Tasting Note

Diplomaticos is probably not the first name to come up in conversation when discussing Cuban cigars. Or even the second or third. It’s one of Cuba’s lesser-known cigar brands as well as one of its newer creations, first sold in 1966, after the revolution. It began as a doppelgänger of sorts to Montecristo, mimicking the famous brand size for size, from No. 1 to No. 5. Today, most of those sizes in the Diplomaticos line are gone, and you see the brand most often as a Regional Edition cigar, including this one, which debuted in early 2025. We usually don’t consider Regional Editions for our Top 25 because their distribution is so limited. But this Diplomaticos Genios (which has a retail price of $29 and a box date of September 2024) is made for Phoenicia Trading A.A. in Cyprus, which is one of the world’s largest Cuban cigar distributors. The company’s reach is massive, spanning many countries, making this limited edition not quite as limited as others. Light one up and you’re instantly rewarded with big flavor, starting with a bit of sweetness (caramel, peaches, autumn apples) complemented by the tannins of tea, cigar box and earth. It comes in numbered cabinets of 50 (4,000 were produced), and when you have one, you’ll want to reach into that big box again and again.