OK, I hear you saying, ‘Jimmie, are you reviewing a cigar or rum here?‘.
Well, I am reviewing a cigar that was a collaboration between Mombacho Cigars S.A. and Ron Diplomático Rum. Introduced at the 2019 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) trade show, the Mombacho Diplomático Rum was created specifically, to pair with Ron Diplomático rum. Sounds kind of strange but that is the story as told to me by the Mombacho Cigars team at the show. They did not have any cigars at the show, but they did have some rum which I enjoyed.
Since the show, I was able to find them at the new sister shop to the Stogie Press #1 Cigar Lounge of 2018 – Tailored Smoke Cigar Lounge in Concord, NC. I purchased three and sampled two for this review as part of my mission to Help Keep The Lights On. I did not pair this with the rum, as I wanted to keep this review as honest as all the others and only drank water. I will get a bottle of Ron Diplomático rum and smoke the last and update this review with my notes.
The cigar itself has a blend described as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian habano
- Binder – Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
- Filler – Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí and Jalapa)
The Mombacho Diplomático Rum is expressed in three vitolas and comes packaged in 10-count boxes:
- Petit Corona (4 1/2 x 44) – MSRP $9.95
- Robusto (5 x 50) – MSRP $12.95
- Toro (6 x 52) – MSRP $14.95
For this review I sampled two Mombacho Diplomático Rum toros.
Pre-Light Examination
The Mombacho Diplomático Rum displays a medium coffee bean brown wrapper, that seems to have a varying color as you rotate the cigar. I am not sure if this is an optical illusion but you will see in the photos what I am talking about. There is decent oily sheen to the wrapper. The cigar has a slight give along the barrel as you gently squeeze it. It is finished with a well applied triple cap.
Two bands adorn the cigar that both use a green, gold, and white motif that mimics the colors of the Ron Diplomático rum bottle. The Primary band display an image of Don Juan Meléndez (“Don Juancho”) the face of Ron Diplomático rum along with the words “Diplomático Rum’ The secondary band declares this as a cigar “By Mombacho Cigars S.A.”
Running the cigar along the nose, I picked up a spicy tobacco barrel that smelled like my dad’s empty pipe tobacco humidor while the foot offered notes of sweetness, earth, and light spice.
I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs. I felt the draw was fine with restriction and it delivered notes of citrus rind and a growing pepper.
I used my triple flame torch to warm the foot to an even orange glow. The foot took to the heat well and delivered an initial burst of smoke that was a tad harsh on the palate. Follow along as I burn this Mombacho Cigars craft to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial harshness off the first puffs
- After a half inch of burn the harshness settles and gives way to a delicate spice
- Woody notes join the profile
- A solid, light grey ash forms on top of a thick straight char line
- Excellent smoke volume
- Leather notes build on the background
- Ash fell in decent chunk revealing a well formed burn cone
- Cream notes enter moving into the second third
- Slightly jagged burn
- Earthy aroma
- Natural sweetness builds the core with a cocoa nuance
- Off burn forms that required a mild touch up
- Light spice enters in the final third joined with the continued sweetness down to the nub
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Overall, the Mombacho Diplomático Rum toro was a decent smoke that offered a rich array of notes and aromas once it got past the first half inch of harshness. Starting with spice, wood, and leather notes it transitioned nicely into a natural sweetness core with an added cocoa nuance. From a construction perspective, it started with a nice burn but developed a bit of jag and eventually an off burn that required a mild touch-up to keep things burning right. You may want to try one, I will check the last with the preferred rum. I rate this an 88.
Point Deductions: (-1) Jagged Burn; (-1) Off Burn; (-1) Mild Touch Up; (-1) Harsh Start; (-1) Soft Spots along the Barrel; (-1) Try One
