Diplomaticos No. 4

Been a while since my last review, and it's a beautiful day out, so time to light up. Today is a
Diplomaticos No. 4 with about 8 years of age on it. Recently did my first CC, so now I've gotta one-up and go for an aged stick. This little beauty is courtesy of a BOTL on the CA forums, and I think I should be in for a treat. The only worry is that it is from '01, which often had draw problems... but all I can do is hope its not plugged!

On the back patio at about 3, with a glass of water. Cut was a pocket knife (can't find my Xikar :(, I didn't butcher it too bad) and light is matches.

Pre-light - Draw is not plugged (woohoo!), but does have the tug many CC's are known to have, but definitely not unpleasant. taste is mildly sweet and reminds me of honey.

First Third - Wow. The second I got baby lit I could tell I was in for a great smoke. A sweetness is the predominating flavor with flowery tones behind it, and it is a great combo. The draw leaves something to be desired, but is not terrible. Ash is reasonably tight with distinct layers and dark grey coloring. The flavor cooled down and has become more mild after about a half an inch, but still leaves distinct toasty-flowery notes lingering in my mouth. Burn is even but ragged.

Second Third - The flavor has developed and become rather complex, adding spice to the mix now. The ash is beautiful and last lasted to about an inch and a half at this point. Draw has opened up a bit, but still has a tug. It is a heavier medium-bodied cigar. The flavor is more mild than I would like, though I believe this could be an effect of age. Creaminess has developed which balances nicely with the spice.

Third Third - This third is showing a teenie bit of bitterness, but not enough to be nasty tasting. Creaminess is more prevalent and a wood taste is showing up as well. Burn is still great but draw has tightened up a bit. A little skewer takes care of that! The relatively small amount of smoke with this stick has picked up a bit and the toasty wood aftertaste is nice. Still a bit mild for my taste, but the flavor has picked up in this third. I am enjoying the creaminess and spice as well as the sweet taste. This has been a loooong burning stick, almost an hour at this point. This third was definitely my favorite, and I had a hard time putting it out!

Conclusion and Score - This stick was great overall. The draw was ok at best, but great once I poked it. Burn and ash were beautiful, the latter growing long and having a beautiful dark color. Flavors changed throughout and included a flowery, almost herbal flavor throughout, creaminess, wood, and spice with a nice toasty-wood aftertaste. The last third was really fantastic, as it picked up a heftier flavor than the mostly mild first two thirds. I would give this an 88 score, as it was a great cigar but didn't quite hit the upper eschelon of "awesome." If the flavor had been more robust, I would have probably given it a 90. Aging anymore and I would fear the flavor would mellow even more than it did already, so if you can get some, 5ish years of age would most be optimal as not to lose too much punch. For the mild-medium smoker, this would be a gold mine. Very enjoyable afternoon smoke.