"Shucks...I never (as of yet), had a chance to smoke one these 'bad boys'.
From being the king of formats, the Diadema has become the penance of market laws, falling into the deepest and most unjust oblivion.
By Giuseppe Mitolo - CigarLovers Magaizine - Magazine 3 2024
The arrival of milder temperatures constitute the most favorable conditions for outdoor smoking. If it is possible to add a few days of holidays from work to these climatic factors, the situation becomes even more favorable for long afternoons or evenings dedicated to lighting particularly generous formats.
No, we are not referring to Gordos or even to Churchill or Prominentes, but to the king of sizes, the Diadem, a Double Perfecto for-
mat measuring no less than 200 millimeters in length, also classified as "Giant Perfecto".
Since this format corresponds to an "international shape" (as for the Toro), its measurements are not standard, at least for all non-Cuban producers, however, in Cuba, the format has precise measurements of 233mm in length [7.78in] with a 55-ring gauge.
Caribbean producers usually do not deviate much from this standard, which are often taken as a reference.
As history teaches us, a king has noble origins and ancient roots firmly ingrained in the country's history.
Ours, however, is an ancillary king, of which there are no traces of historical glories. It is difficult to date his birth with certainty, which, becomes deducible by cross-referencing various historically appreciable and truthful data.
As can be imagined, this is a format born in Cuba, probably by the Fernandez, Palicio y CIA S. en C. company, owner of Hoyo de Monterrey, La Escepcion, and Punch in the first decades of the last century.
The first Diademas in circulation were precisely these brands: the Monterrey for Hoyo, the Gran Gener de La Escepcion, and the Diadema Extra by Punch.
Instead of attempting to establish a birth period for this giant of tobacco production, it is necessary to rely on bibliographic sources and cross-reference the data.
All the products just mentioned, produced by Fernandez, Palicio and CIA, were all wrapped in aluminum paper that was launched between the 1920s and 1930s.
This innovation, which also brought a significant benefit to cigars in terms of protection, should have found use on other high-end products, and what better products than Diademas. It is reasonable and inferable, therefore, to limit their entry into the market to the 1920-1930.
Over the years, however, the production of this format was /gradually abandoned, and, one after another, all the products ended up being discontinued and, soon, even forgotten.
Habanos S.A. left its latest Diadema, the Cuaba Diadema, in production until 2013, although a few years earlier, it had become very difficult to find them in tobacconists.
Since then, the Cuban production panorama, right there where the Diadema was born, has remained orphaned of this cigar.
Which, in addition to being such, was also considered the absolute work of art for the production chain and for the roller.
Outside Cuba, as mentioned, some manufacturers included Diademas in their portfolio, which, although not identical in size, maintained the idea of the Giant Perfecto.
Many of the premium Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran brands have produced this magnificent format for many years.
However, over time, it has also lost the appeal of smokers,who are always looking for a quick smoke, too busy with new releases, too much in search of "everything and immediately".
Buying Diademas has become difficult (it is easier to buy a Gran Corona) since only a few rollers with the skill and knowledge are left to make it.
However, the problem is not always and only attributable to the "fashion" of the smoker.
To produce such a format, the blend must be studied very well from the start. It is necessary to have tobaccos with good combustion,
very aromatic, and not too heavy in terms of nicotine; add to this, no less important, you must also have bands that, in addition to being perfect, must be extraordinarily large.
At the end of our "blender's wish list", we will need to have leaves that have required and obtained the maximum possible care both in the agronomic field and in the subsequent step of the transformation of the leaf for the blend.
This can also require years of tobacco storage, which, for a company, turns into immobilized (and uninvested) capital. Add to this, an element that is by no means negligible is the fact that the end user is not very interested in enjoying such long cigars.
They very often require several minutes of a slow start and, sometimes, even a smoker willing to carve out a long period of time to dedicate to the cigar, so as not to fall into the cliché that "all long cigars lack in evolution".
This is a statement that can certainly be true if you light any cigar and, in the meantime, dedicate yourself to other activities and, in the
end, get angry at not having received a complex, multifaceted, and vibrant smoke.
In light of all this, given the production conditions and the lack of interest from the end consumer, the producers have stopped making it or have greatly limited production, sometimes allocating the format to commemorative, celebratory, or, in any way, "limited" editions.
As life and the ancient Romans taught us, the truth is always in the middle: it is difficult to blame or grant grace to the parties involved.
The Diadema remains and will always remain the cigar of otium, that is, of that time, not so much dedicated to idleness understood as "doing nothing" but to dedicating time to seeking pleasure in things that are unknown.
What better opportunity to rediscover this format, perhaps drawing it from the bottom of our humidors, where it remains waiting for the right moment, if not on summer evenings, after a dinner that is neither too elaborate nor too heavy, where, in addition to the cigar, the presence of a friend
can be appreciated... who perhaps is also looking for the right opportunity to light up a long and "meditative" format".
Works Cited: CigarsLover_Magazine_III_24_HD(8).pdf
“I love how [a Cuban] just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket”. Author Unknown
From being the king of formats, the Diadema has become the penance of market laws, falling into the deepest and most unjust oblivion.By Giuseppe Mitolo - CigarLovers Magaizine - Magazine 3 2024
The arrival of milder temperatures constitute the most favorable conditions for outdoor smoking. If it is possible to add a few days of holidays from work to these climatic factors, the situation becomes even more favorable for long afternoons or evenings dedicated to lighting particularly generous formats.
No, we are not referring to Gordos or even to Churchill or Prominentes, but to the king of sizes, the Diadem, a Double Perfecto for-
mat measuring no less than 200 millimeters in length, also classified as "Giant Perfecto".
Since this format corresponds to an "international shape" (as for the Toro), its measurements are not standard, at least for all non-Cuban producers, however, in Cuba, the format has precise measurements of 233mm in length [7.78in] with a 55-ring gauge.
Caribbean producers usually do not deviate much from this standard, which are often taken as a reference.
As history teaches us, a king has noble origins and ancient roots firmly ingrained in the country's history.
Ours, however, is an ancillary king, of which there are no traces of historical glories. It is difficult to date his birth with certainty, which, becomes deducible by cross-referencing various historically appreciable and truthful data.
As can be imagined, this is a format born in Cuba, probably by the Fernandez, Palicio y CIA S. en C. company, owner of Hoyo de Monterrey, La Escepcion, and Punch in the first decades of the last century.
The first Diademas in circulation were precisely these brands: the Monterrey for Hoyo, the Gran Gener de La Escepcion, and the Diadema Extra by Punch.
Instead of attempting to establish a birth period for this giant of tobacco production, it is necessary to rely on bibliographic sources and cross-reference the data.
All the products just mentioned, produced by Fernandez, Palicio and CIA, were all wrapped in aluminum paper that was launched between the 1920s and 1930s.
This innovation, which also brought a significant benefit to cigars in terms of protection, should have found use on other high-end products, and what better products than Diademas. It is reasonable and inferable, therefore, to limit their entry into the market to the 1920-1930.
Over the years, however, the production of this format was /gradually abandoned, and, one after another, all the products ended up being discontinued and, soon, even forgotten.
Habanos S.A. left its latest Diadema, the Cuaba Diadema, in production until 2013, although a few years earlier, it had become very difficult to find them in tobacconists.
Since then, the Cuban production panorama, right there where the Diadema was born, has remained orphaned of this cigar.
Which, in addition to being such, was also considered the absolute work of art for the production chain and for the roller.
Outside Cuba, as mentioned, some manufacturers included Diademas in their portfolio, which, although not identical in size, maintained the idea of the Giant Perfecto.
Many of the premium Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran brands have produced this magnificent format for many years.
However, over time, it has also lost the appeal of smokers,who are always looking for a quick smoke, too busy with new releases, too much in search of "everything and immediately".
Buying Diademas has become difficult (it is easier to buy a Gran Corona) since only a few rollers with the skill and knowledge are left to make it.
However, the problem is not always and only attributable to the "fashion" of the smoker.
To produce such a format, the blend must be studied very well from the start. It is necessary to have tobaccos with good combustion,
very aromatic, and not too heavy in terms of nicotine; add to this, no less important, you must also have bands that, in addition to being perfect, must be extraordinarily large.
At the end of our "blender's wish list", we will need to have leaves that have required and obtained the maximum possible care both in the agronomic field and in the subsequent step of the transformation of the leaf for the blend.
This can also require years of tobacco storage, which, for a company, turns into immobilized (and uninvested) capital. Add to this, an element that is by no means negligible is the fact that the end user is not very interested in enjoying such long cigars.
They very often require several minutes of a slow start and, sometimes, even a smoker willing to carve out a long period of time to dedicate to the cigar, so as not to fall into the cliché that "all long cigars lack in evolution".
This is a statement that can certainly be true if you light any cigar and, in the meantime, dedicate yourself to other activities and, in the
end, get angry at not having received a complex, multifaceted, and vibrant smoke.
In light of all this, given the production conditions and the lack of interest from the end consumer, the producers have stopped making it or have greatly limited production, sometimes allocating the format to commemorative, celebratory, or, in any way, "limited" editions.
As life and the ancient Romans taught us, the truth is always in the middle: it is difficult to blame or grant grace to the parties involved.
The Diadema remains and will always remain the cigar of otium, that is, of that time, not so much dedicated to idleness understood as "doing nothing" but to dedicating time to seeking pleasure in things that are unknown.
What better opportunity to rediscover this format, perhaps drawing it from the bottom of our humidors, where it remains waiting for the right moment, if not on summer evenings, after a dinner that is neither too elaborate nor too heavy, where, in addition to the cigar, the presence of a friend
can be appreciated... who perhaps is also looking for the right opportunity to light up a long and "meditative" format".
Works Cited: CigarsLover_Magazine_III_24_HD(8).pdf
