• Cigar of the Year Recognition – 3 times over!! Cigar Aficionado Top 10 award dates: Oliva Melanio Figurado #1 in 2014 Oliva Melanio Robusto #8 in 2016 Oliva Melanio Churchill #8 in 2018
• Beautifully presented in boxes of 10 cigars each, and available in 4 different sizes: Churchill (7 X 50) Double Toro 6 x 60 Figurado (6 1/2 X 52) Robusto (5 X 52)
• Blend: Filler: Nicaragua Binder: Nicaragua Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Made By: Tabacalera Oliva S.A. Factory Location: Nicaragua
• Each Melanio is full-bodied & full-flavored, with unique nuances such as black pepper, freshly-baked bread & unsweetened cocoa accompanied by roasted nuts & lightly creamed coffee.
By By Anthony's CIgars on Aug 19, 2022 | In Cigar Review | Comments Off on Diamond Crown Black Diamond Marquis (Original Blend) Review
Presmoke: Some Nostalgia comes along with this cigar as it was the first $20 cigar I ever bought. Now it seems as though the blend that I have come to love is disappearing. So I wanted to do a review before I couldn’t have it again. The original blend is a very dark cigar with an incredibly toothy and oily wrapper. The silver band contrasts so well and I will miss the distinct look of this cigar. The cold draw has earth wood and nuts for the flavors.
Initial light: The light up is heavy on the pepper and fresh cut wood. There is a hint of sweet earth and soil in the background along with a smoothness to the flavors that I wasn’t expecting which allows for a creamy mouth feel. The retrohale is sweet and creamy wood, a white pepper and a smooth wet leather. There seems to be a citrus flavor for just a second before the finish of earth and cedar with the slightest twinge of spice.
First Third: The profiles cream and wood really start to take over with some incredible balance. There’s a bit of pepper on the back of the throat on the finish but it can be pleasant so long as I have some water with me. The retrohale is much the same with wood, earth, cream sweetness, and that brief moment of citrus. The finish is dry earth and wood bark. The cream sweetness begins to take over with a slight black pepper as the primary flavors. There’s a dry leaf note replacing the earth and with the wood slowly receding. However, to profile it dries my mouth quite significantly and the burn is beginning to need touch ups.
Second Third: Running into the second third is a huge blast of creamy cedar, an oak sawdust, a bit of pepper, and a touch of meatiness. The retrohale gets a more lemon citrus, nuts and dry wood treatment, with a lot of the sweetness now replaced. The finish however is very unique, with dry espresso beans on cashew nuts. In fact, as the third continues that cashew nut flavor becomes the primary on the retrohale, even as a bit of creaminess comes back into play. The profile toys between dry and woody or creamy earth as the second third comes to a close.
Final Third: Creaminess seems to have won the battle as the final third begins, with a new chocolate cake note coming in along with the cedar coming back full force. There’s still some dryness to the profile, but mostly through a slight black pepper on the back of the throat. The retrohale is dominated with a vanilla sweetness and cashew finish. Near the end now, something strange has happened to the profile, as the flavors have disappeared and are replaced with a white bread and tonic taste. While not bad, the sudden disappearance of the flavor profile is quite strange and now outside of a cashew finish on the retrohale, there isn’t much to go off of. If I take a very large retrohale there’s a slight cinnamon tingle that is barely detectable, yet very pleasant when it is.
Final thoughts: This cigar isn’t what I remember having smoked it 3 years ago. I recall it being a powerhouse kick to the face. It now seems to be a more refined, smooth and subtle cigar. Unfortunately the transitions are small and the profile can be fairly linear and dry. I didn’t understand why J.C Newman decided to redo the blend and make it stronger based on my memory. But having just smoked this cigar, I see that there is a lot of potential for this, but the current blend just isn’t what it needs to be to justify the price. A bit more strength and a fair bit more complexity would make this cigar out to be one of the absolute best in J.C. Newman’s catalog. I’m excited to try the new blend.
The Yagua story is one of Cuba from the 1940s. The cigar was inspired by a story J.C. Newman PENSA’s General Manager, Lazaro Lopez, shared with Drew Newman (Fourth Generation Owner, J.C. Newman Cigar Company) over dinner in Esteli, Nicaragua.
“At our family farm, my grandfather would take fresh tobacco leaves from the curing barns and roll cigars without any molds or presses. In an attempt to give his cigars a traditional shape, he would tie a handful of them together using pieces of the Cuban royal palm tree, known as the yagua. When he was ready to enjoy his personal cigars, he untied the bundle. He loved how every cigar had its own unique shape. I still remember the rich aroma and taste of my grandfather’s cigars. Today, I’ve recreated Yagua, rolling them exactly how my grandfather did a century ago.”
Because the cigars are pressed together and bound while they are still wet, each one has a slightly different shape. With a blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos, these cigars offer a rich smooth flavor.
The return of the Verocú Blue Series has finally arrived! After debuting in 2007 the Verocú quickly became of of the most sought after Tatuaje lines. These cigars combined strength with refinement to the already popular Havana VI Line. This combination was difficult to find back in 2007. After years of fans asking for a return, Pete Johnson has finally released this beauty.
The cigars are Nicaraguan Puros that are described as “Family Grown.” Two sizes have been released thus far. Production numbers have not been released, however knowing how much people have been wanting this cigar, they won’t last long.
La Historia E-III by EPC (aka E.P. Carillo) is an incredible smoke; milk chocolate, almond, and a roasted character come to the forefront, with a medium to full body. Cigars are box-pressed.
The vitola names pay homage to members of Perez-Carrillo’s family. El Senador pays homage to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Sr (Ernesto’s father) who was a Senator in Cuba from Pinar del Rio. Dona Elena pays homage to Ernesto’s wife, while E-III pays homage to Ernesto’s son, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo III.
Blend: Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican Made By: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. Factory Location: Dominican Republic
Sizes Available: Dona Elena (6 1/8 X 50) E-III (6 7/8 X 54) El Senador (5 3/8 X 52) Regalias d’Celia (5 7/8 X 58)
Lost&Found has forever been known for finding lost cigars and giving them a second chance. This model changed in 2020 as Lost&Found commissioned the Instant Classic for charity.
Now the Instant Classic has returned! The Instant Classic 2018 is a limited production cigar rolled 4 years ago. It is limited to 7000 boxes worldwide. These won’t be around long so get yours while you can!
Wrapper: Habano Hybrid
Binder: Ecuadorian
Fillers: Dominican Criollo and San Vicente The regular production Instant Classic is one of our favorite cigars in the shop. These sticks have sold out in shops across the US and will only grow in popularity as the Instant Classic quickly becomes one of the most coveted cigars on the market.
There are two versions of this beauty. First is a Habano Wrapper over Dominican binder and the highly coveted Dominican Mejorado as the filler. A sweet and spicy profile sitting right at medium body.
Second is the Mexican San Andres Wrapper over a Dominican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. You’ll Find notes of cream, wood, pepper and coffee.
• This cigar is wrapped in a tantalizing dark Mexican San Andrés leaf that provides the perfect amount of spiciness to the recipe’s nutty-coffee notes
• The Undercrown was developed by the company’s production team as a way to deal with the shortage of tobaccos that prevented rollers from smoking Liga Privada while working.
• They used some tobaccos that were the same as Liga Privada, but different grades and primings along with the Mexican wrapper. The Mexican San Andrés wrapper is draped over a Connecticut River Habano binder and fillers from Brazil & Nicaragua.
• Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua is an all-Nicaraguan puro, the first Nicaraguan puro in the Quattro line, and it’s the first Quattro made outside the Dominican Republic (the others being made in the DR at Tabacalera Palma).
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua Factory: Tabacalera Fernande
• The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua comes in four sizes presented in 20-count boxes.
Espressivo: 5 x 50 Maestro (Belicoso): 6 x 52 (cigar of the year) Vibrato: 6 x 54 Concerto: 7 x 50
La Gran Oferta, debuted at 2018 IPCPR and the Robusto, Toro, Toro Gordo, Lancero and Torpedo. All sizes are in stock now ready to be a part of your humidor collection.
The not too strong, not too mild stick is perfectly constructed with an oily Rosado wrapper and beautifully double banded with a bright blue ribbon around the foot. Not only do they look good – they taste great.
Looks great in your humidor, and smokes great on your porch
Notes of black pepper, an almost caramel sweetness and some citrus notes are present throughout this stick. The creamy and oily smoke is rewarding, while the medium strength does not overpower your palate. This is a can’t skip stick!
Foundation is one of the most popular brands on the market. Demand for their cigars has increased exponentially, and for good reason. Using some of the most sought after tobaccos on the market, Foundation has created a portfolio of incredible cigars that are sure to become staples in any humidor. Charter Oak is the perfect smoke From Foundation. Coming in 3 different wrappers, all at incredible prices, there is a cigar for everybody in this lineup.
Connecticut Broadleaf
After becoming known for having some of the greatest broadleaf in the world, Foundation cigars released this beauty, The Charter Oak CT Broadleaf has bold notes of coffee, cocoa beans and earth. This cigar is for the true aficionado. Shop CT Broadleaf
Habano
The Charter Oak Habano truly a medium cigar. With pepper, leather, oak and some creamy notes, the Habano wrapper has taken this blend to a new level. Every cigar smoker, from experienced to brand new can appreciate this stick. ShopHabano
CT Shade
One of the smoothest and creamiest smokes we carry, the Connecticut Shade grown wrapper gives this smoke a perfect balance. A Mild to medium cigar, you’ll find easy notes of pepper, cedar, cream, and a vanilla sweetness. Shop CT Shade
