Diplomaticos Ammunition Phoenicia Regional Edition Cigar

As Cuba’s first post-Revolution cigar line, considerable allure surrounds the Diplomaticos brand among cigar aficionados. Its establishment in 1966 marked a clean break from the past, following the revolution, and Cubatabaco’s acquisition of the original 25 brands, as of the embargo in February of 1962. In a period of incredible Cold war tension still haunted by the spectre of apocalypse seen during the Cuban missile crisis, the Castro government introduced the Diplomaticos. As the name suggests, these cigars meant for export could be seen as a means of introducing to the world the new Cuba through its most iconic agricultural product.

Enter the Diplomaticos No.2, the line’s flagship and only enduring regular production cigar, originally pitched as a better value, and lighter blend variation of the Montecristo No.2. Piggybacking off the success of the internationally the world renown brand, Diplomaticos also borrowed the Montecristo vitola nomenclature for all their releases, from the No.1 (the Lonsdale, discontinued in 2006) to the No.7 (Panetela, discontinued in the early 80s). Fulfilling the name’s associations of international cooperation, the success of the Diplomaticos in France paved the road for the nation’s then economy and Finance minister Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, to commission a new specialty brand from the Castro government in 1973, Quai d’Orsay.

With their infrequently manufactured No.2 being the only Diplomaticos regular production available, the brand was the ultimate candidate in being revamped by Habanos S.A’s Regional program, allowing distributors to commission special releases of niche brands. Distributor interest in Diplomaticos as a cult brand is apparent, as in many cases the regional editions are just as plentiful as the relatively rare No.2. 2018 was a particularly fruitful year for the brand, that saw the release of the Canadian exclusive, Norteno (Robusto), the Benelux exclusive, El Diputado (Robusto), and lastly the head-turning Phoenicia regional, the Ammunition (Robusto Extra).

Today I have the pleasure of reviewing the inaugural Phoenician regional, servicing various countries in the Middle-East and North African market. Only 10,000, 10 count boxes were produced of the cigar. The reputation of the Diplomaticos Ammunition, however preceded the limited production, inspiring positive chatter all throughout 2019 at La Casa del Habano Montreal’s cigar lounge. The H. Upmann factory manufactured cigar, measures in at 54 X 150mm (5.9”) a hefty Robusto Extra, joining the ranks with other classics of similar size such as the Montecristo Open Eagle, the Hoyo San Juan, H. Upmann Connoisseur B and the San Cristobal Torreon.

Between the cigar’s mysterious specialty brand origin, it’s status as an inaugural regional release, it’s enticing size and rarity, I know that with the Ammunition, I have a “unicorn” cigar on my hands that deserves particular attention. The smoking experience will be decidedly unperturbed by a pairing.

Right off the bat, the construction of the cigar is excellent. The uniform Colorado Claro wrapper housing a perfectly bound cigar, with uniform pressure from the foot to the head, not too soft nor too firm. The smell on the cigar moderately perceptible, and the cold draw confirms the aromas; baking spices, green tea, and faint hay.

First Third

Upon lighting the foot, charred cereal immediately comes to mind, the moderate bite quickly mellows out after the first few puffs. Here the dominant characters reveal themselves, buttery and herbaceous green tea notes sitting on the tongue. The construction facilitates huge plumes of smoke, from even the lightest of puffs. An overwhelming sense of space is created in the mouth as notes of lightly toasted baking spices and buttery tea are well-balanced sitting well on the palette. The ample amount aroma of from the cigar is nothing short of phenomenal, filling the room with a sweet and sumptuous smoke that hints at butterscotch and toffee.

Second Third

Reaching the second third, the cigar slightly picks up strength, the ambient charred cereal notes at the back of the throat becoming more pronounced with a slightly tannic aftertaste. On the tongue there is still a great sense of space, the flavours remain subtle, notes of graham cracker, toast, and light herbs do not fight each other for dominance. These notes in combination with the huge and highly aromatic smoke of the Ammunition, remind me of the fresh bread, and yeast aroma given off a Cohiba Siglo VI; a cigar that identical in size to the Diplomaticos, if not for being 2/64ths of an inch narrower in diameter.

Final third

As the luxurious smoke billows, with no fight whatsoever, the accumulation of puffs introduce some new characteristics to a cigar that has evolved subtly to this point. Black tea tang, flint, ash, and light peat combine at the back of the throat, giving shape to a mineral aftertaste to each drag. Reaching the last stretch the strength of the cigar picks up, a jolt of nicotine surprises, as a steady pace has made it imperceptible until this point. The mouth feel is heavy as with a bitterness that you’d get from biting into a coffee bean, only becoming astringent with an index finger’s width of the cigar remaining.

Final Thoughts
The extra care given by Habanos S.A to Regional editions is clear with the Diplomaticos Ammunition. The sweet and faintly spicy aroma of this cigar is so enticing that I’m certain even the most adamant cigar skeptic would have to reassess their values. You may need an hour and a half to fully enjoy this heavy gauge, light to medium strength cigar, that is flavourful as it is smooth. True to the Diplomaticos heritage of creating a cigar exemplary of the island nation’s rich terroir, the Ammunition stacks up amongst Cuba’s finest recent outputs.