Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald is a marbled dark brown with some significantly raised veins running down the back along with a fine tooth. The seams are smooth and the caps expertly applied. There are two bands, both with a black, gold and red color combination. The primary denotes the brand and line on the front, with the company and factory names on the sides. The foot band has the line initials and artwork. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of damp wood and earth while the foot brings stone fruit sweetness and cedar. The pre-light draw brings the same cedar and stone fruit sweetness as the foot aroma along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald is a beautiful cigar that is finished with an oily wrapper that is raisin like in coloring. Marbled Maduro throughout. Toothy in texture with small veins throughout and firm. Aromas of fruit bread, sweet rich earth, sweet spices and leather.
John: The Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald comes in cellophane, and does not have a UPC sticker. The cigar features a primary band that indicates Black Diamond with gold lettering on a black background, along with a foot band. Smelling the wrapper, I could pick out aromas of earthy tobacco, dark chocolate and accents of aged wood. Out of the foot, I could smell aged tobacco, wood and mild earth.
Jiunn: The Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald has a rich and thick oscuro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper give aged cedar. Aromas from the foot tell creamy mixed nuts and subtle dried red pepper spice. Cold draw reveals ramped up dried red pepper spice and cedar.

Team Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted dark oak, sharp baking spice and light mustiness. At a half inch in, there is a significant change to the profile as the baking spice loses the sharpness and is paired with earth and chalkiness in the middle of the profile. The retrohale is toasted dark oak, baking spice, earth and light mustiness. At an inch and a quarter, the chalkiness mellows. At an inch and a half in, the mustiness is now even with the baking spice and earth in the middle of the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted dark oak is now just ahead of the baking spice, earth and mustiness while some chalkiness remains in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The cigar starts out with some faint fruit notes that are paired with damp wood and sweet spice qualities. Tobacco qualities are present, along with some rich earth and cocoa. Medium in strength and body. Balanced cigar.
John: My initial flavor impressions are a combination of cream and chocolate as a mild leather and earth pair up to finish the draw. Spices come through at the end of the draw soon after, and they build rapidly from medium strength. As the first third settles in, the post draw is defined by a spice and earth combination as leather provides an accent note. Some espresso breaks into the middle of the profile along with earth, as the spices that were so intense prior to this back off to medium strength. Some time later, creaminess has moved to the front of the profile. As the cigar approaches the halfway point of the first third, mildly tannic wood comes through at the end of the draw.
Jiunn: The first third’s flavor profile has a nice medium-full viscosity and medium strength. Flavors tell chalky cocoa, cream and cedar. Retrohaling gives a needed spice introduction in the form of dried red pepper spice and toasted cedar. Finish is long with chalky cocoa and leather.

Team Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the baking spice has morphed into black pepper. At a quarter inch in, the black pepper is now even up front with the toasted dark oak. At a half inch in, the chalkiness picks up a bit. The retrohale is now toasted dark oak, earth, black pepper and light mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the toasted dark oak is slightly ahead of the earth and black pepper with the mustiness and chalkiness a bit further behind. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third shows a continuation of the first third. I am picking up damp wood and rich earth notes that are paired with tobacco, and sweet spices. Stronger and richer in this third. Medum-full in strength and body.
John: The second third gets out of the gate with earth and espresso teaming up as earth and wood combine into the finish. After a few more puffs, sweetness is at the front of the profile. Moving towards the halfway point of the cigar, cream and earth is driving the profile with espresso defining the center of the profile.
Jiunn: The second third leans toward more leather and the wood profile changes from cedar to a bitter oak note. There still is a nice medium-full viscosity, playing off the chalky cocoa quite well. Strength is still medium.

Team Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level increases and the earth becomes pretty dry. At a half inch in, the dry earth is even up front with the toasted dark oak. The retrohale remains toasted dark oak, earth, black pepper and light mustiness. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted dark oak and dry earth are even up front with black pepper and mustiness a bit behind and light chalkiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third delivers some mineral, rich earth, sweet spices and tobacco qualities. Dark flavors. Toast and coffee beans as well. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: Earth and spices greet me on the initial puffs, as cream and spices finish each draw. As the last third settles in, earth and espresso define the center of the profile. Earth is the primary flavor component progressing to the halfway point.
Jiunn: The final third shows no changes from the second third. The combination of leather and bitter oak unfortunately takes over the chalky cocoa and cream. Strength and body is still medium and medium-full, respectively.

Team Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy throughout and the cigar went out once in the second third, requiring a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
Seth: Burn was good throughout. Not perfect, but not surprising with the wrapper.
John: The burn was straight and became uneven as it progressed, eventually requiring a touch-up in the first third. The burn was uneven through the remainder of the review but required no intervention as it periodically self corrected.
Jiunn: Burn performance was nearly perfect. Just a couple quick touch-ups to get the burn back on track within the first two thirds.

Team Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald

Draw

Aaron: The draw was a bit tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: Nice draw throughout.
John: The draw was a minor amount towards the open spectrum, roughly 1/2 to 1 notch putting it well in the range for an ideal draw.
Jiunn: Draw was also nearly perfect. The draw was slightly tight. It didn’t affect the flavor delivery, but notable.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted dark oak, sharp baking spice and light mustiness. A bit later some earth and chalkiness joined in. The second third saw the baking spice morph to black pepper. The final third saw the toast level increase and the earth became dry. The Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald had a nice start, but fell off from the second third and maintained an average profile the rest of the way. I found the enjoyment level on par with the previous blend, so no real change between the two for me. With the high price point and enjoyment level, I just don’t see it as something I’d come back to all that often.
Seth: I have always enjoyed the Black Diamond. It has been some time since I smoked a Black Diamond, but I apprecaiated the approach they took with the Connecticut Havana wrapper. The Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald has those dark flavors that you get with the wrapper, but it is a scaled back Connecticut Havana version with the blend. Still medium-full in my opinion, but not as strong as others. Less fruity as well. This was more earthy and peppery.
John: The Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald delivered a dark earth and espresso profile for most of the review, which was interesting and engaging. The last third became more earth forward and not as balanced as the previous two thirds. The draw was perfect and the burn required a single touch-up to intervene. I would smoke the Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald again if I was in the mood for a darker earth forward flavor profile. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 57 minutes.
Jiunn: One of my favorite combinations in a cigar is fuller body and cocoa. But, there’s a right way to surround this combination and a wrong way to do it. The Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald did it the right way for the first third, but failed to do so within the remaining two thirds. The remaining two thirds failed due to the bitter oak and leather tones overtaking the combination of chalky cocoa and cream. Almost there but no medal.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$3.65

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$3.65

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.72

Cost/Point

$3.13

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.85

Cost/Point

$3.59

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald