For years, Eladio Diaz commemorated his own birthdays by releasing special cigar blends through Davidoff, who was his employer seemingly forever. Since leaving the mothership, he founded his own company and released a blend to celebrate his 70th trip around the sun. The Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario is made by the Diaz Cabrera Factory in the Dominican Republic. It features Dominican fillers, a Mexican binder, and an Ecuadorian wrapper. It arrived at retailers in 2023 in a single Churchill Extra size and in limited quantities.
The wrapper leaf had notes of earth and cedar, along with a touch of yeastiness. Firing up the 79 Aniversario brought tons of Dominican bread notes, along with lesser notes of earth and hay. The finish and retrohale had sharp pepper blasts that faded quickly. I paired the cigar with some McClelland Islay Scotch, a mildly peated pour that doesn’t stomp all over cigars like some Islays do.
Midway through the first third of the cigar, I got spikes of sweetness and that slightly mushroomy flavor that I have come to love so much in the tobaccos that Diaz has used for years. It proceeded to be delightfully complex while maintaining a medium body. Definitely box-worthy and a real bargain at probably 40% of what his old company would charge for this blend and size.
