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Mike’s Partagas Coronas Senior - Wed Aug 13th 3:55am To begin this review, I would like to draw to your attention a previous review of this particular Partagas expression from 2006, conducted by Havana Joe (AGO 05). HJ was largely unimpressed by this cigar and rated it as a 5/10 – "forgettable" according to his own scale. I will hereby declare a spoiler alert that my own mileage varied slightly more in favor of the cigar from his experience. The process of writing this has been exciting for me. I've been looking forward to taking the time to post a detailed second FOH cigar review and this one has indeed come with some surprises. Previously, I'd written the post as with the note: "Mind you, these PCS sticks are separated by nearly ten years of production. I'll assume plenty of room for change in all of that time." After requesting a bit of info, Rob and Alastair indicated that the box was coded AGO SEP 10. edit: After further discussion with Alastair, it's been determined that HJ's PCS was an August 2005 from an unspecified factory. Mine was from the AGO factory code, produced in September of 2010. This coincidence of codes brought me a little confusion! That leaves them with an approximately five year production gap. While his was a year old at the most, mine has about four years of age on it. A pleasant surprise, having not had this knowledge during the smoking experience! (Not my shoes – presumably Alastair's. Lookin' slick, though!) Some relevant replies from HJ's thread: Chuck's reply here intrigued me as I hadn't yet heard this perception of tubos. At first writing, this quote drew a parallel to their similar ages despite production years. It's now worth noting the difference of 3-4 years in age between mine and HJ's. In light of the information that Chuck shared here, we'll see where we stand with a stick that's just under a year from what he preferred the tubos aged to! Thought it appropriate to throw El Hefe's take on them (in the context of that time period). Without further ado, I shall proceed with my own account. Well, okay, a bit more ado. We will soon begin with your feature presentation. This review took place early in the morning, outside on the front porch, in the cool night air after a day of rain. At the time of lighting, weather's now totally still and comfortable. Once I'd revisited the thread about Robin Williams' unfortunate departure from our physical world, I decided to spend the morning (instead of sleeping) smoking a cigar and watching Good Will Hunting in his memory. Here's a quote from that thread which further outlines my thoughts of him in doing this review: Additionally, I armed myself with a tall dram of Glen Garioch 12yo and proceeded to revisit his talent. (The GG 12 very decent Highlands malt – follow this link to The Rum Howler's blog for a review.) As the header of the review suggests, I received the PCS A/T in a friendly pre-box-split bomb from Mike (mikek). This cigar was stored for three weeks after shipping in 63%. Thanks so much, Mike! Left my punch inside; I happily went with another of Rob’s “barbarian cuts” on this one. Satisfactory draw. Construction was average if slightly above. Color leans more towards Colorado Claro. No noticeable flaws, remarkable oils, or large midribs ("veins"). A comfortable sponginess with just a little resistance. Although I took no image of the foot, it seemed a well-balanced roll with a good-looking spiral to the filler. I think this should be a particularly fun read given my tasting notes and comments were made without the knowledge that I was smoking an aged cigar of four years! Quite funny in retrospect, but offers great insight into my surprise at some of the early complexity. Cold draw: Floral, slight pepper, but mostly bright floral tobacco on the nose and mouth. Opening: The most astounding, caught-me-off-guard opening I’ve yet experienced. First lit draw was pure green pepper – the first time I’ve ever tasted true green pepper in a cigar. It was unmistakable and such a surprising joy! First Third: A few more draws in and the pepper moved away to reveal some nutty, slightly sweet/salty tobacco. A bit of white pepper precedes the nut and salt finish. Perfect burn line. (Burn line shifts to near-perfect just as I fumble to take a photo. Blast!) A pull after a brief photo pause perplexes me… There's an initial wet hay very prevalent on the front. Then, very subtle nuttiness falls to the back and replaced by a very dark, slightly sweet wood – extremely earthy, perhaps the quintessential “wet earth” of a coniferous forest. Wow, this is a great cigar. Very pleased to say it’s the best Partagas I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a few great D4s (Rob’s HQ sampler, relatively young gifts from two members). /// This is an extremely complex, savory cigar. Approaching 75% to the end of first third after a little over ten minutes, burn has unevened just a touch but I have no concerns. (I've removed the "selfie" for anonymity and to improve tone.) Just a lovely spice here, a wood campfire coming through, and suddenly a distinct peanut butter note follows in between nose and mouth exhalation! (A favorite of mine.) Peanut butter and toasted tobacco continues, salt and sweet wet hay return to the finish. So smooth! Burning beautifully again, the peanut butter/tobacco/wood profile yields a subtle hint of gingerbread and just a little spice when let through the nose. Second third: Once more, the burn is no longer perfectly razor-sharp but still moving along beautifully; without any trouble. Sweet woody aroma compliments an extremely well balanced wood and earth profile. Slight white pepper. I keep thinking the word "clean". This is the perfect conifer forest themed profile right now, like going for a hike in a pristine stretch of the pine barrens a day after rain. (Okay, I'm getting carried away with how smooth it is, but I can't stress enough: clean. I've never had smoke that felt so cool that the predominant thought has been – "fresh, clear spring water".) Lovely. The ash falls after this third's ash photo, of course, landing on the edge of my computer. Thank heavens I bought this keyboard cover. We're halfway through the second third now. The third's been a captivating continuation of the last profile description, though extremely mellowed out. Definitely below medium at this time, whereas the first third was unquestionably full-on medium. In between cautious pulls are detections of slightly sweet, woody toasted tobacco notes with salty nuts returning unassumingly to the finish. No new flavor-play is detected after these changes for a good few millimeters – I sense that the dynamic phase of this cigar has waned. As is usually the case when I feel so compelled by a cigar as to write a review, I haven’t touched my dram since cold draw except to enjoy its aroma in compliment to the time between draws. Intermittent teases of chestnut, holly, sweet wood. Wet earth seems to be phasing out. Very slight peanut mixed with rosewood, salty back. Next draw, slight white pepper returns. A touch of drier hay has also returned. These minor flavor appearances drive forward what has become a mellow, singular and still very enjoyable second third. Back to the movie until a drastic change comes! I will take a sip of the dram first and report on that. It's a very curious and pleasant pairing. The peat cuts through this profile quite well. (How will this megalomaniacal incarnation of Matt Damon reclaim the love that he has so cowardly casted away?) End of second third yields little discernible change from the mellowed forest, but a just a little hint of mint on the aftertaste. This could be some interaction with the scotch. Final third: Still light and on the medium side, though smoke intensity picked up a bit. Hotter than second third. The flavors are now much less distinct. I wouldn’t call it “muddy”, more like "thick", like trying to muddle through an unfiltered and peppery molasses. The cigar still suffices to impress by becoming very back-palate salty now. Slight white pepper spice and just a touch of sweet, wet earth and tobacco. Through multiple draws, these hints begin take a rest. Variations on tobacco are dominating now. At this time I'm unabashedly leaning on the scotch for some variation. I go about this way and enjoy the excellent performances and writing of the movie for a few millimeters. An "end-of-final-third leather" and strong tobacco are starting to mark the onset of this cigar's epilogue. A little spinach winks and disappears into the memory of a single draw. (Another favorite flavor of mine. Olive oil sautéed spinach as it's always been to me – I've yet to taste fresh spinach.) After a handful more generous draws, just a slight notion of nutmeg. I believe that’s brought on by some residual malt of the scotch. With an inch left, the cigar is no longer extremely exciting. In fact, it's not very exciting at all, except for some overextended reminiscent draws of previous flavors in the stick. These bring more sympathy than enjoyment. I've decided against venturing into the posterior in favor of tossing it to focus on the end of this wonderful movie. Ratings (TL;DR ) I've conducted these ratings after formatting and editing the notes. They include my opinion of the cigar as an aged roll (less than a month shy of 4 years). Smoke and Texture: Started with a confident medium but lost its balance and luster. At its best, this was the coolest, cleanest cigar smoke I've ever experienced. If only it could have sustained such excellence. Similarly, the aromas were highly pleasant and very true to the tongue at their best. 4/5 Flavor(s): Although I would have enjoyed some more consistency and character to the nut flavors present, this cigar boasted one of the most enjoyable and unique flavors profiles I've tasted or even read about. That such profile persisted for quite some time and contained notable variation. About half of this stick's flavor was totally outstanding and the second half slowly dwindled. Points off for disappointment. 4.25/5 Construction and Burn: This cigar had character and presented not a single ill in construction nor burn. The ash was aesthetically pleasing, light gray, and held for approximately an inch and a half at a time. 3.75/5 In the end, I'm calling it a 90 point cigar. I sincerely wish it could have carried on at its most superb and nevertheless might look hopefully to its future in just a couple of years. When one considers the quite considerable improvement from the 2005, with just a few years on thrown on top, there seems to be great measure for desirable results in the aging of this particular 2010 PCS. If this would have terminated in a nub, it'd be up around the mid-90s. I'm happy to say that after this, I can finally admit to having reached some legitimate Partagas splendor. That's something I can't say I've gleaned from the Party Shorts or D4s yet, contrary to many enthusiastic reports from our other members. Again, I thank Mike for his generosity in providing the stick. Thank you, friends, for reading. Take and give care! Finally, let this effort culminate in my wishes for eternal peace to Robin Williams. It is particularly the great gifts of life that are so fleeting.