Cigar Weekly

Originally made in the Canary Islands in 1964, manufacturing of Don Diego cigars was moved to Consolidated's Tabacalera de Garcia factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic in 1982.  The Don Diego cigars use Dominican grown Cubano Piloto and Olor and Brazilian tobacco for the filler, the binder is from the Dominican Republic.  The natural wrapper is U.S. grown Connecticut Shade and the Maduro wrapper is from Mexico.  The result is a mild to medium bodied cigar.

Pre-Smoke Comments

Ardie Bogard (rdb6): This is a beautiful torpedo with a smooth wrapper. It looks like an Avo.

Ben Hicks (grinnin): Nice even construction, with a natural tan wrapper. One of the samples was much firmer than the other. The softer cigar had an easier draw, and produced more body and flavor. Faint grassy/cedary aroma before lighting. Both burned very well, typical gray ash and a nice conelike coal.

Kenneth Oliver (Dallas Guy): #131 was a nice looking stick in a claro wrapper. It was a little bumpy, but otherwise attractive. The aroma was a subtle tobacco that teased you a bit. The cigar felt solid and consistent. No hard spots were felt.

Marty Wood (weinsur): These cigars had a nice Connecticut Shade wrapper that were smooth with no large veins. The binder made the appearance a bit lumpy and the roll wall a bit uneven but overall they were nice looking sticks. The pre-light draw was very nice.

Richard Lambert (Double Maduro): This was one pretty cigar with a near perfect cap and almost no vein. The wrapper was a uniform color throughout with no blemishes. The only flaw was a softening at the foot.

Scott Stockton (Churchill): Good looking Natural/ Conn. shade Torp. Firm roll, good quality workmanship. Smooth cap. The cigar had an elegant look to it. Almost looked like an Ashton.

Steve Meiller (RedRock): This is a very nice looking natural, probably Connecticut shade cigar. Shape is sort of somewhere between torpedo and pyramid with a very well done pointed cap. The wrapper is slightly oily and free of large veins and discoloration. The roll is quite firm, but not enough to make a hard draw. Drawing through the unlit cigar produces a clear basic tobacco taste with no fancy flavors. The pre-light impression is of a very well made Dominican or Jamaican cigar.

Smoke Comments

Ardie Bogard (rdb6): It burned very nicely. Medium bodied and medium flavored. This cigar has a very distinct taste sort of like an Avo. Could this be an Avo Domain?

Ben Hicks (grinnin): These were mild to medium cigars in body, strength and flavor. Flavor started sharp and grassy, becoming herbal, spice and cedar. There was a good bite on the tongue, but no burn in the throat. Nice but mild aftertaste. The looser roll had notably more complexity.

Kenneth Oliver (Dallas Guy): The taste was nice and mild with a superb draw. The flavor stayed mostly consistent throughout, but the last smokable inch was a little too dry. The ash was a light gray with a good structure. The burn was a little uneven in both samples, but a little blazer work corrected it. The aftertaste was minimal until the end.

Marty Wood (weinsur): The first sample burned perfectly and the flavor was excellent. Slightly woody and slightly sweet. Very uncharacteristic of a Connecticut Shade cigar. The second tasted vegetal and bitter until the final third and didn't burn as well. I liked the light strength and flavor of this cigar for a change of pace but I wouldn't buy a box until I sampled a few more and then they would have to be priced right.

Richard Lambert (Double Maduro): Spicy earthy flavors from the first (although very light flavor what there was pleasant) the second one was almost plugged and had a sour taste to it. Both burned straight and true and needed no adjustment.

Scott Stockton (Churchill): Very even burn with nice ash to about 1 inch. The draw was good and not too loose. The taste was on the mild side with good woodsy flavor. There was ample smoke.

Steve Meiller (RedRock): When lit there is none of the bitterness that you expect at the beginning of many natural wrapped cigars. Immediately has a very pleasant basic plain tobacco taste and a mild body. There is a slight tendency to burn unevenly at the start, but it straightens itself out to an even, conical coal with a light gray firm ash. Past the first inch or so the cigar builds nicely from a mild flavorful cigar to the strong side of medium and the flavor just gets better.

Summary Comments

Ardie Bogard (rdb6): A quality made good looking cigar. I like them a little stronger and spicier, but a quality smoke nonetheless.

Ben Hicks (grinnin): These were well made very good cigars. I thought they would benefit from a little sweetness and richer flavor. They would probably go well with a pale ale.

Kenneth Oliver (Dallas Guy): Overall #131 was a good mild cigar. I would gladly pay $5 to $7 for this at my local cigar store when I was in the mood for something light.

Marty Wood (weinsur): Overall these were agreeable cigars and I would try them again at the right price. I wouldn't smoke them often though. If the second sample had tasted like the first I would have been very tempted to buy some to have around.

Richard Lambert (Double Maduro): Not a bad cigar beautiful to look at but a little light in flavor and aroma. I would like to have some of these to set aside for a while to see what developed.

Scott Stockton (Churchill): Overall I enjoyed this smoke. I have no idea what it is but would keep some around for an early evening smoke or possibly a morning smoke.

Steve Meiller (RedRock): While this cigar starts out as a rather typical mild Caribbean cigar, it builds some real character and at the end shows you why natural wrapped cigars are not just for lightweights. Over all, I'd call it a very flavorful, medium bodied cigar with a straight forward simple and pleasant tobacco taste. This cigar is a winner.

Scores

Review Results
Final Score: 35.6 out of 50

4 Star -- Excellent

We reviewed this cigar earlier this year and the final scores were fairly consistent. This group of reviewers enjoyed the Don Diego Torpedo slightly more. There were a couple construction problems, notably a tight draw or two, but in all, the cigars were expertly constructed with well-aged tobaccos. The flavor nuances mentioned include wood, spice, cedar and some sweetness. And even though the reviewers, as a group, are more inclined to enjoy more full-bodied cigars, they judged the Don Diego Torpedo to be worth 4 Stars. This is not an over-hyped brand with an expensive band, but a basic, good quality smoke for a reasonable price. Worth trying.