Tag Archives: Diamond Crown

by | March 8, 2020 · 9:32 am

A Brickhouse Maduro and a Diamond Crown Maduro

I don’t know if I mentioned this before or not, but while I was at the TPE show, I stopped into the J.C. Newman booth and introduced myself to Drew Newman, who’s the fourth generation Newman and General Council with the company. I remembered Drew from the Usenet days when he would post when he was about 16 years old and get a lot of crap for it. He was instrumental in getting the company online in the ’90s when the Cigar Family website and forum was one of the first and biggest out there. Later I was introduced to Drews uncle, Bobby Newman. I was honored to finally meet these gentlemen, as I’m honored to have the support of the company. You can always learn more about the 125 years of history behind the J.C. Newman Cigar Company by clicking the graphic on the right side of this page. 

 

The Brickhouse Maduro has always been a great smoke, a good tasting cigar at a fair price.  The folks at J.C. Newman asked me to feature the toro in the first quarter of this year, and since the first quarter is quickly drawing to a close, I figured I had better get smoking! Their toro, like many others, is 6” x 52, and it has a dark, oily  Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. These are made in J.C. Newmans’s PENSA factory in Nicaragua. The two samples I smoked over the course of a couple weeks were very consistent. I love the flavor of the Brickhouse Maduro cigars, it’s smooth, rich dark coffee, and it appeals to me.  I’ve had great experiences with the Robusto and Mighty Mighty vitolas, but I think I’m going to have to go out and buy some more of the Toros because the two I smoked both burned funny. Not like a clown, funny, as I was not amused. I had to relight them several times, as if they were not properly humidified, and that wasn’t the case because I checked with the Humidimeter and the two samples were smoked with enough time between them to make a difference. It was disappointing, because the flavor was right, and I really loved smoking the cigars, it was a bit of a struggle keeping them going. Odd, as I’ve always had exceptional construction with Brickhouse cigars. I’ll have to chalk this up to the once in a while inconsistency of a hand made product, but it certainly isn’t going to scare me off of a great brand with great flavor and (generally) great construction. 

To prove that my storage conditions were not at fault in the case of the Brickhouse Maduro Toros, I smoked a Diamond Crown Maduro No. 4 which was stored side by side with the above mentioned cigars and it smoked perfectly. The No. 4 is a  5 ½″ x 54 and is made at Tabacalera A. Fuente.  The wrapper is Connecticut Broadleaf, it has a Dominican binder and the fillers are a secret concoction of 5 different leaves from the Caribbean and Central America. The Diamond Crown and Brick House cigars couldn’t taste more different. Besides the fact that there’s probably a ten dollar or more price difference, the Diamond Crown has a really nice, smooth, rich flavor akin to a Fuente Añejo. For a moment I considered smoking the two cigars side by side for comparison, but that just seemed like an ostentatious display of excess. It’s easy enough to say that the Diamond Crown stands on it’s own as an exceptional cigar! I very much enjoy the original version as I have for 20 years, but, if you know my palate, this Maduro really appeals to me. I’d choose it over a great many super-premium cigars. 

 

Today starts my favorite time of the year, Daylight Savings Time! I still have a couple of clocks to fix! That’s about all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig  

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by | October 6, 2019 · 8:24 am

A Local Cigar Lounge Visit, a Brick House and a Diamond Crown

Wednesday I took a ride to a newer shop and lounge in nearby Upper Chichester, PA, The Hideout.  This aptly named shop is nestled in a carwash building and wasn’t easy to find. I actually drove past it twice looking for it. Strike that, three times. When I finally found it, I was greeted by John, the shop manager. The store is small with a reasonable selection a Pennsylvania pricing. They are fairly new, so they don’t have a lot of direct accounts, but they had plenty of good cigars to choose from. I picked up some Aganorsa Leaf Habanos and Connecticuts that were on special. The shop and lounge aren’t connected, the lounge is accessed through a door next to the store and is upstairs, and is beautifully appointed. It’s a members lounge, with a $20 purchase giving one a daily pass. There’s a kitchenette, several TVs and a bunch of comfortable leather chairs. There’s also a covered patio in the back. Considering the appearance from the outside, one would never know such an oasis existed behind that plain door. I spent an hour or so enjoying a cigar in the lounge (a Lunatic Maduro perfecto gifted by John, with was quite delicious), as Jack, one of the owners stopped to visit, and John came up to tell me about the YouTube Vodcast he does from the lounge, The Cigar O’Clock Show.  If you can find the Hideout, it’s a nice place to hangout and have a cigar.

 

Friday I smoked a Brick House Maduro Robusto, the 5″ x 54 Brazilian Arapiraca wrapped cigar made in J.C.Newman’s PENSA factory in Esteli.  It’s been a long time since I smoked one of this, and I forgot how much I like this cigar. It might me four years since I had a Brick House Maduro, and then it was the Mighty Mighty, and I liked it. This could actually climb onto my list of those cigars could have in a rotation and smoke regularly. It’s a really delicious maduro cigar with a nice sweetness like rich cocoa.  The construction was excellent with the burn and draw being perfect.  I will definitely stock my humidor with more of these, it will be one of those go-to cigars for sure. I dig it.

 

The Diamond Crown is another cigar I love but I don’t smoke often. I remember smoking the No.2 at a weekend cigar party in Las Vegas in 1998, back when they were only available on the west coast. This is another J.C. Newman cigar, but this one is made by Fuente in the Dominican Republic. When these came out, they were 54 ring gauge, which was huge.  This cigar has a Connecticut wrapper that is fermented twice, and the cigars are aged for five years. Whatever they do to these, they are really tasty, mild cigars. they are smooth, creamy with some sweetness, no real grassy flavor like one often gets with Connecticut Shade cigars. This is another one of those classic cigars that stands the test of time, and seems to taste the same as it did 20 years ago.  I have several cigars I keep on hand that are kind of sentimental, seems like most of them are from the Fuentes for some reason. Interesting!

 

That’s all for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | June 16, 2019 · 8:41 am

Fathers Day, a Diamond Crown and Various Cigar Stuff

I didn’t smoke any new cigars this week, so this will be pretty short and sweet (every time I say that I end up running on or a few paragraphs!). I have to work today too, and I’m up early writing. It was another busy news week. I skipped a few items that I thought were less interesting, I doubt many of you are really that interested in Scandinavian Tobacco Group looking for a new president for General Cigar since Régis Broersma is leaving that post. I figure if you’re in line for that job you aren’t relying on this site to hear that news. Also Drew Estate had a few that I skipped over, one about Acid and Tabak Frenchies, which are cigarillos, which I care little about, and another about 60 ring Tabak Espeicales with I should have posted but I had already had a few news items that day and couldn’t fit it in. I actually would smoke a 60 ring Tabak Especiale. Another one I missed was the announcement of the Protocol Official Misconduct Corona Gorda. Cubariqueño has a history of following their releases with a corona gorda line extension, so this is no surprise. Plenty of other sites had the news, I’m sure. Anyway, I can only do so much, and, regrettably, it seems that every year at IPCPR time when all this news comes out I get some unsubscribes from the mailing list. Sorry for the barrage of e-mails. I guess I can see if I can adjust the e-mails to twice a week or something.

 

Anyway, there were a could great cigars I smoked this week, a few of which took me back twenty years or so into my cigar smoking history. I had a Fuente Don Carlos No.2, the 5.875 x 55 pyramid, was this one of the the original three vitolas in the line? I know the Robusto and the No.3 were original, but I can’t remember if the No. 2 was or if it came along later. Anyway, I have memories of smoking a Don Carlos Robusto in Vegas in 1997, many more over the years of course, but this is a cigar that has remained consistent in flavor over the years, an amazing thing. Same goes for the Hemingway line, consistent over the years. I like to have some of these in the humidor all the time, classics like the Don Carlos, Hemingway, and Añejo because they are just great cigars!

 

Another cigar I smoked that brought back some Vegas memories was a Diamond Crown (hey, another DC!). J.C. Newman was kind enough to send me a cool little four-pack of Diamond Crown No. 4s a week or so ago, so I had to light one up yesterday. Here is another cigar that hasn’t changed over the years. It’s a mild, complex Connecticut Shade cigar. There’s a couple interesting factoids about this cigar. When they released this cigar, it was only available west of the Mississippi. At the same time, Opus X was only available east of the Mississippi. These are two completely different cigars, but this caused a bit of a competition between the two, and some trading went on. Another interesting thing was that Diamond Crowns all had 54 ring gauges which was HUGE at the time. Anyway, The Diamond Crown remains a classic Connecticut Shade cigar, it’s rich and complex, it had a good flavor with a perfect burn and construction and is hard to beat. In the picture here from 1998 in Vegas I’m smoking a Diamond Crown No. 2, and my wife (also pictured!) is smoking one too!

 

Speaking of J.C. Newman, they have been running a contest here for the last few months, if you haven’t entered yet I strongly recommend doing so!  Click the ad at the top of the right sidebar, or right here, and enter to win a beautiful Brick House Humidor. It’ll be ending at the end of June, so get to it!  Many thanks to J.C. Newman for their continuing support. Please flood them with entries and make them give one of you a humidor so that they know that people are seeing their message here on CigarCraig.com!

 

That’s it for today. I’m going to get through the day at work so I can come home and smoke my traditional Father’s day cigar, one of my last two 1999 Esperanza para los Niños toros. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of my buying the box of them and the last cigar from that box will be smoked. It’s been a good run. If you don’t know about them, search my site, I’ve told the story several times.  Have a great day, until he next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | March 31, 2019 · 8:52 am

Muestra de Saka #NLMTHA and Diamond Crown Black Diamond Cigars and Thoughts on Smoking Laws

I’m headed off to an event up at Famous Smoke Shop this afternoon, so I’m going to make this pretty quick,  although I had a few things I wanted to talk about.  First, I had occasion to smoke Steve Saka‘s latest cigar in his Muestra de Saka line, the #NLMTHA Lancero.  #NLMTHA stands for Now Leave Me The Hell Alone, referring to the fact that he made this lancero pretty much under protest, considering he isn’t a real fan of the format, and people have been pestering him to make a cigar in this shape. Now, I like a Lancero, but I understand Steve’s reluctance. His whole philosophy is to only make cigars he likes himself, so making this cigar must have been painful for him. He’s a perfectionist, so if he was going to make a lancero, it was going to be done right, his way, or the highway.  Naturally,I had to get my hands on a couple to sample myself, just to see what the hubbub was all about. Fortunately, I was able to purchase a couple from BnB Cigars in nearby Chestnut Hill, PA from the comfort of home, since my schedule prevented me from visiting Vince in person. BnB is on my list of preferred outlets if you have a need for boutique cigars and excellent service, by the way. The Lancero is 7″ x 38, and is a Nicaraguan Puro, Anyway, I smoked on this week and I have mixed feelings about it. It started off on the mild side, and changed about half way through to a spicier, stronger smoke. I look forward to revisiting this under different circumstances, as I felt that I wanted to baby it as it seemed to smoke pretty fast, and I wanted to avoid overheating it, so I was conscious to smoke it slowly, and it turned out not being a very relaxing experience, and was a bit distracting. Perhaps I just need to let the other two rest until summer, when it’s warmer. It was a darned tasty cigar, I just felt like I had to work too hard at it, if that makes sense.  I was kinda wishing I had smoked a Mi Querida or Umbagog. Fortunately, I have a couple more, probably my fault anyway, although Steve will be the first to say that it’s OK not to like every cigar he makes.

 

I figured a good Friday night cigar would be the Diamond Crown Black Diamond in the Emerald size, which is 6″ x 52, which regular readers will know is my favored size. For some reason deeply ingrained there are a range of cigars that I consider “classic”, that I like to have represented in my humidor. These are almost all from Fuente, and include Hemingway, Añejo, Ashton VSG, and Diamond Crown. The Black Diamond was the Newman’s 100th anniversary cigar and is made with tobaccos grown exclusively for them by the Fuente family on their farms in the Dominican Republic, with the exception of the dark brown wrapper which is a Havana seed grown in Connecticut. This cigar was in development for years, and was teased as far back as 2013, but was finally released at the 2016 IPCPR. I’m finally getting around to smoking it thanks to the folks at J.C. Newman. Now this cigar, mis amigos, is right up my alley!  Aside from the fact that it’s a toro, and it’s well made and provides loads of smoke and burned for darned near two hours, the flavor was awesome. It had that chocolatey cocoa flavor I love, with  some spice and earthy notes along the way too.  This is a luxurious cigar that’s well worth trying, and I can’t wait to smoke more. It’s cigars like these that add to my cigar-snobbery and make me spoiled.

 

Here’s a little bit of an observation, maybe it’s already been out there but I can’t find a cite, nor can I remember hearing anyone bring it up. All the news about places raising the smoking age to 21 seems  like a funny thing, I imagine the anti-smoking groups lobby for it under the “it’s for the children” guise, when, at the same time, we have no problem sending our 18-20 year old “children off to defend our country and kill baddies around the world, quite the hypocrisy. On the other hand, while states are raising tobacco taxes, it could be argued that by raising the smoking age they are cutting into their tax base, eliminating some of their proposed revenue (playing devils advocate, we all know that raising tobacco taxes actually reduces revenue because people find ways around it).  Here’s my theory: Raising the age is about marijuana and law enforcement. Follow my thinking. police see someone underage smoking they can cite them regardless of what they are smoking. They don’t have to determine if they are legal to be smoking tobacco or weed, or worry about the expense of testing for which is which.  I know you can tell the difference by aroma, but would that be admissible in court? Is there a field test to breath into a device to tell?  It solves a lot of legal problems, doesn’t it? Just make it 21 to smoke anything and it’s all OK.  I don’t know, Maybe I’m just rambling.

 

It occurs to me that it was 22 years ago today that I found myself in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace meeting up with a bunch of people I had only communicated with via posts on USENET at the International Cigar Exposition (or something like that). I remember meeting Steve Saka for the first time right by Cleopatra’s Barge and helping him carry some boxes or something. it was three days of smoking and hanging out and making friends with people I still know today. It snowed like hell in PA.  That’s all for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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by | November 24, 2016 · 9:16 am

Cigar News featuring Diamond Crown, Big Papi, Psyko Seven and Montecristo

Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. readers! Today will be filled with food and family here in a few hours, so I’m going to be real lazy and put out a post with a bunch of news items that have recently come across my desk (and I slacked off last night and didn’t get a post out). I hope everyone has a great day!

 

Diamond Crown

Diamond Crown Black Diamond Box Open Emerald

First up is the long-awaited release from J.C. Newman, the Diamond Crown Black Diamond. This has been in the works for years, I’ve heard stories of how they settled on a blend, then tweaked it again, and finally have it ready for release tomorrow, Black Friday.  What a coincidence to be releasing the Black Diamond on Black Friday! Something tells me there was some thought put into that.  Anyway, I’m anxious to get my hands on this, I’ve got two Diamond Crown Lounges within about a ten-mile radius so I should be able to find one. I fondly remember smoking my first Diamond Crown in Las Vegas in 1998, good stuff, I can’t wait to try this one.

 

Big Papi

Next we have news from El Artista about the launch of the Big Papi, a cigar that I have on hand and will be smoking in the very near future, along with some other goodies from the company.

 

DAVID ORTIZ MAKES HIS FIRST “BIG PAPI” CIGAR EVENT APPEARANCE

(New York City) – El Artista Cigars hosted the first event featuring David “Big Papi” Ortiz at Central Bar & Lounge in New York City on November 3, 2016. Over 200 were in attendance including pitcher Cici Sabathia, premium cigar shop owners from all over the country, as well as fans, friends, and family of David Ortiz and El Artista. “This is a celebration to recognize the hard work everyone has put into the launch of this new line,” says Radhames Rodriguez, President of El Artista Cigars, “and we are very happy to see everyone enjoying the cigar.”

David OrtizDavid Ortiz was the star of the party. He signed cigar boxes and hats and took photos with partygoers. Jonas Santana, Marketing Manager for El Artista Cigars states, “David will be at several events in the US in 2017, this is just the first of many to come.” El Artista expects Mr. Ortiz will make appearances in California, New York, New Hampshire, Florida, Dominican Republic, and elsewhere before IPCPR 2017. According to El Artista management, “David is all in for Big Papi events and he is committed to the brand 100%; expect big things from Big Papi in 2017.”

El Artista will hold a series of in-store tastings as well as meet & greet events featuring David Ortiz in 2017. The schedule will be posted on the El Artista website: http://elartistacigars.com/

 

Psyko Seven

Psyko Seven is a cigar I really like, in both the original natural wrapper and the maduro, which, of course, I prefer. I look forward to trying this Connecticut as I do enjoy a good Connecticut from time to time.

 

VENTURA CIGAR COMPANY INTRODUCES CONNECTICUT TO THE PSYKO SEVEN COLLECTION
November 2016 – Inviting cigar aficionados to “Reach into the Dark to Find the Light,” Ventura Cigar is pleased to reveal PSyKo Seven Connecticut, the third blend in its much-admired PSyKo Seven Collection.

 

PSyKo Seven Connecticut is expertly crafted in the Dominican Republic with an exclusive blend of premium of seven tobaccos. It sits apart from others in the PSyKo Seven collection with its lighter wrapper, serving up a more mild-bodied experience. This smooth cigar invites enthusiasts to disconnect from chaos and commotion, to take a step back from the reality of the everyday, and enjoy a rich, flavorful experience.

 

Housed in a sleek, black box, and enveloped with a white prescription form that encourages people to “medicate their mind,” there are three vitolas available: Robusto 4.75 x 50, the Toro 6.25 x 48, and the Gordo 6.00 x 60.

 

“The PSyKo Seven Collection has enjoyed a lot of attention,” says Jason Carignan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ventura Cigar Company. “It’s known for offering up high quality sticks at a great price, earning 90+ ratings from top cigar publications. It’s a favorite of both the retailer and the consumer, so we added PSyKo Seven Connecticut to round out the line, and give our enthusiasts more to explore, and more to connect with.”

 

A solid choice to pair with friends and family, PSyKo Seven Connecticut will enrich and relax holiday festivities with a post-meal smoke and a dram of whiskey. All three vitolas will be shipping to retailers in late November. Please visit venturacigar.com for additional information.

 

Montecristo

Finally we have another in a long list of collaborations with A.J. Fernandez, this time Monticristo is introducing a JR Cigars exclusive.

 

Montecristo Crafted by A. J. Fernandez

 

Burlington, NC – Santa Clara, Inc. is beginning broader distribution of the newly introduced Montecristo Crafted by A. J. Fernandez line of cigars. Montecristo Crafted by A.J. Fernandez is collaboration between the Altadis U.S.A. Montecristo brand and Tabacalera Fernandez and is being crafted exclusively for Santa Clara, Inc.

 

Made in Nicaragua from the finest Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, San Andres binder, and Nicaraguan and Honduran filler, this box-pressed, oscuro-wrapped cigar is an eye-catching masterpiece.

 

An icon, Montecristo has been the benchmark for luxury and quality since 1935. With this long tradition of excellence, the Montecristo name can only be entrusted to craftsmen capable of building on this proud legacy. A. J. Fernandez has been chosen by Altadis U.S.A. to add his name to the history of the Montecristo brand for this new, exclusive cigar.

 

A. J. Fernandez began his career creating cigars for some of the biggest names in the industry before launching his own brands. His brands developed a cult following among cigar aficionados. And his factory, which began with just 6 rollers, now produces over 9 million sticks a year.

 

The Montecristo Crafted by A. J. Fernandez is available in five sizes – Churchill 7 x 50, Figurado 4 x 52, Gordo 6 x 58, Robusto 5 x 52 and Toro 6 x 50, with MSRPs ranging from $9.95 to $12.50 and in box counts of 10 cigars – and delivers a range of bold flavors from sweet to savory with notes and nuances of dark cocoa, espresso, leather and licorice.

 

“We are extremely proud to deliver to the market this collaborative project between two exciting entities. The blend they put together really makes a statement for both companies and I can’t wait to hear the customers reaction”, said Rob Norris, President of Santa Clara.

 

Montecristo Crafted by A.J. Fernandez will be available to the public on December 1, 2016 at www.jrcigars.com.

 

That’s all for today.  I hope to enjoy something special today after the dust (and dinner) settles. Not sure what that might be yet, but I’ve got all day to think about it and thankful to have plenty to choose from!

 

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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