Cuaba Diademas

[Digi]

Received this as a generous gift and as far as I know, the box code is early 06. Decided to smoke a big cigar this evening, mostly because I ate lobster for dinner and after breaking up with my girlfriend of 4 years a couple weeks ago, I don't have **** else to do.

Appearance and Construction

The cigar is presented very well, in its own coffin, wrapped in silver foil paper. It has a milk chocolate appearance, good construction all the way around and no major blemishes but didn't seem as oily as other Cuabas.

Flavor

At cold, the cigar had a strong damp wood flavor with a hit of spice; it was a little more toned down when comparing to other Cuabas. Initially the smoke smacked of creamy chocolate and pure, rich tobacco. The body was surprisingly light at mild-medium. 30 minutes in the smoke is light and pleasant, very cool, and slightly sweet; reminiscent of a Hoyo Du Prince. An hour in the flavor hasn't changed a bit but has built in intensity, now a medium body. The next major change, at 2 hours, found the flavors petering out and the cigar is starting to get a dry finish. 2 and a half hours in, I'm about ready to let it go out, the flavors are misplaced and weak. I stuck it out and in the last half hour the cigar tightened up its flavors and came back with some dry, woodsy notes, and a bit of spice. Towards the end I started getting that harsh, piny taste.

Smoking characteristics: 8/10

On the whole, the cigar burned quite even, the ash was tight and dark. The draw was spot on and didn't change through out the smoke. Over all the Diadema was much lighter in body than other Cuabas I've smoked.

Overall I enjoyed the first hour or so and that was about it. I expected more flavor and more diversity out of something this large and it didn't come through. It took 3 hours to smoke and I think I'd much rather have 2 very good, smaller cigars instead.

Score: 78.89/100

[hoyopr]

Digi,

Thanks for the review and good photos. I still haven't read anything which has me really driven to try any of the Cuabas, and I certainly can't see myself spending three hours with one cigar. If you were to recommend a Cuaba as an introduction to the brand which would you chose. I believe I read a review by El Prez sometime back on a Cuaba, I think it might have been a Generoso. The review was quite entertaining although not so flattering to the cigar. His last photo said it all.

[El Presidente]

Nice way to go......break up with your girlefriend and THEN, lobster, fine beer and a Cuban cigar....you appear to be handling the disappointment in an admirable FOH manner :-D

Cuaba..Cuaba..Cuaba I have yet to have a large format Cuaba which challenges or entertains. So gorgeous looking and yet the complexity and integrity of a wet tissue.

In defence of the Diedema, the wrapping in alfoil whill slow down the ageing of this cigar and it may be 5-10 years before we get an accurare gauge of its potential. I am unlikely to take the punt however.

[greenpimp]

Thanks for the review (and the clever product placement there.) I have one of these, from 04 I think. Will keep it for awhile longer. Won't save it for something special, though, it seems.

[Digi]

Thanks guys :-D

You know, I've always enjoyed the Salomones with a couple years of age on them. The brand on the whole is really complimented by a nice white wine with a good fruit body to it; Conundrum, from Cali is one of my favorite standbys for Cuabas. I wonder if the beer affected the tasting, particularly the dry finish, which I've never experienced in a Cuaba before.

» Digi,

»

» Thanks for the review and good photos. I still haven't read anything which

» has me really driven to try any of the Cuabas, and I certainly can't see

» myself spending three hours with one cigar. If you were to recommend a

» Cuaba as an introduction to the brand which would you chose. I believe I

» read a review by El Prez sometime back on a Cuaba, I think it might have

» been a Generoso.

[hoyopr]

» You know, I've always enjoyed the Salmones with a couple years of age on

» them.

Thanks Dig, my wife and I are thinking of a trip to Havana in the new year, if so I'll look around for some with some age to try while there.

[Digi]

» » You know, I've always enjoyed the Salmones with a couple years of

» age on

» » them.

»

» Thanks Dig, my wife and I are thinking of a trip to Havana in the new

» year, if so I'll look around for some with some age to try while there.

No problem :-D

[Sandman]

Thanks for the review. Cuaba seem to be love or hate. I don't know why, but I really seem to like them, although never found them to be very complex, just tasty IMO. That said I have never had a Diadema, but I do appreciate the honest review.

[bikeguy1]

» Thanks for the review. Cuaba seem to be love or hate. I don't know why,

» but I really seem to like them, although never found them to be very

» complex, just tasty IMO. That said I have never had a Diadema, but I do

» appreciate the honest review.

I've had a few Distinguidos...like you say, not complex, but I like them, too...the Distinguido has a bit of dried fruit that I've not tasted in other CC. Prefer to smoke them on warm eves when I don't feel like a powerhouse or a creamy-tasting stick.