Cigar Weekly

Ringo · 10-22-2005, 05:25 PM

My first-ever Diplomaticos. I will guesstimate that it is from 2001 but it may be older. I had two of them in my 'dor that I got in a couple of samplers from a different board back in 2002. If I recall they were called aged samplers even then, so the cigar may be older. At the youngest it is three years old, so it has certainly been aged. Being that it was my first Diplomaticos, I had no preconceived ideas about it.

Where and when - Northern Colorado. My back patio, near sunset. Temp in the sixties and falling as the sun went away. Reading material - Future Music and Sound on Sound magazines. Drink - None during the smoke. Coca Cola after.

The Look - First off, the Diplomaticos label is great. Somebody here said that the Diplomaticos label enhances the look of the cigar and I have to agree. It's a nice label. The medium colored wrapper showed a few veins but was far from rustic. It had a classic Cuban velvety feel to it, although not as velvety as some (like an SLR that I have) it had more of a shine to it than the really velvety ones do. Overall it was a fine looking cigar. It felt hefty and beefy in my hand and did not have any hard or soft spots.

Light and burn - It lit easily as I toasted the foot with my Bic (hey, it works). It came to life quickly and required one touch up shortly after lighting. It then went into a ten degree burn that straightened itself up perfectly with no help from me before the halfway point. The ash was classic Cuban in color and hung on by itself for about an inch and a half.

Draw - Just right. Not too loose or too tight.

Smoke - Plenty of it. No lack of thick, sweet smoke.

Flavor - Ah, the flavor. Now we get to the heart of the matter. I had said that I never smoked a Diplomaticos, so I did not have any preconceived notions. With that said, the flavor of this cigar was extraordinary. It came on immediately as a spicy, perfume-like sweetness. Delicious. I've never had a cigar that tasted quite like this one. There were some other flavors rolling around in there as well, but the perfumy sweetness held center stage throughout and just became more pronounced. A couple of Diplomaticos reviews here noted that the cigar was relatively flavorless for the first 1/4, but this cigar did not exhibit that trait at all. It hit me with sweet spice from the get go and kept it up the whole way through, becoming "chewier" as the smoke went on. It was also extremely smooth. It had none of the overpowering harsh strength that is a trait of many Cuban cigars, especially young ones. Just a smooth, sweet, fragrant smoke. It is the type of cigar that makes you want to have another one as soon as it is gone.

Conclusion - I have to put this one in my Top Ten cigar list, and closer to the top than to the bottom at that. It's that good. It is a wonderful cigar. All of its characteristics are good ones - nothing even close to negative to report here. I am glad that I have another one of these in my humidor. I have seen these referred to as the Monte #2's little brother, but I enjoyed this more than any Monte #2 that I've had to date. If all Diplomaticos cigars are as good as this one, then I will certainly seek out more.

10-22-2005, 05:25 PM	#1
Ringo Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania Posts: 1,895	Second Review: Aged Diplomaticos #2 My first-ever Diplomaticos. I will guesstimate that it is from 2001 but it may be older. I had two of them in my 'dor that I got in a couple of samplers from a different board back in 2002. If I recall they were called aged samplers even then, so the cigar may be older. At the youngest it is three years old, so it has certainly been aged. Being that it was my first Diplomaticos, I had no preconceived ideas about it. Where and when - Northern Colorado. My back patio, near sunset. Temp in the sixties and falling as the sun went away. Reading material - Future Music and Sound on Sound magazines. Drink - None during the smoke. Coca Cola after. The Look - First off, the Diplomaticos label is great. Somebody here said that the Diplomaticos label enhances the look of the cigar and I have to agree. It's a nice label. The medium colored wrapper showed a few veins but was far from rustic. It had a classic Cuban velvety feel to it, although not as velvety as some (like an SLR that I have) it had more of a shine to it than the really velvety ones do. Overall it was a fine looking cigar. It felt hefty and beefy in my hand and did not have any hard or soft spots. Light and burn - It lit easily as I toasted the foot with my Bic (hey, it works). It came to life quickly and required one touch up shortly after lighting. It then went into a ten degree burn that straightened itself up perfectly with no help from me before the halfway point. The ash was classic Cuban in color and hung on by itself for about an inch and a half. Draw - Just right. Not too loose or too tight. Smoke - Plenty of it. No lack of thick, sweet smoke. Flavor - Ah, the flavor. Now we get to the heart of the matter. I had said that I never smoked a Diplomaticos, so I did not have any preconceived notions. With that said, the flavor of this cigar was extraordinary. It came on immediately as a spicy, perfume-like sweetness. Delicious. I've never had a cigar that tasted quite like this one. There were some other flavors rolling around in there as well, but the perfumy sweetness held center stage throughout and just became more pronounced. A couple of Diplomaticos reviews here noted that the cigar was relatively flavorless for the first 1/4, but this cigar did not exhibit that trait at all. It hit me with sweet spice from the get go and kept it up the whole way through, becoming "chewier" as the smoke went on. It was also extremely smooth. It had none of the overpowering harsh strength that is a trait of many Cuban cigars, especially young ones. Just a smooth, sweet, fragrant smoke. It is the type of cigar that makes you want to have another one as soon as it is gone. Conclusion - I have to put this one in my Top Ten cigar list, and closer to the top than to the bottom at that. It's that good. It is a wonderful cigar. All of its characteristics are good ones - nothing even close to negative to report here. I am glad that I have another one of these in my humidor. I have seen these referred to as the Monte #2's little brother, but I enjoyed this more than any Monte #2 that I've had to date. If all Diplomaticos cigars are as good as this one, then I will certainly seek out more.