In March of this year, Diesel announced a limited-release version of its Hair of the Dog line: Diesel | Hair of the Dog Limited Release. Hair of the Dog Limited Releasewas blended by AJ Fernandez along side brand manager Justin Andrews at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua. The wrapper and fillers are all Nicaraguan Habano, while the binder is Ecuadoran Sumatra. The regular production Hair of the Dog line is a Cigars International exclusive that has been on the market since 2013.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Diesel Hair of the Dog Limited Release comes only in one size, a box-pressed Toro (6” x 54). The price is $10.00 and comes in boxes of 10. Only 5,000 boxes were made.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro Length: 6″ Ring Gauge: 54 Country of Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Binder: Ecuador Sumatra Filler: Nicaragua Habano Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Blender: AJ Fernandez Number of reviewers: 4 – Daniel S. (Daniel S.) Diana(ArmyRN) John I. (John I.) Jason H.(Jokey Smurf) Price: $10.00 Age: 6 Months Release Date: March 2019 Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 90
“Golden brown box press with a smooth wrapper. No raised or bumpy edges. The foot reveals a dense golden brown filler. A substantial double cap adorns the head of the cigar and is smoothed nicely into the body. This is a nice looking cigar.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Aroma: 91
“Really nice and clean notes of caramel and chocolate. At the foot it smelled like a straight up chocolate malted. ” –John I. (John I.)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: Diesel | Hair of the Dog Toro
Flavor: 89 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“I was immediately greeted with some cedar notes mixed with a hint of butter. About an inch into the cigar I was hoping that it would amp up just a tad but it remained a very mild and monotone cigar for my palette. This was my first cigar of the day and it was a great start for a morning cigar.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“Starts with a peppery blast with a fair amount of background sweetness. Also a surprising amount of potency with a pretty serious burn on the retrohale. Fifteen minutes in this has settled into a medium bodied experience with notes of sweet straw, and caramel. ” –John I. (John I.)
Second Third
Flavor: 87 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Medium
“The second portion of this cigar has developed a more full flavor with a deepening of the earth notes and the revelation of espresso and a hint of dark
Blind Cigar Review: Diesel | Hair of the Dog Toro
chocolate. The pepper through the nose has remained and as a result is reminding me of delicious Mexican cocoa.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“As I went into the second third I was wondering if there would be any transitions or progression. The cigar was pleasant and continued to give me a solid mix of cedar, butter and a very slight hint of honey. It did not go beyond that at this point and remained consistent albeit mild for me.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“The final third of this sample became a bit stronger yet retained the same espresso and chocolate flavors… a really nice ending to an eventful cigar” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“There was no graduated strength to this cigar for me. It remained consistent and very light. The notes of cedar, butter and honey remained intact throughout the finish and were pleasant. ” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Overall Impressions
Blind Cigar Review: Diesel | Hair of the Dog Toro
Draw: 93
“The draw was excellent and had the perfect amount of resistance.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
Burn: 89
“This was a nice burning cigar. The burn line was crisp and even and the cigar had a nice light gray mixed with white for a fairly light but steady ash. It was a very effortless smoking experience.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Construction: 91
“This cigar performed practically flawlessly and was a true pleasure to smoke in regard to performance. The only fault I can find relative to construction is the small seam that had lifted in the middle…. Since the performance wasn’t impacted o almost forgot there was an imperfection.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Overall I didn’t hate the cigar but did not like it either. I was able to finish the cigar but felt like I needed to smoke something good to feel satisfied.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.) “I was happy that I had this cigar as a breakfast stick. It was a consistent smoke although it never really gave me any progression or transition of flavors. This was a mindless type of cigar smoking that I sometimes like. One would have to actually be careful that they didn’t pair it with a strong coffee as it would be overpowered. Pleasant and nice to keep around for those lazy mornings when I wouldn’t want to be jolted awake by a strong or complex cigar.” –Diana (ArmyRN) “Good cigar, not great, but the top notch construction made up for the fairly monotonous flavor profile. Lots of caramel sweetness for the duration. Not a bad thing, but certainly not a nuanced or eventful smoke. ” –John I. (John I.) “This was a really nice cigar that had a bit of a journey relative to flavors and was a pleasure to smoke. I could easily see myself enjoying these on a regular basis. Very well done!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: Diesel | Hair of the Dog Limited Release
Overall Score – 89 – Good
Blind Cigar Review: Diesel | Hair of the Dog Limited Release
Summary
"I was happy that I had this cigar as a breakfast stick. It was a consistent smoke although it never really gave me any progression or transition of flavors. This was a mindless type of cigar smoking that I sometimes like. One would have to actually be careful that they didn’t pair it with a strong coffee as it would be overpowered. Pleasant and nice to keep around for those lazy mornings when I wouldn’t want to be jolted awake by a strong or complex cigar." -Diana (ArmyRN)
