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Diesel Crucible ~ An Amateur's Point Of View

Steve2010Steve2010 Posts: 1,036
Ever since I first heard about the “new Diesel”, I’ve been intrigued. In the past I’ve really enjoyed the Diesel Unholy Cocktail, the Diesel Shorty, and the Diesel Unlimited so the thought of a new Diesel piqued my interest.

Amid a lot of speculation of what the final vitola was going to be, the Crucible was released a couple of weeks ago. (The final product was released as a 6.5 x 52 Toro.)

The cigar is a Nicarguan puro featuring a “Media Tiempo” wrapper that is extra thick and oily. There’s a lot of Ligero in the filler and the pre-light smell is pungent, well-oiled leather and a healthy dose of black pepper. The cigar is heavy and well-constructed with no soft spots.

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Using my trusty Xikar V-cutter, the cap offered some resistance due to the wrapper’s thickness. After firing up the foot, the first thing I noticed was the pepper assaulting my palate.

After the first few pepper-laden puffs, the cigar flipped a switch and became a chocolate monster with the pepper still present, but moving into the background. The dominant flavor was spicy bittersweet chocolate, very similar to Mexican Chocolate.

Each draw was lush and full and produced a huge volume of rich, thick, and creamy smoke that coated the palate with the exquisite flavors. The only other cigar I’ve smoked with such a large chocolate influence is the Camacho Triple Maduro.

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This cigar is extremely complex with a lot of changes in the flavor profile along the way. Damp peaty earth, oak, vanilla, black cherry all make their appearance, backed by an undercurrent of chocolaty-ness.

Seriously, smoking the Crucible reminded me of being Augustus Gloop falling into Willy Wonka’s chocolate river.

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The burn got a bit wonky, which I attribute to the thickness of the wrapper, but always corrected itself.

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The strength started out as full, but eventually settled into the medium-full category.

The production is limited to 12,000 total cigars and they retail for around $12 each. That sounds like a lot, especially for a Diesel, but trust me when I say that this Diesel is like no other. I originally picked up a fiver, but I guarantee I’ll be stocking up before they run out.

Comments

  • zeebrazeebra Posts: 3,174 ✭✭✭
    Sounds like a great smoke and thanks for the review!! Gotta pick me up a few now! My wife hates you...
  • RampMonkeyRampMonkey Posts: 1,808
    Sounds oh so good! Thanks for your thoughts on it :D
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    The draw got "wonky" yeah I see what you did there. :D Thanks for the review, I definitely gotta try one of these...
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • jesenstenjesensten Posts: 36
    Nice write up with great pictures! I burned one of these last night sitting on the deck with the wife and a glass of Maker's Mark on the rocks. She finally gave up on me after an hour and a half when I still had a good inch-and-a-half left to smoke... I agree with one of Steve's first notes that this cigar is just heavy. You can feel it as soon as you pick it up that this will take some time to get through. It was a lot more mellow than I expected it to be given the spiciness I've had in the other Diesels (and with a name like Crucible you kind of expect a blow to the head). I liked Steve's description that at times it did taste almost damp. I'm still working on my palate but that is an excellent description of a portion of the smoke. At $12 they do seem steep, but like Steve, it was just too good not get more of them before they're gone.
  • GreenMachineGreenMachine Posts: 483
    That review makes me want to order some right away!!!! Nice!!!!!!!!!!
  • Duke2Duke2 Posts: 393
    I got some in a sampler and liked them so well I ordered a box. They are now resting in my humidor. I agree with every ones notes on flavors. The only bummer is that they cannot be reproduced and become a staple of the Diesel line.

    6.5 inches of bliss.
  • Steve2010Steve2010 Posts: 1,036
    I'm definitely glad I picked up a box.
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