J.C. Newman Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

J.C. Newman Cigar Co started shipping its updated Diamond Crown Black Diamond cigars last August after being announced just before the PCA trade show that year. Diamond Crown Black Diamond Cigars have been on shelves since 2016 but received an updated blend and packaging last year. The cigars are produced at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia in the Dominican Republic. The blend uses a Connecticut Havana wrapper with Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The refresh of the line came about because Drew Newman, 4th Generation owner, was not happy with the current production and thought they would improve.

The sizes, price, and box quantity of the updated J.C. Newman Diamond Crown Black Diamond remain the same. The cigar comes in three sizes: Emerald, 6” x 52, boxes of 20 MSRP $21.00, Marquis, 5 ¼” x 56, boxes of 20 MSRP $20.00, and Radiant, 4 ½” x 54, boxes of 20 MSRP $18.00.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: U.S.A. Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 4 – Angel M. (Angel) Randy B. (randobush) Chris M. (Chris) Noah S. (Noah)
Price: $21.00
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: August 2022
Contributed by: J.C. Newman

Initial Impressions – J.C. Newman Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald

Appearance: 94

“This toro has a very nice deep chocolate brown wrapper, minimal veins, and no blemishes. There is a nice oily sheen showing off some small lumps in the roll. I don’t feel any knots or soft spots. The cap is a double, and even enough for me.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Aroma: 93

“In regard to the aroma, I’m very impressed with the smell, it has a very distinct chocolate and cinnamon aroma on the wrap, with a slight bit of sweet tobacco smell. As for the foot, not so much chocolate or cinnamon, but a heavy smell of sweet tobacco and cedar.” –Angel M. (Angel)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“This one starts with a mix of cedar, burnt caramel, and leather up top. White and black pepper at a moderate level, with floral notes and earthy cocoa on the background. The earthy cocoa picks up fairly quickly, joining the notes up top. Leather to the background at around the same point.” –Chris M. (Chris)

“The cold draw is a combination of graham cracker and milk chocolate, although not very detectable. The hand feel is stellar, and the pack seems good and firm, with no flaws. At first light, it takes a few puffs in order to get the desired amount of smoke. It’s not a tight draw, rather, it just simply takes a few puffs to receive the magic. Lots of baking spices, cayenne pepper, salt, blood orange zest, and butter give a surprisingly satisfying retrohale and provide good complexity of flavors on the palate. The oily feel on the lips is great, and that’s good because, no lie, it’s a 5 puff draw to get a mouthful of smoke, which is a bit annoying. 1” in and the ash is much more white than gray, and you can spot the flavor nodules on the ash itself that was on the wrapper. Creamy, zesty, medium finish. The burn is slightly wonky.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Second Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Going into the second third there has not been much of a flavor transition, pretty much staying steady with the leather, cinnamon, and cedar. The pepper tingle has disappeared. The smoke remains smooth and cool in temperature. This cigar so far has been mild to medium and very enjoyable.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“Despite having to endure a rather blustery wind in order to enjoy this smoke, a nice sturdy ash hung on for well over two inches. Flavor-wise not much changed during the second third except that the flavors became a bit muddled with nothing really taking center stage as the dominant flavor. If anything, the notes of leather and grilled meats switched places as grilled meats became more noticeable towards the front and leather became more dominant on the finish. Overall, the flavors became more earthy and mineral rich with just a touch of black pepper that peered in from the background. The retro continued to tie it all together with an underlying sweetness of chocolate which further balanced an already smooth and creamy smoke.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Final Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“In the final, third the flavors pretty much remain the same with leather, cinnamon, and cedar, with no major transitions at all. Still mild to medium, and the smoke continues to be smooth with a cool temperature.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“The earthy cocoa shifts to more of a coffee up top. Cedar is still up there. The floral notes gain just a bit of sweetness. The oatmeal and caramel bump up slightly. The pepper mix takes a little dip to the back until the last inch, where it picks up to just above moderate.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Overall Impressions – J.C. Newman Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald

Draw: 96

“Although the cold draw was a little tight, once lit the draw was near perfect which resulted in puff after puff of luscious smoke.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Burn: 87

“Only slightly wonky burn in the first third, but fairly good after that.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Construction: 93

“Solid cigar construction-wise with zero visible flaws. Only the draw issues in the first third left something to be desired.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 90

“Overall, this was a very enjoyable cigar, although there were not really any major flavor transitions the leather, cinnamon, and cedar balanced out well, dominating throughout the cigar. The flavors made for a good mild to medium cigar. I would definitely recommend this to others, especially those who want a darker wrapper with a mild flavor. I feel this cigar would pair well with morning coffee or in the evening with a nice porter-style beer.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“Enjoyed this cigar overall. Good flavors and transitions throughout, with a medium finish in the first two thirds and a long finish in the end. Retrohale was good throughout, providing a zesty full bouquet to the palate. It was a rough start, but I hated to see that strong creamy, salty butter, and chicory flavor at the end be over!” –Randy B. (randobush)

“This one seemed to come into its own in the final third but was on the plain side for the first two. They are pleasant flavors, so this would be something that would work well at a BBQ or social gathering where I’m not paying too much attention to the details. I won’t judge the burn too harshly in this section being I’ve only had one sample, but I’d hope the issue I had weren’t the norm.” –Chris M. (Chris)

“From the time I snatched it from my humidor to the time I laid it to rest in the ashtray my experience with this stick was splendid! Each and every puff was robust with rich and pleasant flavors that were well blended, well rounded, and well balanced. There were no noticeable transitions that took place, but with such incredible flavors that harmonized so well together I wasn’t upset by that fact and my palate was plenty entertained throughout. Most notably, this cigar was incredibly smooth from start to finish and the smoke output was simply impressive. This stick would be a great pairing with any number of beverages including a morning cup of coffee, a rich stout, a glass of bourbon, or even a nice red wine. Hurry up already with the reveal please!!!” –Noah S. (Noah)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 75

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

J.C. Newman Diamond Crown Black Diamond Emerald – Blind Cigar Review