Vitola: No. 4 (Toro)- 6” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$12.60
- Samples provided by JC Newman
Background
In celebration of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company’s 110th anniversary some 15 years ago, Stanford Newman worked with two legendary families in the cigar industry to create a brand-new blend, unlike anything they had made before.
From the Dominican Republic, he called on Carlito Fuente, who provided a “secret blend of specially aged Dominican filler tobaccos” for the filler and binder, as well as the best rollers he had available. From Ecuador, he received assistance from the Oliva family in the form of a special tobacco grown exclusively in the El Bajo region. El Bajo is in a valley where the minerals and nutrients have been washed down into the land from centuries of rain, making the soil very rich and “perfect for growing tobacco.”
They use only the “richest, hardiest, and darkest tobacco from the top priming ‘corona’ of the plant” for the Diamond Crown Maximus. Because the tobacco is very thick, the Fuentes are able to re-bulk and re-ferment the tobacco, “further contributing to its full flavor and dark color.”
Diamond Crown has been kind enough to provide samples for several of their classic blends during this year; they are also a Leaf Enthusiast sponsor. If your local shop doesn’t carry Diamond Crown, you can order them from another of our sponsors, Small Batch Cigar.
Prelight
Fuente and the companies they work with (basically J.C. Newman and Ashton) have a way of making something a little over-the-top while not looking desperate. They do it on the Opus X, they succeed well on the VSG for Ashton, and this Maximus displays the same tendencies. The band is multi-color with tons of gold foil and embossing, but it somehow doesn’t look as purposely showy as some Gurkha bands. And did I mention the box is “M” shaped? Now I did.
The wrapper leaf for the Maximus was a dark roast coffee brown color with plenty of oiliness to the eye and under my fingers. It smelled of earth, leather, and dark fruit, almost a prune or raisin note. The foot had a rich hay and bread aroma, with touches of earth and cedar coming behind that.
I clipped the cap off with the Xikar Xi2 that J.C. Newman sent me a couple months ago, part of the celebration of their 125th anniversary this year. I would have just stuck with my Xi3 that I’ve been using for quite some time, but the springs in the new one are so much tighter and the blade is significantly sharper. The Xi line is still my favorite cutter in the cigar industry. The cold draw was very good and had flavors of earth, hay, and a touch of caramel.
Flavor
After lighting up, the Diamond Crown Maximus had notes of cedar and earth up front, following shortly by a sweet note that reminded me of both the caramel and dark fruit notes from prelight, but really was neither. The fairly typical Dominican notes off hay and bread were underneath all that and there was a fair amount of red pepper on the nose. That complex richness continued through the first third.
As I got into the second third the sweet notes really shone through, moving the earthiness and woodiness down in the mix. There was still a nice amount of black pepper on the tongue and red pepper on the nose. I would rate it as medium-plus in body after starting as a straight-ahead medium. As the second third went along some citrus crept into the profile as well.
Getting deep into the final third, there was lots more pepper on the palate with earth leading the way in the flavor profile. The sweetness was diminished to a supporting note.
Construction
I had a great draw, very even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
At the $12.60 price point, I find these to be a bargain. Unfortunately, I rarely see them at that price point. Still, it’s definitely worth J.C. Newman’s asking price.
Conclusions
The Diamond Crown Maximus is a cigar that really delivers when you stop to concentrate on what it’s delivering in terms of flavor profile. It’s complex with a nice sweetness that carries through most of the way, while giving varying amounts of pepper, earth, cedar, and citrus. It’s surprising that this comes out of the Fuente factory as it bears little resemblance to anything else they do. If you can get it close to the MSRP, I highly recommend it.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
