Daniel Marshall

In 2011, famed humidor maker Daniel Marshall custom-made a cigar wrapped in an edible gold leaf, specially designed to celebrate his friend’s 64th birthday. Not too long after, Marshall decided to recreate the golden cigar for an over the top “ultra bling” humidor, which was a project given to him by Universal Studios to commemorate the movie Scarface. 

The next year, Marshall released another version of the golden DM2 blend named the “24kt Golden Torpedo” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his company. The cigar itself is a Nicaraguan puro blended by Manuel “Manolo” Quesada and made in the Placencia factory. Each cigar gets rolled in a 24kt Italian gold leaf, which is sourced from the same supplier who provided for the Sistine Chapel. They come in individual coffins and sell for $300 per cigar. 

But at such a high price point, could it be worth it? Let’s find out.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Daniel Marshall 24kt Golden Torpedo
• Wrapper: Habano
• Binder: Nicaragua (Esteli)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Size: 6 1/4″ x 54 (Torpedo)

Appearance & Construction

The Golden Torpedo is an eye-catcher. It glares under the sunlight, making it the brightest object in the dimmed B&M I’m smoking at. Other patrons couldn’t help but notice the shiny cigar, as some thought it was a prop while others recognized it immediately. 

After a quick show and tell, I was able to sit down and give 110% of my attention to this cigar. Visually, the Golden Torpedo is stunning. The surface is very glossy, but I can feel the impression of the wrapper through the foil. I give the cigar a firm squeeze between my fingers, and it is unyielding. Upon a closer look, I see a small portion of the gold flaked off by the foot, exposing the habano wrapper. 

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The gold leaf has a slight waxy smell coming off of it, which kind of reminds me of wax paper for baking. The foot of the cigar gives off a sweet apricot scent followed by white pepper, which tickles my nose. I cut off the triangular cap with my straight cutter and try a cold draw. The taste is exceptionally satisfying with floral notes, dried apricot, persimmon, and sweet hay with an aftertaste of granola. The airflow is on the tight end of the spectrum, about 8 out of 10. 

Unlike a standard cigar, lighting the Golden Torpedo takes a while (and a little bit of patience). As I start puffing on the cigar, I taste barnyard, pine nuts, cedar, and black pepper. There is also an aftertaste of bitterness in the smoke. I retrohale the next puff and get a burst of black pepper spice, then hay and dark leather once the pepper disburse. This cigar forces me to continuously puff on it to keep it lit, which makes the bitterness in the smoke more prominent. 

Halfway down the first third, I have to relight the cigar twice. On the third time, the filler is not reacting to the flame from my torch. I try to knock the ash off on the side of the ashtray, but the ash is hard like a lump of charcoal. I have no other choice but to cut off the remaining of the first third.

As I relight the Golden Torpedo, I notice a natural sweetness has replaced the bitterness in the smoke. There is also a taste of almond, light leather, and cedar. The retrohale becomes smoother as well, with barnyard and red pepper spice. Unfortunately, the cigar does not stay lit for more than half an inch. The same lighting issue is reoccurring. I have to do the unthinkable twice and cut off another portion of the cigar.

Hoping third time is the charm, I reignite the foot. The flavor profile picks up from where it left off all the way down to the nub. The Golden Torpedo finally burns and tastes like a $300 cigar with creamy smoke, dried apricot, sweet hay, and grain. I shut my eyes close for a second and immediately imagined a bowl of creamy oatmeal with fruits and brown sugar. I end my golden moment with a retrohale, and it leaves me with cedar, almond, and white pepper.

Conclusion

Is Daniel Marshall Golden Torpedo worth $300? No. This cigar did tease me with superb flavors on the cold draw. However, the gold that makes this cigar stands out is also its downfall. Not only does the 24kt gold leaf make the cigar look a bit gimmicky, but unlike natural tobacco wrapper, there is no aeration through the wrapper other than the foot of the cigar. I believe the lack of oxygen was the factor that created the burning issues I experienced throughout the whole smoke.

For the price of this cigar, the Daniel Marshall Golden Torpedo didn’t even come close to my expectation. Despite the negative experience, I am interested in trying the DM2 blend without the gold, seeing as the cold draw and the nub did leave a positive impression on me. 

Final Rating: 60

Daniel Marshall, as many may know has been creating custom high quality humidors since 1982 . He has provided expertly crafted cigar dwellings for celebrities, the elite and those who desire the best for their smokes. As a postscript to his humidors, Daniel Marshall went the route of creating his own line of cigars adhering to the same standards as his humidors. From the Red label, to Black (which received a positive rating from us) and even Gold, he has sought to provide several unique tastes for the cigar lover. With its Cameroon wrapper, the Daniel Marshall White Label robusto is a mild to medium smoke geared toward lovers of the leaf who enjoy subtleties in flavor and a balanced cigar.

Product Specifics

• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Mexican
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 5” x 50

Appearance & Construction

The Daniel Marshall White Label Robusto sports a claro wrapper which is rather veiny. The cigar has a spongy foot and is not too firm to the touch. The squared label with white and gold accents simply displays an “M’ initial in cursive. The cigar itself visually doesn’t particularly stand out for me. There are no noticeable aromas to the wrapper save a bit of wood.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

At first lighting the Daniel Marshall White Label robusto I was met with a tangy note that was a bit off putting. The finish was flinty and rather short to start. The cigar produced a fine draw and as I puffed away some nuttiness came through. On the retrohale there was balsa wood and a bit of white pepper however that didn’t last long.

Midway the burn became uneven and the smoke ran rather hot despite puffing the cigar slowly. The flavors at this point were muddled and there was some citrus struggling to come to the forefront. Toasty notes developed then segued into a charry bitter finish. Thus far the cigar stayed in the medium bodied range.

In the last third the Daniel Marshall opened up a bit to reveal some gingerbread and toast. Another retrohale at this point delivered cashew and oak with white pepper returning. The burn struggled to correct itself and the ash was rather pale, almost anemic. The last remaining puffs burned hot intermixed with some bitterness, toast, nuts and a short finish. An uninspiring smoke.

Conclusion

While Daniel Marshall is renowned for high quality humidors I would say the White Label robusto is not the best example of this producer. I found the flavors lackluster and muted at best. A medium bodied cigar at its finest can and should yield subtleties of taste but that is much different than being able to barely grasp the essence of aromas from a cigar. The disproportionate burn throughout most of the smoke did not help which is question of quality control for me. I’ve enjoyed Daniel Marshall’s Red and Black labels more and I would suggest seeking those out rather than his White Label at least in the robusto vitola.

Final Rating: 85

Reviewers note: this was a non-blind rating.

Up for review today is the Daniel Marshall Black Label. I don’t have much backstory on this cigar as the internet is a bit sparse, but you may know the name Daniel Marshall from the brand’s humidors which enjoy a great reputation around the world, or from the gold leaf wrapped cigar that pops up on social media every now and again.

In any case, what I do know is that the Daniel Marshall Black Label is produced at the Quesada factory (a good sign) and features a Connecticut Shade wrapper that’s been aged five years. All that said, let’s get on to the review.

Product Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Daniel Marshall Black Label
• Wrapper: Connecticut Shade (aged 5 years)
• Binder: Mexican
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 5 x 52 (Torpedo)

Appearance & Construction

The outer Connecticut wrapper on the Daniel Marshall Black Label is quite nice, as is the band that bears the Daniel Marshall signature. It’s a well presented cigar, but not an immaculately presented cigar, which you’d have a right to expect from a company that sells gold leaf wrapped cigars. The main issue is that the black, white, and gold band just doesn’t seem to be very high quality. There’s smudging of the black part of the band over the gold detail in multiple spots, giving the cigar a shoddy look.

That aside, it is a well constructed cigar. It is packed pretty tightly, with a little bit of springiness when squeezed, and doesn’t have any soft spots. The  draw is good, and the cold draw summons some freshly cut grass, mulch, and wood notes. Off of the foot are more grass and trace pepper aromas.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Daniel Marshall Black Label kicks off quite mild, in both flavor and body. Smoke production is good, and the cigar overall strikes me as a classic Connecticut profile: silky texture, touches of sweet cream, but largely a mix of roasted nuts, cedar, and grass. The retrohale is almost non existent, with faint grass that has a touch of bitterness to it. As I burn past a half inch, a bit of vegetal and white pepper show up, adding some complexity and strength to what otherwise would be an overly straightforward experience.

It takes until well past the first inch for the ash to drop, and when it does the burn is razor sharp. Around the same time, the grass/wood focused profile shifts heavily toward sweet roasted nuts, with a zip of pepper that lingers on the tongue. The strength is higher, but still just above mild. I’m really beginning to be impressed by the performance at this point. The Black Label has a lot more complexity than I was expecting.

As the Daniel Marshall Black Label burns past the halfway point and into the final third, there’s a bit of bitterness that enters the flavor profile. The freshly cut grass note is dominant, alongside black pepper, old paper, and touches of sweet cream. Even with the bitterness, the texture of the smoke remains insanely smooth.

Conclusion

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the Daniel Marshall Black Label. I’m glad to have been proved wrong, particularly by the development of flavors over the course of the cigar. Construction was nearly flawless, smoke production was excellent, and the smoke remained silky smooth throughout. That said, I’m the last ten minutes or so, the balance fell off, with bitterness intruding as it commonly does in the last third of many mild cigars.

The only way the Black Label could be improved in my mind would be for it to have a bit more strength to the flavors. Brands like a Nat Sherman and Moore & Bode each have blends that accomplish this and thus receive higher ratings (Epoca and Adelante, respectively).

Lastly, this is absolutely a morning cigar. Don’t smoke the Black Label late in the afternoon or at night. Chances are you won’t taste much of anything after your palate has been so exercised throughout the day.

Overall, a very pleasing cigar.

Final Score: 89