Diplomaticos No. 2: TOS DIC 15: DEF Review Comp 2015

[MrGlass]

It is Father's Day here in Australia, so I'm visiting my parents today and brought a HQ Diplomaticos No. 2 to complete this review.  Of the three cigars marques eligible this week, this is the only one I have on hand thanks to a box split earlier in the year.  This is only the second Diplomaticos I have ever smoked.

Prelight Draw:  After clipping, the draw is perfect with just a little resistance.  There is a pleasant sweetness to the draw, with the aroma at cold offering leather and tobacco.

Opening Third:  The cigar opens with burnt sugar and leather.  It's fairly smooth with a light body and a hint of vanilla on the retrohale.  Midway through this third it moves to vanilla and cedar, moving completely to cedar by the end.  The cigar is proving very easy to overwork which instantly turns it acrid.  The ash is very flaky and light and drops very easily, while the burn has been a little problematic requiring the occasional touch up.

Second Third:  At the start of the second third it begins to tunnel and dies.  It shows a smooth cedar profile through most of this third, with vanilla and spices appearing towards the end.

Final Third:  In the final third the burn issues become more pronounced and it is hard to keep it lit.  Leather is the predominant flavour, but it is getting more acrid and bitter and I finally lay it to rest after 2 hours.

I know these have been a massive forum favourite lately, but I'm not quite seeing it.  The opening third was great, but from there things just seemed to head downhill.  It is still a very young cigar, so I think I'll hold off on the three remaining sticks I have and revisit in another year to see what improvement there is.

[TheMonk]

Nicely done! I quite enjoy Dips, but they're also not my favorite marca, so I somewhat understand where you're coming from.

PS: 2016, not 2015.

[BuzzArd]

Good review.  Very nice images, excellent reference.  Wonder about the humidity on this one....  When I've had burn issues lately I can usually (not always!) trace it back to the stick being too wet....  Have not tried these before, but as you mentioned their forum popularity has me wanting to get ahold of a couple....

[Ethernut]

Nice review!