Diplomaticos El Diputado (ER Belux) JUN 19 (CDERW)

[BettyHumpder]

Cigar: Diplomaticos El Diputado (ER Belux)

Drink Pairing: Sparkling Water

Total Smoke Time: 1hr20min

Rating: 81

Review: We got our first measurable snow and ice of the year early this morning which continued on through the afternoon. In a state that supposedly prides itself on winter toughness, the roads looked like a scene from a southern state that gets a quinquennial snow storm. Cars in the ditch, accidents galore--a veritable circus. The only thing missing was Benny Hill.  An embarrassing display.

Some people loathe the winter. I'm not one of them. While I enjoy warm weather, sunshine, and generally feeling like I'm not going to die if I stay outside too long, I find winter is the best weather to smoke cigars. The dry conditions make the cigars burn better and the flavors are brighter and more pronounced with the fresh, cold air on the palate. My wife and I purchased a home this fall, so I've got a nice little detached 1-car garage to smoke in. A few hand warmers, a good wifi connection, and the drinks don't need a refrigerator. The weather takes care of that for me!

To the cigar. Regionals are so hit and miss. This will be the second of the Belux ER that I've smoked. I wasn't a fan of it the first time, but that's because the construction was terrible. I damn-near drilled a hole straight through and it still wouldn't draw appropriately. This time around is better, but it still needs the perfecdraw to open up the portion between the cap and the band. I've noticed a lot of plugged cigars recently that are rolled way too tightly near the band. I don't know enough about cigar rolling to know if that's a natural pinch point or what, but it seems to be the case in my experience. I can always feel them out with the squeeze test. 

First Puffs: Honestly, not great. Flavors are all over the place. Cedar, hay, floral, but as if they were all lit on fire. 

First Third: It's settled down nicely after the first half inch or so. Still getting cedar, but with a healthy dose of white pepper. Little bit of bread, maybe graham cracker. It's too early to tell. Smoke production is average, surprisingly, for this size cigar. Medium body out the gates. Fast-burning third, only 20 minutes or so.

Second Third: What I thought would be graham cracker is definitely sour dough bread. Pepper has faded out for now and I'm glad for it. Not sure if pepper and bread are the best notes to combine. I thought I'd be in for a bolder second third since the first third was so strong, but it's the opposite. This thing has really mellowed out nicely. 

Final Third: Pepper is back, but not as strong. The breadiness fades. I'm not really sure what's going on with this profile right now. It's muddled. I tried clipping a bit more off the cap in case some tar was spitting out the end but it didn't make a difference. The glorious second third was overshadowed by the muddled sour end of this one. I wonder what a few more years of rest will do?

 

Score Breakdown: 

• Construction: 8/10
• Flavor: 7.5/10
• Performance: 8.5/10
• Sub-total: 80/100
• Bonus Points: +1 band is cool and didn't rip. +1 for no touch-ups, -1 for perfecdraw
• Final Score: 81

[KCCubano]

Nice review. We got our first bit of snow as well here in KC. I have a box that I bought two yrs ago but have yet to sample. All the previous reviews I have seen have been very good. Possibly got a couple duds or bad box altogether? 

[BettyHumpder]

6 hours ago, KCCubano said:

Nice review. We got our first bit of snow as well here in KC. I have a box that I bought two yrs ago but have yet to sample. All the previous reviews I have seen have been very good. Possibly got a couple duds or bad box altogether? 

always a possibility that i got a dud. such is the way of cubans.

[BuzzArd]

I’ve had several.  They’ve been quite good.