A Regional Edition Diplomaticos Just For Cuba
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen a Regional Edition cigar made exclusively for sale in Cuba, but Habanos S.A. introduced the Diplomaticos Leal earlier this month at a premiere party in Havana’s Parque Central hotel. The cigar is now on sale throughout the country’s La Casa del Habano and Casa del Tabaco retail stores.
Measuring 5 1/2 inches long by 54 ring gauge, the Leal has the same dimensions as the Partagás Serie E No. 2 (a size known as a Duke in Cuban cigar factories). Like the Diplomaticos Excelencia, which was Cuba’s 2015 Regional Edition, Leal comes in 10-count dress boxes.
The cigar was originally intended as a 2021 release, but complications from the pandemic caused a two-year delay. It’s named after Cuban historian Eusebio Leal Spengler, who died in 2020, and retails for $13.85, a price that’s expected to go up next year.
Cuba received its first Regional Edition cigar in 2010—the La Gloria Cubana Deliciosos. This is the seventh Regional for Cuba and the second time that the Diplomaticos brand has been chosen for Cuba under the Regional program. Cuba’s country-exclusive releases tend to score well. Cigars like the San Cristobal de La Habana Cabañas and the Punch La Isla scored 90 and 91 points, respectively, in Cigar Aficionado and Cigar Insider blind tastings. The Diplomaticos Excelencia, which came out in 2015, scored 96 points in Connoisseur’s Corner, the magazine’s section on aged cigars.
For a rating on the Diplomaticos Leal, see a future issue of Cigar Insider.
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