share...

 of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 began importing Davidoff cigarettes for sale in the Canadian market in April 2007.

The Oettinger Davidoff Group owns the worldwide Davidoff trademark for tobacco products other than cigarettes. Davidoff cigars continue to be produced in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

, under the direction of cigar blender Hendrik "Henke" Kelner. Since moving to the Dominican Republic, most of the vitolas were retained, although the Chateaux series was renamed the "Grand Cru" series and the names switched from wine estates names to simply numbers, and the Dom Perignon was discontinued. Davidoff has also added an Aniversario series, a Millennium series, and a Special series of figurados to its lineup, along with numerous limited edition and yearly special releases. Davidoff also produces a line of cigars known as "Zino" and a line of cigarillos.

Beyond tobacco products, Davidoff has expanded to include under its brand such items as pipes and humidors.

Coty Prestige

Coty, Inc.

Coty, Inc. is the world's largest fragrance company, founded in 1904. It is also a beauty products manufacturer whose main businesses are fragrances , followed by color cosmetics , toiletries and skin care...

 formerly Lancaster holds the license for perfumes which includes Cool Water

Cool Water (perfume)

Cool Water is a perfume introduced in 1988 by Davidoff, now a part of Coty Prestige.Lost star Josh Holloway is a notable user, featuring in a number of television commercials and posters for Davidoff Cool Water.-Development:The perfumer is Pierre Bourdon...

.

Further reading

• Min Ron Nee, An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars (2003, Reprinted: 2005).
• James Suckling, "In Search of Davidoffs: Connoisseurs are Buying Up Stocks of the Swiss Cigar Maker's Discontinued Havanas," Cigar Aficionado, vol. 2, no. 1 (Autumn 1993), pp. 46-55.

External links

• Official website Inaccessible for most UK & French internet users because UK & French legislation bans tobacco advertising and promotion.
• Official Davidoff online store New York Store fronts.
• Imperial Tobacco
• Camacho Cigars (recently acquired)
• Vicente of London Davidoff Appointed Merchant U.S.