Diesel Vintage Series Natural Review — Diesel Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo

Today, we review the Diesel Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo from Forged Cigar Company. The Vintage Series Natural is the second installment in Diesel’s Vintage Series. The Vintage Series debuted as a San Andres Maduro at the 2023 Premium Cigar Company (PCA) Trade Show. The Diesel Vintage Series Natural debuted a year later, offering a lighter-colored wrapper into the Vintage Series.

With both blends of the Diesel Vintage Series, the goal is to deliver a bold smoke that features vintage (aged tobaccos). In terms of cigar making, building blends with vintage tobacco’s, this is nothing new. The one unique thing is that both blends of the Diesel Vintage Series are value-priced – namely under the price of $10.00. If you go back to the 2023 PCA Trade Show, it seemed the goal of Forged Cigar Company was to focus on value-based smokes as many of its releases fell into that under $10.00 range.

Let’s break down the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Diesel Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Diesel Vintage Series Natural features all Habano tobaccos. This includes an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder from Estelí, and Nicaraguan tobaccos from Jalapa. The filler tobaccos are aged, ranging in age from five to seven years. As with all Diesel offerings, this is a collaboration between STG’s Justin Andrews and AJ Fernandez. Production comes from AJ Fernandez’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano (Estelí)
Filler: Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa, aged five to seven years)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Diesel Vintage Series Natural is available in five regular production sizes, each presented in 20-count boxes. These are the same sizes as the Maduro version of the Vintage Series.

Pico Gordo: 4 1/2 x 60
Robusto Gordo: 5 x 56
Toro: 6 x 52
Double Corona: 7 3/4 x 49
Rabito: 6 x 46

Appearance (*)

The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo had a medium brown color with a slight rosado tint to it. There was much in the way of oils on the surface of the wrapper. The wrapper did have some toothiness to it. The surface of the wrapper had some visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were on the thin side.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo, I used a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was off, it was time for the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a lot of earth notes, along with some cedar notes and a fig-like fruit note. I was quite neutral about this pre-light draw. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t wow me either. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo and head into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo picked up with the pre-light draw left off. There were bold notes of earth, cedar, and fig-like fruit notes. In addition, natural tobacco and black pepper notes emerged. The earth and fruit notes moved into the forefront early on, with the cedar, natural tobacco, and fruit remaining in the background. There was an additional layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.

The earth notes remained grounded in the forefront during the second third of the Vintage Series Natural. The fruit notes diminished while the natural tobacco and pepper notes increased in intensity. Before midway, the natural tobacco displaced the fruit notes in the forefront. The fruit settled in the background with the pepper and cedar.

The flavors muddled in the last third. Pepper joined the natural tobacco and earth, and fruit notes seemed to resurface. The flavors remained muddled until the cigar experience of the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo burn required frequent touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and line. While the touch-ups did the job, more than I prefer were needed. The resulting ash was light gray, skewed toward the lighter side, and prone to minor flaking. The burn rate and temperature maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw to the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo performed quite well. This is a draw that had a touch of resistance to it – which is something I prefer. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

When it came to strength and body, I found the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo to be on par in terms of boldness with its Maduro counterpart. The Vintage Series Natural started out with medium to full in strength and body before progressing to full by the second half. The strength and body balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

I was a big fan of the original Diesel Vintage Series packaging presentation. The good news is that the Vintage Series Natural uses a similar style. I like the use of the Diesel insignia logo on both the band and the box. The individual cigar slots in the box are a nice feature. Additionally, I appreciate the small burlap piece inside the box, which serves as a charming finishing touch. This is simply excellent packaging for a cigar line priced under $10.00.

Packaging of the Diesel Vintage Series Natural (Photo Credit: Scandinavian Tobacco Group)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

My very positive experience with the Maduro version of the Diesel Vintage Series Robusto Gordo set high expectations for its Natural counterpart. However, this fell short of those expectations. I never really warmed up to the flavor profile out of the gate, and when things got muddled in the final third, it didn’t help. While the Vintage Series Natural Robusto Gordo delivered the boldness of its Maduro counterpart, it didn’t match up when it came to flavor. I would recommend trying a sample first. At least when it comes to the Robusto Gordo size, I’d reach for the Maduro over the Natural.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Natural Tobacco, Fruit, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good