One of my favorite things about writing up cigar reviews that it encourages me to seek out new and interesting cigars I might not try otherwise. The exploration is fun, and it’s a bonus when you find a box-worthy gem. But I didn’t have to do much searching to come across the cigar I’m reviewing this week, the D’Crossier Diplomacy Series Golden Blend. Not only is it available in a number of shops around the area, the good people at Pure Aroma Cigars sent me samples to review.

The name D’Crossier comes from the surname of the grandfather of the owner, Isaias Santana Diaz. Crossier was a Frenchman who immigrated to Cuba in the 19th century after taking a shine to the beauty of the island and its tobacco. Following the familiar story arc, a young Diaz was inspired by his grandfather’s writings and decided to get into the cigar business. Years later in 2003 he began buying tobacco and in 2006 established his cigar company.

Also interesting is the idea behind the Diplomacy Series. Mr. Diaz informed me that the name is more than a reference to diplomats and their love for cigars. He sees the cigars as the embodiment of diplomacy. Making them, sharing them and smoking them is about building relationships and making friends. And as he told me, the world could use more of that these days.

The Golden Blend comes in 5 sizes, torpedo, robusto, D’Corona, churchill and Taino, and varies in price from $8.70 for a robusto to $12 for a Taino. It also features ligero that has been aged for seven years. Now it’s time for the important part, let’s burn this robustos and see if I’ve found a box-worthy gem.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 4 7/8 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic
Smoking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Beverage: Water
Source: Samples from Pure Aroma Cigars
Price: MSRP $8.70

The Pre-Smoke
The D’Crossier Golden Blend is a pretty enticing looking cigar. It comes decorated with a pair of regal red and gold bands that seem to accentuate the natural reddish oily wrapper leaf. Looking the sticks over, I found a few, occasionally twisted veins but no imperfections. Because the placement of triple cap is specifically mentioned on the Golden Blend’s page on the D’Crossier website (warning, turn the volume down before clicking), I made a point to take a closer look at the caps. I gotta hand it to them, the triple cap was placed beautifully most of the time. I did, however notice a little inconsistency in the darkness of the wrapper leaf from one cigar to another when I lined the heads of the cigar up for a picture.

To the touch, the cigars were consistently firm, and the wrapper had a darker hay and compost aroma. The cold draw was a little sweet, and I even got a little creamy cocoa flavor out of a couple of the sticks.

The Burn
The burn did vary from cigar to cigar, but overall, the D’Crossier Golden Blend performed well in this department. Good draw, mostly even and strong, solid ashes. And in one case, the ash defied gravity dropping only once around the halfway point, without any special handling in my part. (None of that vertical puffing you see during a long ash contest.) As luck would have it, that’s the cigar I randomly selected to feature in the Tower of Burn.

The Tower of Burn stick was nearly perfect when it comes to combustion, but it was the odd man out. The other cigars while generally good did need the occasional touch up for a straying burn line, and sometimes even a relight. And of course they produced more average-sized ashes.

The Flavor
The Golden blend gets things going with a rich and creamy mixture of cocoa, earth and caramel with a hint of a coppery zing (or a slightly acidic metallic flavor) in the finish. Before long hints of cedar begins to appear.

Cedar began to take a more prominent role in the flavor around the beginning of the second third. The earthy cocoa began to make a transition toward a slightly darker chocolate, the coppery zing became more pronounced and the caramel sweetness began to fade as the third progressed. There was some notable variation from one smoke to the other that was most apparent in the prominence of the coppery zing. In a couple cases, it was strong enough to be little unpleasant.

In the final third, the Golden blend was very woody, with a little bit of chocolate and earth in the finish. The coppery zing was still present, but not as often or as much as in the previous third, and was tempered a little by caramel sweetness.

The Price
The price for this cigar seems fair, the construction is very good, and there is some well-aged leaf in the filler. At the same time, there is stiff competition in the eight to nine dollar region, so it may be tough for this new comer to build a following.

The Verdict
Without a doubt one of the highlights of the D’Crossier Golden Blend smoking experience is related to it’s construction and overall appearance. It’s a great looking cigar, that burns very nicely, and at times produces contest-winning lengths of ash. Which isn’t to say it’s bad in the flavor department. The cigar does have an enjoyable profile, and I liked it the most when the coppery zing was in check. I could see myself buying more of these in the future, but in moderation. If for no other reason than to try pairing it with a few fingers of scotch. I didn’t have the time to test it, but something tells me that the two would play together nicely.

Liked It: Yes, most of the time
Buy It Again: From time to time
Recommend It: Sure, and grab a beverage while you’re at it, and tell me how it goes.

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.