The 'New look' Black Diamond review by Don José
Hey team, Don José here back with another review.
Today we have the
Black Diamond
by J. C. Newman
If this is your first time here, my reviews rate each cigar on 10 factors and each factor gets a rating out of 10 giving me an overall out of 100. The 10 factors are: Construction, Draw, Burn, Flavour, 1/3 overall, 2/3 overall, 3/3 overall, Journey (how well it flows), Complexity & Value for money.
Overview
Originally released in 2016 the Black Diamond has always been an outstanding cigar and In my opinion among the best released by J. C. Newman.
This year however they have 'tweaked' the blend and updated the look. Today I will sample this new version and see how it stacks up.
On paper, the blend appears the same as the one used when the cigar was introduced in 2016: it uses a Connecticut habano-seed wrapper over a Dominican binder and Dominican fillers, made by Arturo Fuente in the Dominican Republic. That said, J.C. Newman says it tweaked the blend to make the Black Diamond stronger and more refined.
According to J. C. Newman - Eric and Bobby Newman worked closely with Carlos Fuente, Jr. developing a new blend worthy of the Black Diamond name. Five-year-old aged filler tobaccos are exclusively grown for Black Diamond by the Fuente Family in the Dominican Republic
Packaging changes include less purple—which was previously used as the main accent colour—a foot band, a matte finish to the boxes amongst other changes.
Details:
Brand: J. C. Newman
Size: 6 x 52 Emerald
Wrapper: Habano-seed Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
About the wrapper.
Connecticut Broadleaf is grown in the open sunlight, mostly in the Connecticut River Valley.
It grows as a short, bushy plant with very wide leaves, hence the name, and being grown fully exposed to the sun causes the leaf to grow thick and full of sugars.
After curing they get very dark so it is among the prized wrapper leaves used to make many maduro cigars.
The plants are stalk cut meaning the entire plant harvested at one time.
let's get into the review.
First thoughts
This really is a great looking cigar. The wrapper is dark, oily and with a good amount of teeth. The black band and addition of the foot band do, at least in my opinion, make it look a little more modern and high end.
The Cold Draw gives off cocoa and a little spice.
Construction
Flawless construction as you would expect from Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia.
Burn & Draw Burn and draw are both great too, no touch ups needed and plenty of good thick smoke.
Flavour & Complexity Flavour wise, its hard to compare to the original without a side by side but this stick delivers a lot of chocolate, some nice pepper and a touch of nuts & wood. Complexity is good, the aged tobacco is noticeable with a good, mellow yet dense flavour. I think the balance is standing out to me as an upgrade from the original.
Strength 75% - Medium - full
Enjoyment / Journey As expected an amazing stick. I'm hoping there are a few of you out there with the original to do a SBS of these with, but either way, fans of Black Diamond will not be disappointed with this release.
Overall Still my pick of the Newman line, and Fuente delivers as always. Be sure to get some of these for the humidor.
I rate this cigar 93 points!
A look at the numbers.
Construction -- 10/10
Burn -- 9/10
Draw -- 10/10
Flavour -- 9/10
Complexity -- 9/10
First 1/3 -- 9/10
Second 1/3 -- 9/10
Third 1/3 -- 10/10
Journey -- 9/10
Value -- 9/10
About the author
Joe Murdie aka Don José has been reviewing cigars in New Zealand for over 10 years now, originally as a writer for NZBlokes, a mens magazine.
Outside of Cigars Joe is an international award winning film-maker based in Wānaka, OTA.
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