Don Diego cigars aren't a brand that I would normally smoke.  They're known to be mild to medium in body, and I tend to gravitate toward the fuller smokes.  But when one of my most trusted tobacconists recommends a cigar to me, even though she knows my tastes as well as I do -- well, I take notice.  So I tried one.

Don Diego Reserve is a line extension that is meant to be more full-bodied than the traditional Don Diego line.  These Reserve sticks feature a dose of Brazilian Mata Fina filler which is meant to "kick it up a notch," so to speak.  These Dominican beauties come in both a natural Conneticut broadleaf wrapper and an Ecuadorian broadleaf maduro.  I chose the maduro because, well, it looked so beautiful that I couldn't resist it.

Taking the stick out of its protective cellophane I saw that it was a strongly square-pressed torpedo of impeccable construction.  With its sharp, severe corners the band appeared to be nearly creased.  The dark, rosy brown wrapper was oily and featured the most lovely, silky sheen.  The cigar also had an unusually neat, precise cap and a perfect torpedo construction -- I almost hated to clip it, it was so beautiful.  Overall the appearance was quite impressive.  The stick had a medium feel in my hand, but was slightly squishy (but not objectionably so).  The unlit cigar had a nice, ripe tobacco smell.

The lightup was soft and supple, but to some extent, flavorful.  Draw was fine, perhaps slightly firm.  My first impression was of a mild, cedary-cocoa cigar that had already developed the sweetness of its post-light flavor.  My wife remarked that the Don Diego was particularly aromatic -- like buttery popcorn, she said.

At this point I would have described it as mild to medium in body, with a very nice flavor profile, warm and tasty.  The buttery aromas continued to hold my wife's attention.  For me, though, it may have been too mild, even closed, but enjoyable nevertheless.

At 15 minutes the stick was burning nicely, and had become surprisingly enjoyable for a milder cigar.  There was not much finish, but the flavor was sweet, with notes of cocoa and light cedar.  This Don Diego Reserve was a balanced and elegant smoke.

At 25 minutes it began to change.  Medium-bodied now, the cigar had a very enjoyable cocoa character, while cedar dominated the finish.  Five minutes later I removed an inch and a half of light gray ash.

Cedar dominated the flavor profile at 35 minutes, and the body was much fuller now -- enough to satisfy.  Smooth, salty and cedary.  And it was burning almost perfectly evenly.

But alas! at 45 minutes the saltiness had moved into the foreground and was beginning to become distracting, spoiling what had been a very nice balance and complexity.  There was still some cedar on the finish.

At 55 minutes I removed 1-3/8" of ash.  The saltiness may have been diminishing, but was still dominant.  By the 65 minute point the cigar had become more enjoyable again, but the previous elegance was gone; the balance, still torn asunder.  At this point the cedary finish was saving the cigar from my disappointment at its slightly unpleasant flavor.

At an hour and fifteen minutes the smoke had become fuller, and somewhat enjoyable again.  The nice finish had recovered a bit of its former cocoa character.

At an hour and a half I removed a final inch and a half of ash; the stick was getting hot but I was enjoying the cocoa finish.  Five minutes later I gave the cigar up.  The two inch stub was getting quite hot.  It had burned absolutely perfectly the entire time.

At $7.99 the Don Diego Reserve Belicoso Maduro was an expensive stick.  Half the time this cigar was out of balance.  But its appearance was exceptional, its construction excellent, and it provided a very enjoyable aroma for my wife.  Therefore I would be comfortable to say that this cigar is mildly recommended.