Cigar Review: Diamond Crown

#4 Robusto, 5.5" x 54 ring gauge, approx. $18 - 20
At the 2007 Big Smoke, Diamond Crown's presence was made known by their display of humidors and other accessories; in 2008, though, they felt more generous and actually gave out some of their cigars. Diamond Crown is part of the Newman family of cigars and is handmade in the Dominican Republic in conjunction with the Fuente family. It was developed by the Fuentes in 1995 to celebrate the Newman family's 100th year in the cigar business. It features the highest grade of Connecticut shade wrapper that is fermented twice to achieve a light rosado color and develop a sweeter flavor; it features Dominican filler and binder.

The wrapper of this stick is not up to the standards you would expect in a cigar this expensive. The color is nice, but mottled in places; there are a couple flaws and the roll looks stretched in one area. The cap is the same color as the wrapper, however, and blends in nicely. It could be argued that since this was a give-away at the Big Smoke, they may have hurriedly made a bunch of sticks that do not adhere to the higher standards that they achieve when they sell them, but to me, that explanation would be unacceptable--the point of giving out cigars at an event like the Big Smoke is to entice people to buy them all the time. If the quality is sub-standard for a super-premium priced stick, I will not be enticed to buy. The stick does not feel overly firm or spongy and the aroma is a very pleasant hay from the body. From the foot, the aroma is more of a rich barnyard, with hints of chocolate and coffee.

The prelight draw was very nice and had sweet hay and honey flavors. After lighting, the flavor of hay came on strong along with a sweet creaminess and just a hint of pepper on the finish. The first third was best characterized as extremely smooth and wonderfully creamy. The flavors are actually outstanding--easily beating Davidoff in this price range. The construction is just about perfect, as well, with a flawless draw, razor-straight burn line, and ash that held on for at least an inch.

The second third was equally excellent with some subtle spice like nutmeg creeping in from time-to-time to enhance the smoother creaminess that continued to flow. The construction continued to be superb as well.

As the final portion progressed, the Diamond Crown picked up a little more pepper while still maintaining a creamy feel. This is definitely a fantastic mild smoke and it is a shame it costs so much. For the money it beats the pants off of Davidoff or Winston Churchill, but that price also sticks it firmly in the "special occasion only" category.

Body: 4/10
Strength: 4/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 9/10