Diadema, 9.25" x 50 ring gauge / $31.50 for set of 2 cigars, Burns
This review will publish only two days after the review of the Natural, but in real life, it has been an entire week since I smoked and wrote about that cigar. The reality is that if you don't plan out your day...and probably make sure it's a weekend day...these cigars are just challenging to smoke. As with the Natural, this cigar does feature Dominican filler and binder, although this Nicaraguan Habano wrapper leaf is also listed as Ligero as well as Maduro. What should this mean? Maduro often brings sweeter flavors; Ligero usually imparts more body and strength. So this cigar will likely be stronger and sweeter than the Natural version.
The basic look is the same as the Diadema Natural, but upon closer inspection it seems that the Maduro leaf is a little more rustic in nature, with slightly larger veins and a mottling of darker colors on the already dark brown leaf. It had a fair amount of oil on the surface and a faint aroma of earth and cedar. The prelight draw was a little tight, but that happens on this kind of shaped cigar frequently, so I didn't worry much about it. The flavor was a nice mixture of coffee, bittersweet chocolate and earth.
Initial puffs were about as expected...thin, providing little in smoke or flavor. On the plus side it was very easy to light. It didn't take long, though, before the narrow tip started burning through to the wider area, providing increases in both smoke production and flavor. On the palate I got rich earth and cocoa powder, and the smoke was thick and oily, with a long finish; on the retrohale, I got notes of black coffee and chili pepper. As I worked my way through the first third (that's about 45 minutes on this cigar, I think), the body worked its way from medium-full to full-full and the flavor became more earthy, though there were still rich notes of dark roast coffee, black pepper, and bittersweet chocolate. So far...absolutely amazing.
Deep into the second third, I started to get the nicotine hit. Yes, this is a full-bodied smoke, but it is also a strong one. But unlike other full, strong cigar, this one kept bringing the flavor. A strong earthiness still dominated, but the interplay of coffee and cocoa powder didn't let up, either. The sweet note took on a bit of a dried fruit characteristic, which was nice. Construction was nothing short of superb. The ash was strong and never flaky, the draw was great, and the burn line was even enough that it needed zero touch ups so far.
By the end, the Diadema Maduro had me on the ground...well, almost. I don't have the nicotine tolerance that some do, but smoking two or more cigars a day puts me in pretty good standing in that area. This cigar hit me hard, though. The flavors were pretty consistent...earth, coffee, cocoa powder...and overall this was a magnificent tasting stick, but it is definitely not one for beginning smokers or one to smoke on anything short of a full stomach. If this same blend were available in a robusto size, it would be one of my favorites, but this two hour plus experience is one that should be reserved for very special occasions.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 9/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
This review will publish only two days after the review of the Natural, but in real life, it has been an entire week since I smoked and wrote about that cigar. The reality is that if you don't plan out your day...and probably make sure it's a weekend day...these cigars are just challenging to smoke. As with the Natural, this cigar does feature Dominican filler and binder, although this Nicaraguan Habano wrapper leaf is also listed as Ligero as well as Maduro. What should this mean? Maduro often brings sweeter flavors; Ligero usually imparts more body and strength. So this cigar will likely be stronger and sweeter than the Natural version.
The basic look is the same as the Diadema Natural, but upon closer inspection it seems that the Maduro leaf is a little more rustic in nature, with slightly larger veins and a mottling of darker colors on the already dark brown leaf. It had a fair amount of oil on the surface and a faint aroma of earth and cedar. The prelight draw was a little tight, but that happens on this kind of shaped cigar frequently, so I didn't worry much about it. The flavor was a nice mixture of coffee, bittersweet chocolate and earth.
Initial puffs were about as expected...thin, providing little in smoke or flavor. On the plus side it was very easy to light. It didn't take long, though, before the narrow tip started burning through to the wider area, providing increases in both smoke production and flavor. On the palate I got rich earth and cocoa powder, and the smoke was thick and oily, with a long finish; on the retrohale, I got notes of black coffee and chili pepper. As I worked my way through the first third (that's about 45 minutes on this cigar, I think), the body worked its way from medium-full to full-full and the flavor became more earthy, though there were still rich notes of dark roast coffee, black pepper, and bittersweet chocolate. So far...absolutely amazing.
Deep into the second third, I started to get the nicotine hit. Yes, this is a full-bodied smoke, but it is also a strong one. But unlike other full, strong cigar, this one kept bringing the flavor. A strong earthiness still dominated, but the interplay of coffee and cocoa powder didn't let up, either. The sweet note took on a bit of a dried fruit characteristic, which was nice. Construction was nothing short of superb. The ash was strong and never flaky, the draw was great, and the burn line was even enough that it needed zero touch ups so far.By the end, the Diadema Maduro had me on the ground...well, almost. I don't have the nicotine tolerance that some do, but smoking two or more cigars a day puts me in pretty good standing in that area. This cigar hit me hard, though. The flavors were pretty consistent...earth, coffee, cocoa powder...and overall this was a magnificent tasting stick, but it is definitely not one for beginning smokers or one to smoke on anything short of a full stomach. If this same blend were available in a robusto size, it would be one of my favorites, but this two hour plus experience is one that should be reserved for very special occasions.Body: 8/10
Strength: 9/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
0 comments:
Post a Comment