For our latest review, we’re smoking the Diesel Esteli Puro. Formed in 2009, Diesel cigar’s mission was to create cigars for those that believe “life tastes better when living on the edge.” No truer words were spoken when it comes to the Esteli Puro line that came out in 2020. Diesel reached out to cigar titan AJ Fernandez to collaborate on a new project.

Comprised of tobaccos from AJ’s La Lila Farm, San Jose Farm, and San Lotano farm in Nicaragua, the Esteli Puro has stunning Nicaraguan Habano tobaccos utilized for the wrapper, binder, and filler.

Before reviewing this cigar, my novice ways never smoked, let alone heard of Diesel Cigars. I was excited to dive in and try something new that I could eventually add to my humidor as well.

Of course, hearing AJ Fernandez is attached to this project makes your interest peak as well. So I took a 6 x 54 Toro home with me to enjoy before summer’s end. Let’s dive in and see what the Diesel Esteli Puro is all about!

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Strength: Medium-Full

Wrapper Shade: EMS

Sizes Available:

• Diesel Esteli Puro Gigante (6×60)
• Diesel Esteli Puro Toro (6×54)
• Diesel Esteli Puro Robusto (5.25×54)

Smoke Time: 90-110 minutes depending on size

Using a straight cut to remove the cap of the Diesel Esteli Puro is how I started things off. Since I had the time to do so, I decided to use a match as my source of lighting up this bad boy.

Luckily for me, these were rolled to perfection, so I only had to use 3 matches while smoking and that was on me for taking the time to smoke this.

Once cut, I took a few cold draws drags to see what I was in for. I could tell the profile of this cigar was going to be a zesty beast.

I was interested to see if the spiciness I detected in the cold draw would remain there once it was lit.

Fifteen minutes in I immediately tasted creamy flavors as well as a touch of leather and fresh cut grass. I was expecting this to be a total spice bomb since it’s a Nicaraguan Puro that utilizes Habano tobaccos, but I was pleasantly surprised to taste anything but spice right off the bat.

I was anticipating it to be much spicer in the second and final third as the tobaccos had time to essentially “cook” more.

Well into the second third, the cream flavor note was still heavily involved in the flavor profile. Both leather and earthy tones faded away as the second third was well underway but was replaced with even more delicious flavors if you could believe it or not.

Dark Roast Coffee and a hint of Black pepper were added to the tip of my taste buds with each puff I was experiencing. The way the cream and coffee bean notes were working so well together, it was as if I was drinking a delicious cup of medium roasted coffee first thing in the morning.

As I was gearing towards the finality of my cigar, the final third had a lot to offer. Very note I tasted from the cold draw to the second third made a brief appearance in the final third for me.

The clashing of earthy tones and cream mixed with dark roasted coffee made for one phenomenal smoking experience I was not anticipating to have.

As mentioned earlier in the review, I was able to take the 6 x 54 Toro home with me to enjoy as the dog days of summer were upon us. So I decided to make this an interesting smoking experience.

I went with a glass of my go-to red wine, J. Lohr as well as a dark piece of chocolate to pair along with the Puro Esteli. Mixing cocoa from the chocolate, the grapes from the red wine, and the plethora of different flavor notes that I experienced with the Diesel Esteli Puro was the best combination I could ask for.

I could also suggest pairing this gem with a coffee for your morning smoke session and a bourbon for an alternative evening smoke if you’re not in the mood for red wine.

When it comes to any cigar company that collaborates with the famous AJ Fernandez, I say go for it. A box of 20 that ranges from $149 to $167 depending on the size, you’re getting a great bang for your buck. Averaging from $7.45 to $8.50 per cigar, it’s worth adding them to your humidor in my opinion.

Although it’s a Nicaraguan puro, the most common blend on the market these days, I’d say the different tobaccos coming from various AJ farms in Esteli makes this a step above the rest of your average Nicaraguan Puros.

As I’ve stated before, if you’re looking for something new to smoke, from a familiar name and blend, then the Diesel Esteli Puro is the one for you.