Diesel Vintage Series Robusto Gordo

Justin Andrews, new business development manager with Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), continues to grow the company’s brands, focusing primarily on the more craft-minded offerings by leveraging his longstanding connection with esteemed cigarmaker A.J. Fernández. This includes the Diesel Vintage Series, first debuting in 2023 and since expanding to include a sister blend earlier this year. The project aims to bring cigar smokers well-aged tobacco at an affordable price. The Diesel line has long been known for bold yet wallet-friendly options for cigar smokers, boasting a strong group of followers who truly love the brand.

The Diesel Vintage Series starts with five-to-eight-year-aged Habano-seed filler tobacco from the Jalapa region of Nicaragua, followed by an Estelí-grown Habano binder and finished with a Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper. The hope for this collaboration and blend expression was to bring heavy maduro/aged tobaccos to Diesel fans; at the same time, it aimed to maintain the brand’s knack for offering bang-for-your-buck experiences.

“With Vintage Series, we’ve responded to feedback from our valued retailers across the country who told us they wanted to give their customers the true experience of vintage tobacco in a well-crafted, premium smoke. The catch was that it had to be at just the right price point. I’m proud to say that AJ Fernandez and I have delivered a cigar that fires on all cylinders: quality, construction, complexity and price.” —Justin Andrews

Diesel Vintage Series Robusto Gordo Breakdown

The Diesel Vintage Series was released as a regular production on July 1, 2023. Five vitolas were created for this release: Robusto Gordo, Toro, Gigante Nub, Double Corona, and Rabito. All expect the Rabito size—which comes in 10-count boxes—arrive in 20-count displays.

Appearance

The Diesel Vintage Series has a very dark brown leather color with a toothy texture, which has a coarse sandpaper feel to the touch. There is one band on the cigar: a simple, classic-style rectangular shape, displaying a gold outline with a matte charcoal background. The main logo on the band is a gold lowercase “d” in Diesel’s medieval typeface. There is white scrolling graphic surrounding the letter in the background. The cigar’s box shows the same colorway of dark brown and gold with the Diesel logo. There is a strip of burlap fabric woven between the cigars—a very nice touch, adding to the aesthetic appeal of the packaging (especially considering the price point).

Smoking Experience

With a straight cut of the cigar, the cold draw is on the bland side, having just a slight red pepper taste on the palate. After a proper toast, the initial flavor of leather takes over. Its distinct aroma put me in the state of mind of an old leather workshop. Additionally, there are hints of burnt wood, though the main aromas during the smoking experience alternate between a leather workshop and an antique store (particularly through the wooden furniture section). The retrohale has notes of red pepper and leather, and a very light smoke output is noted.

Throughout the majority of the smoking experience, the Vintage Series continues with mainly leather notes. The second portion brings some off-flavors that remind one of wood stain. The retrohale continues with lighter red pepper, adding notes of sweet cedar for a fresh complexity. As I approach the final part of the smoking experience, I can pick up some light-roasted hazelnut flavor.

As expected with cigars made by A.J. Fernánadez, the construction is solid. The cigar is very firm; unfortunately, this brings with it a tighter draw. This leads to a cool burning temperature and a slow burn rate, producing a flaky gray ash that builds in three-centimeter chunks.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

The Diesel Vintage Series did deliver in its mission statement of bringing aged tobacco to cigar smokers at a price that is pleasing to the wallet. However, the flavors were somewhat one-dimensional, and at times, the burnt wood and leather workshop flavors were a bit overpowering. I would say that the aromas do give a vintage vibe, but perhaps not the best characteristics of “vintage” tobaccos are highlighted. The retrohale has that classic red pepper spice typical of a Nicaraguan cigar. However, it’s a cigar I am unlikely to revisit.

• In March 2024, STG added a Diesel Vintage Series Natural.
• Currently on the Dojoverse, it has a “96% smokable” rating, ranking in the top 19 percent of cigars on the all-time leaderboard.

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