There have been a number of different cigars blended specially to enjoy with certain foods or drinks, but a new collaboration between Mombacho Cigars S.A. and Ron Diplomático takes that idea one step further.
As the name suggests, the new Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars S.A. was blended to be paired with just one brand of alcohol, specifically Diplomático rum. However, the cigar is not flavored or infused in any way, nor was the tobacco aged in any sort of barrel, rum or otherwise.
Blend-wise, the new regular production line incorporates an Ecuadorian habano wrapper that covers a binder from the Jalapa region of Nicaragua as well as filler tobaccos sourced from three of Nicaragua’s growing regions: Condega, Estelí and Jalapa.
The new line launched in three different vitals, all of which are packaged in boxes of 10 cigars.
- Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars S.A. Petit Corona (4 1/2 x 44) — $9.95 (Box of 10, $99.50)
- Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars S.A. Robusto (5 x 50) — $12.95 (Box of 10, $129.50)
- Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars S.A. Toro (6 x 52) — $14.95 (Box of 10, $149.50)
In addition, both Diplomático and Mombacho are contributing a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the cigars: Mombacho will be contributing to Carita Felíz Kinder, a non-profit organization that helps children in need in the company’s home city of Granada; while Diplomático will be donating to the I Love Venezuela Foundation, a non-profit organization in Venezuela where the rum is produced.
- Cigar Reviewed: Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars S.A. Robusto
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Casa Favilli Factory
- Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
- Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
- Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí and Jalapa)
- Length: 5 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 50
- Vitola: Robusto
- MSRP: $12.95 (Box of 10, $129.50)
- Release Date: Dec. 7, 2019
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
If you have even a passing knowledge of Diplomático rum—specifically the green bottle Diplomático Reserva Exclusivo—then the color of the band will probably look very familiar to you, as it is basically the same green color from the rum bottle. Once you get past that, you notice that the cigar is covered in an extremely attractive dark espresso brown wrapper that is both silky and supple smooth to the touch due to the copious amounts of oil that is present. The cigar is very hard when squeezed—just short of rock hard—and unsurprisingly, feels very dense in your hand when held. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination strong creamy oak, earth, leather, sweet manure, almonds and raisins while the cold draw brings flavors of earth, sawdust, leather, aged oak, peanut shells and raisin sweetness.
Starting out, the Diplomático By Mombacho features both a significant amount of spice on my tongue as well as a very distinct dominant flavor of aged oak, followed by notes of toast, leather, espresso beans, earth and hay. There is also a very obvious raisin sweetness that seems to be pulled directly from the cold draw that is present on the retrohale. Smoke production off of the foot is well above average, while the draw is excellent after a straight cut, but the cigar has to be touched up a couple of times to keep from getting out of hand. Strength-wise, the robusto starts off firmly in the mild camp but manages to creep closer to the medium mark by the time the first third comes to an end.
Thankfully, the Diplomático By Mombacho has a number of positive changes in the second third, most notably in the dominant flavor, which has switched to an obvious dark chocolate note that replaces the aged oak—although the latter is still very much present—followed closely by flavors of almonds, espresso beans, leather, sawdust and hay. There is also a major change in the raisin sweetness on the retrohale, which is increasing in strength as the second third burns down, replacing the black pepper in the profile. In addition, the spice that was so obvious in the first third is long gone by the time the burn line hits the halfway point, never to return. Construction-wise, the draw continues along its excellent path and the burn has evened up nicely, while the amount of smoke emanating from the foot is still a bit above average. In terms of strength, while the Mombacho has increased noticeably compared to the first third, it still ends up just a bit short of medium by the end of the second third.
The final third of the Diplomático By Mombacho is quite similar to the second third, especially the dominant flavor, which remains a very distinct dark chocolate note, with notes of almonds, earth, leather, sawdust, baker’s spices and a touch of toast bringing up the rear. In addition, although it remains exclusive to the retrohale, the raisin sweetness continues to play a major part in the profile and is still combining with a decent amount of black pepper that is present as well. In terms of construction, the cigar continues to feature a wonderful draw, while the and a burn is far from razor straight, but also far from being enough of an issue to need attention with a lighter. Finally, although the strength continues to increase slightly until the end of the cigar, it barely reaches the medium mark by the time I put the nub down with about an inch to go.
Final Notes
- While it was not counted towards the final score in any way, I wanted to try the blend with some Diplomático rum, since that is such a major part of the branding of this release. What I found was that the rum does accentuate some of the better notes in the profile, specifically some of the aged oak and spicy chocolate flavors.
- Having said the above, I tend to enjoy just about any blend paired with Diplomático Reserva Exclusivo and I did not have time to try the cigar with another brand of rum to compare, so take the above for what it is worth.
- Editor’s Note: As someone that has been drinking Diplomático when it was really difficult to find in the U.S., I would say this. Reserva Exclusivo (green bottle) is great for the price, Single Vintage 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004 (in that order) are very good, Ambassador is worth the roughly $300 price point, and if you find Single Vintage 1997, please send it to me. I think the Distillery Collection isn’t worth it but is still good rum. However, if you don’t like sweetness in your rum, you should drink something else as Diplomático is super sweet. — CM.
- Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed a small difference: the word Rum is on the main band in most pictures—which are from a box we purchased—except the one used to show the different vitolas, which were given to us at the IPCPR 2019 Convention & Trade Show. When asked about the difference, Claudio Sgroi, president and blender at Mombacho, had this to say, “The cigars we showed in Vegas had rings that were samples, we adjusted a bit based on the Diplomatico logos and now in the US are available with the final version.”
- I only smoked samples we bought for this review.
- The name Diplomático—or some form of it—is not exactly unknown in the cigar world: Padrón Cigars has a 7 x 50 vitola named Diplomatico in its 1964 Anniversary Series, and there is also a Cuban brand named Diplomáticos that has been in existence since it was founded in 1966.
- Arturo Fuente has the trademark for Diplomaticos in the U.S.
- The factory located in Granada, Nicaragua where Mombacho cigars are rolled is named Casa Favilli, and it is actually a former colonial mansion that reminds me a little of the El Laguito factory in Havana, Cuba where Cohibas are produced.
- When I took the main band off of the first sample I smoked, I was surprised to see a roll date printed on inside of band, the first time I have seen one in that location that I can recall off the top of my head. This is something that Mombacho Cigars S.A. does with every cigar.
- The cigars smoke for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
- Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged one hour and 26 minutes.
- If you would like to purchase any of the Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars S.A. cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. sells all three sizes, but are out of stock at the moment.
Whenever I hear about a cigar that was blended specifically to be paired with certain foods or drinks, I am always a bit skeptical: what happens to the profile when the person smoking does not enjoy the cigar with the intended pairing? While there is no doubt that the profile changes for the better when paired with Diplomático rum—at least for me, the sweetness in the blend is enhanced significantly, something that the cigar sans rum is lacking in the first third—there is also no doubt that the cigar blend is good enough to stand on its own. Having said that, although the burn and smoke production were excellent, each of the samples did have to be touched up at least once. In the end, I can easily recommend trying the Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars S.A. on its own, I would definitely make a point to try it with Diplomático Reserva Exclusivo rum as well if the time allows.