Vitola: No. 7 (Pyramid)- 6.75” x 54 ring gauge
- ~$18
- Samples provided by J.C. Newman Cigar Company
Background
The Diamond Crown brand goes back to 1995 when Stanford Newman approached Carlos Fuente, Sr., to develop “an exceptional series of Super Premium cigars.” Each vitola in the Diamond Crown line was made with a 54 ring gauge so as to allow 6 or 7 individual tobacco leaves to be used in the blend. They worked to get the best rollers and pay them a wage that ensured quality over quantity and the rest is history.
The standard Diamond Crown line uses a “selection of 5 different fillers from the Caribbean and Central America,” a Dominican binder, and a Connecticut Shade CFW (Connecticut Fermented Wrapper) wrapper leaf. The key to the wrapper’s unique designation is Diamond Crown wrappers are “conditioned, graded, and selected for a second fermentation” during which they develop a more Rosado coloration and “eliminates any potential rawness.”
Diamond Crown cigars are made in the Fuente factory in the Dominican Republic for the J.C. Newman Cigar Company. I was provided review samples by J.C. Newman, which is a sponsor for this blog. If you local shop doesn’t carry Diamond Crown, you can find them at our other sponsor, Small Batch Cigar. I have smoked at least 2 or 3 of these previous to this review sample.
Prelight
Presentation of these is pretty old-school and I’m guessing the box and band haven’t changed much, if at all, since they were introduced over 25 years ago. The box is lacquered wood with the grain showing through. There is minimal decoration to the outside and not much more inside. The band is a large-ish oval with the words “Diamond Crown” and a crown…with diamonds…in the center. “Dominican Republic” appears on one of the band arms. Despite being old-school, it’s classy and rich looking, without a doubt. Great band design ends up being timeless and doesn’t need to be replaced or even altered all that much over the decades. Such is the case here.
The wrapper leaf was a little dusky for a Connecticut Shade, but it did have a slightly reddish hue in some light. It was smooth and moderately oily to the touch, while smelling of earth and hay. The foot of the cigar had more hay and earth, along with a slightly sweet, almost-chocolatey note.
Knowing how I tend to get tight draws on torpedo-tipped cigars (it’s just my run of luck, I guess), I clipped a little extra of the head to start with. I got a very good draw as a result. The cold draw tasted of sweet hay, cedar, and roasted nuts, with just a little earthiness in the mix.
Flavor
Firing up the Diamond Crown No. 7 Natural, I got cedar and black pepper up front, followed quickly by grassiness, a little earth, and a touch of sweet creaminess. The retrohale had more black pepper, along with roasted peanuts. As I burned through the first third, I picked up more slightly sweet and citrusy notes as I went along.
During the second third, I got more citrus with the accompanying sweetness, grassiness, and cedar. Secondary notes of black pepper and earth followed and the nose continued to be peppery and nutty.
The last third featured some of the nuttiness coming through on the palate, mixing with the creamy citrus sweetness and grassiness. There was still earth and pepper bolstering the profile.
Construction
I had a great draw, even burn line, and solid ash up to an inch.
Value
The price tag on these pegs it in the “super premium” category for sure. It does perform well in that category, though, with a very nice mild cigar experience.
Conclusions
The Diamond Crown No. 7 Natural definitely held up its end of the bargain, proving to be a very nice milder cigar with plenty of complexity and interest from end to end. Despite this being more of an “old school” Dominican cigar, it’s not one you should sleep on, as it still brings plenty to the table. If you are a fan of milder smoking experiences, this is one you should put on your list to try.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
