Vitola: Robusto No. 5- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$12.25
- Samples provided by JC Newman Cigar Company
Background
I did a full review of the Diamond Crown Maximus Toro last summer, so I’ll refer you to that for details on how the blend came to be…and for an overall rating of the blend, because quite frankly, I don’t think this Robusto would score any better than the 9.5/10 that the Toro got. Nonetheless, JC Newman sent me samples of the Robusto for use in a review of some sort, so I’ll be sharing some thoughts on it while pairing it with some adult beverage.
I don’t have much else to say on “background” but I’m probably going to add a few personal observations about life lately to the “notes” section.
If your local shop doesn’t carry Diamond Crown cigars by J.C. Newman, you can get them on Small Batch Cigar, a Leaf Enthusiast sponsor.
Notes
I’ve smoked 3 or 4 of these Maximus Robusto No. 5s since they showed up at my door a few weeks ago. I have to say I’m really impressed with them…and that’s no small compliment for a cigar produced in the Arturo Fuente factory. In general, the regular release cigars from Fuente that I will pay money for are Don Carlos (almost any size), Hemingway (again, just about any size), and Rosado Sungrown No. 44 (and really only that size). They produce lots of 8-5-8 and Chateau series, Curley Heads and Cuban Coronas, as well as a few other things…and I just don’t care about any off them. I find the stuff they do for Ashton (Classic, VSG, and ESG, notably) to be “alright,” but nothing to get excited about. But from the Diamond Crown Natural to the Maduro to the Black Diamond and all the way to this Maximus…the only Fuente-made cigar in the Diamond Crown line I don’t have a very high opinion of is the Julius Ceaser…and I haven’t had that one in a few years, so I might like it more than I think.
If you’re a long-time fan of Leaf Enthusiast you may have noticed that Jon Siddle stopped publishing articles a couple months ago. I meant to say something at the time, but it was a stressful time for me and I didn’t get around to it. Jon had some personal and family things come up to suck away too much of his time at the moment, but he hold out hope that he can return to Leaf Enthusiast at some point in the future. At any rate, it’s a good time to thank Jon for all the fine articles he published over several years. And a good time to thank Keith for helping me found this website; he has not published anything new in quite some time because life just got too complicated for him. He also hopes to return to it some day. For now…you guys are stuck with me…and I guess you could call this my version of “Thoughts from the Smoking Chair”
The Maximus fired up with notes of bread, cedar, coffee, and pepper spice, with a little earth and a little sweetness as secondary flavors. I poured some Redemption High Rye Bourbon to pair with this cigar.
I find myself emerging from a year-long stress-inducing mix of circumstances. Coronavirus/COVID obviously was part of that. My mom’s long illness, ending in her passing, was another. Last year at this time I was still in a relatively new work situation. I had serious vehicle problems last year that meant I ended up buying a newer used vehicle. Still it hasn’t been without blessings, both during the middle of the stress and since it started. Because of mom’s illness, my brother and his family got back into a good relationship with the rest of the family and he and his wife have now moved in with dad, only about 10 minutes away from my house. For the first time since the mid-80s, I’m living in the same state as my brother. I’m working up to two years at my job (I started there part time in September 2019) and I’m now a partner, which feels good. Some days are better than others, but I’m very happy overall with my job, the clients we work for, and the friends I work with. My Pathfinder has been awesome so far for a “new” vehicle, with no unusual mechanical issues. And this last week I got to burn my mask as Hamilton County, Tennessee’s mask mandates expired. Thank God for President Trump and “Operation Warp Speed”…I got my second Pfizer vaccine dose this week, as well (with no side effects).
The Diamond Crown Maximus Robusto No 5 was an excellent cigar, tracking very well with the 9.5 I gave the Toro last year. It had plenty of spice all along the way, with just enough sweetness, while the Bourbon had more sweetness and just enough spice to make it interesting. Great pairing for a Sunday afternoon watching the Dodgers finally get their groove back (2 grand slams in the first two innings!).
