Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Sun Grown Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Filler: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
Size: 6 x 54 “Toro-Box Press”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $6.25 per box/ $8.00 per stick in a 5 pack. (I paid $5.00 each for a 5 pack on Cbid)

Today we take a look at the Diesel Rage.
This cigar is only available from the CI Conglomerate.
I decided to review the Diesel Rage instead of my intended review because I smoked my first Diesel Rage last night and my tuchas shook like jelly cause jam don’t shake like that. Great cigar. (Damn I gave the end away.)

BACKGROUND:
From the Diesel web site:
“Abdel ‘AJ’ Fernandez was born in San Luis, Cuba, where he studied under his neighbor, the legendary Don Alejandro Robaina. After nearly two decades of learning and perfecting his craft under Alejandro’s guidance, AJ fled Cuba to Esteli, Nicaragua, and established his own cigar factory. Utilizing traditional Cuban cigar-making techniques, along with several secret family processes, his cigars embrace a unique old world character that’s traditional and familiar, but distinctive as well. His proprietary premium tobaccos are superior in nature and fermented to perfection. His quality control measures are among the most stringent in the industry. And his uncanny ability to work with and properly blend tobaccos is nearly unsurpassed.”

From Cigars International:
“Diesel Rage showcases an ultra-dark Ecuadorian Habano Sun Grown Oscuro wrapper overtop a perfect recipe of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long-fillers grown for this project on AJ’s farms. This combination is 100% in sync, uniting to deliver an overload of complex flavors including earth, vanilla, coffee, spices, and cedar, all while offering just enough strength without becoming overpowering. It’s balanced. It’s bold. It’s smooth. It’s complex. It’s unique. It’s Diesel Rage and it’s a premium handmade stroke of genius.”

DESCRIPTION:
“This is a damn near perfect square box pressed stick.” (This is what I though until I took a photo). In reality, the close up of the footsies shows that it is barely a soft box press with no consistency.
It has a beautiful, oily, mottled coffee bean colored wrapper that is very smooth to the touch.
Seams are tight. Not too many veins. And a fairly clean triple cap.

There is only a single footer cigar band. And of course, it is made of porous paper and impossible to get off in one piece.
There is exactly one review and the writer said he smelled piss. LOL
Another one in a cigar forum said it was chalky and terrible.
Fellas, you have to let these cigars rest. OK. Onwards.

SIZES AND PRICING:
Comes in one size only.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
On the shaft, I smell sweet fruity notes, chocolate, coffee, spice, floral notes, caramel, cedar, earthy notes, and leather.
From the clipped cap and foot, I smell exotic Asian spices, chocolate, sweetness, coffee, etc.
The cold draw presents flavors of exotic spice, chocolate, spice, black walnut, cedar, sweetness, and cinnamon. Whew!

FIRST THIRD:
I’m going to tell you a story about a cigar in which this reviewer has been a big snob over the Diesel line of blends. This particular blend turned my head and split my jeans in the crotch.

Here we go….
Blam Blammity Blam! A slap in the puss with red hot pepper.
And then the chocolate comes rolling in 12 yard concrete trucks. (Do you know where the term “The whole 9 yards” came from? Concrete trucks. Back in the day, the most they could carry was 9 cubic feet of concrete. You can figure out the rest.

A pet peeve when I was in commercial construction. People who referred to concrete as cement. Cement is used in the process of making concrete. The finished product is not cement, but concrete. There. I’ve wanted to get that off my chest for 40 years. I feel like I’ve taken a giant dump.

Here they are folks: Spice, chocolate, coffee, cedar, exotic spice, vanilla, sweetness, earthiness, leather, and more spice on top of that.
The spiciness is a combo of red pepper, black pepper, and jalapeno. Yippee-Ki-Yay!

Half an inch in, the cigar flavor profile explodes! Sweet Spot 1.0!
A bevy of malts kick in: Aromatic malt, Cara Munich, and Chocolate malt. Check the Malt Chart.

I can’t believe all these years and I never figured out how different malt is and how every cigar has it in some form or another.
The Diesel Rage is a chocolate malt milk shake. It is so heavy with chocolate that my Merkin is spinning. (For the uninitiated, a Merkin is a pubic hair wig.) I have four of them. One for every occasion.

The malt and chocolate combined is the strongest in any cigar I’ve smoked in I don’t know how long. And I really don’t know how long…an Alzheimer’s joke in poor taste.
Strength is medium/full.

Just found out that Medicare won’t pay bupkis for my last two very expensive tests and therefore I won’t have them. I owe the Aurora Health Care system a small fortune already. So I will go untreated. If I’m lucky, I have four years. How’s that for a downer in the middle of a funny review? But I will make the most of it and have a good time right to the end.

Back to the Diesel Rage. This ain’t like any Diesel I’ve smoked. This one has character, complexity, beautiful balance, and a mile long finish.
Transitions are on the move, pard.
Fruitiness made up of summer fruit, dried fruit, and old fruits like my cousin Lowell.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 30 minutes.
My only criticism at this point is that the draw is a little too airy…which could lead to a hot ending.
A reader recommended this cigar to me a few months ago. And I’ve been thinking about it ever since. So I scored a 5 pack from Cbid on a whim. It was the most I spent on any cigar in the bunch. And not much lower than the CI price point. So it must be popular.

Lots and lots of flavors: Chocolate, creaminess, malt, spice, coffee, fruit, vanilla, sweetness, more malt, graham cracker, leather, cedar, rich earthiness, and a dusting of exotic spice. Like bits of clove and cumin.
If you read me often, you know I love AJ Fernandez. He is the little guy’s best blender and friend. Rarely, if at all, does he produce a cigar I don’t like.

The Diesel Rage needs its first major char line touch up.
I smoked one a week after I got them. Blech. Now a few weeks later….Paydirt!

It doesn’t smell or taste like piss. It is not chalky. I don’t think the wrapper is dyed. It doesn’t taste dusty. And it is not harsh. All symptoms of smoking the cigar ROTT. Thanks to my compadre reviewers for the good laugh.

A vegetal element appears. I cannot identify specifics but maybe they will present themselves later.
The creaminess and caramel and chocolate and coffee are to die for. I’m smacking my lips like the dog when she is licking my balls. I’ve never licked my own balls so I’m sure there is a difference.

I’m so happy when I review a cigar in the morning. Even when I’m having bad weeks like this one. I’m free of most of the symptoms. It’s liberating. Big smile!

As you can see in the photo below, I have a bottle of cyanide so I can end my suffering when the time is appropriate. (Just kidding. It is cigar glue.) You gotta have some gallows humor or you will go nuts.

HALFWAY POINT:
Smoke time is 45 minutes.
Strength is medium/full.

Now I know this is a value priced AJ blend. But you get a lot of bang for your buck with the few shekels price point. I’d love to have a box. I smoked one last night as the last smoke of the day and it shone like a bright star. Regardless of how crispy my palate was, every single flavor was there. That impressed me.

Flavors have shifted a bit: Creaminess, coffee, chocolate, spice, vanilla, caramel, graham cracker, malts, fruit, dried fruit, floral notes, cedar, earthiness, leather.

The char line is behaving nicely.
I wish the sun would come out.

Oh God!! “Show Me the Way” by Peter Frampton is playing. I HATE that song. Bubble gum. Two steps away from “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies.

Sweet spot 2.0. Flavors are swingin’ Daddy-O.

Back in the 60’s, we actually used these slang terms: It’s a gas, Boss, Bitch’n, Going Ape, Ball (To fuck), Bogart (As in “Don’t bogart that joint), Bummer, Choose off, Cut out, Dig, Far Out, Gnarly, Groovy (I still use that one), Heavy, Kipe (To steal), Neat, and Rat Fink. Just an Alzheimer’s moment.

Back to the Diesel Rage.
Wonderful blend. Now this ain’t no high premium cigar. But it fits the bill and it’s very groovy and bitch’n. I didn’t stop using bitch’n til my 40’s.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is 50 minutes.
The airiness of the fillers is making the cigar speed up. But no heat or harshness yet.
Flavors are very intense.

Forget all the hype. Don’t listen to the other reviewers. Listen to me.
For the price, this is a really good blend.
One last time: Chocolate, creaminess, coffee, vanilla, sweetness, malts, cedar, and a fading spiciness.
Yeah, the Diesel Rage lost about half of what makes it good.

Maybe a couple months of humi time will improve this.
If you are a cigar chain smoker like me, your nose dries out. Right? I found something that really helps: Shea Butter. I got a tin of “Out of Africa” Shea butter from Vitacost.com. Not expensive and works miracles on the dry shnoz. 5 oz. is $10.00.

Strength finishes out at medium/full.
But with an inch to go, no heat or harshness. No bitterness. Nice.
OK. My score is 87. Not bad but one must consider that it is a value priced cigar. The cigar is totally enjoyable.

PRICE POINT:
Can’t beat it at $5.00 on Cbid. I would try to stay away from the 5 pack price of $40.00. This ain’t no $8.00 stick. And neither is it a $6.25 stick. I checked Cbid and there are 8 units of 5 packs going for $11.00 and will end on Saturday. This is a good chance to beat my $5 per stick price.
I wish they would post a box unit or two. For the right price, I would buy a box.

SUMMARY:
There were some problems. First, the cigar isn’t packed solid. But no soft spots.
A very airy draw.
And it needed several touch ups.
But if you can put up with those issues, this is a great knock around cigar. A real flavor bomb.
It is a very smooth cigar. Never overwhelms you.
I think it is worth a try if you can snag them well below the asking price on Cbid.
I’d buy some but, sadly, no dough. I can wait. They are regular production and going nowhere.

SIDEBAR: Ever order from Anthony’s Cigar Emporium? I have a few times. I bought some cigars on special on the 9th. Four days ago. They provide a tracking number. Each and every time, it shows that the cigars are stuck in Tuscon, AZ. They were scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. No delivery. I emailed them. They never return emails. Where are my cigars?
I will never order from them again. Their customer service sucks. And it can’t be a coincidence that the tracking is all screwed up EVERY time! So you take your chances with these guys. The courteous thing to do is at least return my email.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: aj fernandez, cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Diesel Rage Cigar Review