Diamond Crown Maximus

Diamond Crown Maximus was released in 2005 to celebrate J.C. Newman Cigar Company's 110th anniversary, and it represents one of the more notable three-family collaborations in premium cigar history. Stanford Newman enlisted the Fuente family to handle production at Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic, and the Oliva family to grow a specially selected sun-grown wrapper from the El Bajo valley in Ecuador — a pristine region where centuries of mineral-rich runoff from the surrounding mountains has created exceptional soil for tobacco cultivation. The Fuentes use only the highest primings of the plant for the blend, and the tobacco is re-bulked and re-fermented by Carlos Fuente to achieve both the depth of flavor and the smooth delivery the line is known for. The result is a full-flavored, darker-profiled Dominican cigar that stands apart from the classic Connecticut shade Diamond Crown. The Stanford's 90th variation, released in 2006 to honor Stanford Newman on his 90th birthday, swaps the El Bajo wrapper for an 18-year-old West African Cameroon leaf — Stanford's personal favorite wrapper — making it one of the most sentimental and collectible releases in the Diamond Crown family.