Partagas Salomones

[noreaster]

Hi everyone, 1st post here. What is the deal with the Salamones as my patience with these is rapidly coming to a close.Im a big Partagas fan,(love the Lusis and Shorts, p2s and SDuCs especially) so when the Salamones were introduced in 08 as regular production,i naturally stocked up in anticipation of these being phenominal. But after smoking maybe 4 boxes( which i know may not be indicative of anything),ive come to the conclusion that they arent worth it.All of mine are the same batch-TEB AGO 08,and are from a trusted source( no not the CZAR, i didnt know of them at the time),and they all seem to have solid construction with no hard spots and nice dark oily wrappers and a wonderful box aroma. But i cant seem to have any of them burn correctly as well as them having a very harsh and grassy taste.Is it possible they are still "sick"? wouldnt think so after 2 yrs in my humidor at 65%.Do any of you cut some of the foot off before smoking as ive found this sometimes help? Are the Cuaba Salamones better? After all the positive stuff ive read about these, i just dont see it. any thoughts?????????

[PigFish]

This size cigar is not really my bag. As a result, I have only smoked two of them, making you a far greater expert than I am here. What prompted my reply is the description of the cigars taste. If I disregard your comments about the RH of your humidor I would say that they are over humidified if not just crappy cigars. Unless you are using a certified hygrometer, or are sure that other cigars out of the same humidor express a little crackle when rolled in your fingers I would say that humidity might be the problem here. For the record I have not enjoyed the samples that I have tried but I can't describe the tastes as I don't waste the brain space on mediocre cigars. I just recall that I would never buy a box of them!

I don't believe in vacuum periods (sick periods) so I don't consider that a factor. Best of luck and welcome to the board. -Piggy

[dochowl]

I'm slowly working my way through a box of OPM JUL 09 Salomones that have been quite good. Burn has been spot on. First one I had was in my top 5 of the year. Second and third have been very good, although not as good as the first.

[bombaybill]

First post here too. I have two boxes with exactly the same box code. Complete duds, no aroma...dead. Smoked 3 from each box. What a waste. Purchased from swiss retailer before I knew of Czar & Czarina L. I'll leave them in the humidor or give them away, see what happens...

[Ken Gargett]

if a salamones is not rolled by the very best then a waste of time. i've had one decent cuaba salamones, thank you elie, so don't bother if you think that these will change your mind.

[JoshMP]

I've only heard good things about this cigar and the few I've tried have tasted great but had dodgy burn (not something that bothers me, if it tastes good then it doesn't need to burn perfect imo).

Perhaps whichever harvest that particular code was rolled from was poor quality?

[anacostiakat]

I have smoked through a JUL09 box recently and thought they were very good. No burn issues other than they all seem a little tight until you progress past the nipple on startup.

I am pleased with these and will get more when possible. Good flavor although youngish. Good potential IMHO.

[cigaraholic]

When these were first released of course I wanted some but the price was ridiculously high. After the video review here the price dropped in half so I got a couple of boxes. Same code as they reviewed LRE MAR09.

I haven't tried one yet but believe these cigars are really meant to be aged to show their stuff.

I'd like to know how much $$ the guys want for a bad review so I can afford more cigars!

[bassman]

I bought a box when first released. No burn or construction issues at all, but a bland & boring cigar. Certainly nothing there to inspire me to buy any more.

[josie67]

These have been a complete waste of time...very bland and boring as well for me.

[habanohal]

I find that %90 of all cigars in the "bigger" catagory are bland. Now if the Partagas Salamone tasted anything in flavor like the shorts, I would be pleased

[El Presidente]

When these were first released of course I wanted some but the price was ridiculously high. After the video review here the price dropped in half so I got a couple of boxes. Same code as they reviewed LRE MAR09.

I haven't tried one yet but believe these cigars are really meant to be aged to show their stuff.

I'd like to know how much $$ the guys want for a bad review so I can afford more cigars!

I don't think we have reached the stage that a poor vid review can "Move the market" !LOL!

This cigar is on our list to re-review. Personally i know that if I had a choice of Salomones 10's or Lusitania 10's I would not even consider the Salomones.

[CanuckSARTech]

I don't believe in vacuum periods (sick periods) so I don't consider that a factor. Best of luck and welcome to the board. -Piggy

That's probably not a factor here, but it's definitely something that can be an issue.

I have a couple of boxes of the new Trinidad Robusto T's. Beautiful cigars - March 2010 "GLP" box code. Got these in June, and I smoked two within the initial two weeks that I got these (smoked June 19th, and July 3rd). Amazing - lots of honey, some toasted spices, fresh & mellow with a light-to-medium body, and very floral overtones. Very refreshing. These will no doubt turn out to be excellent.

But I was just going through my cabinet a day or two ago, and inspecting my wares, and when I opened both boxes, I got a faint but very present sickly ammonia smell, with almost a very slight skunk-like smell, both of which weren't present before.

I have no doubt that this will clear up within the next 6 to 9 months, and then they'll progress for smoking from there.

[edameff]

Without knowing it you may have opened up a veritable can of worms. I have read many opinions on this "sick period" and most people tend to have strong feelings one way or another. I tend to go a little nuts when I get into something, and cigars have been no exception. I have read every book I can get my hands on, with MRN book being (in my opinion) the absolute best resource available (of course Trevor's site it the best up to date listing there is). I feverishly collect Cuban cigars, and in doing so I believe the "sick period" is very real. All you have to do is smell a cigar rolled about 1-2 months old, and the ammonia is clear. Now the BIG question is how long does it last, and what about the different stages after this. It makes sense to me that the larger the cigar (and therefore more tobacco) the longer it takes to pass the sick period. The other factor is that a Salomone vitola, has very little surface area on the foot, which is where most of the ammonia release will take place, therefore a Salomone may by its very shape have an extremely long sick period. Cutting the foot and allowing it to breath will most likely speed the process up, but it may not mature as well as if you are patient and willing to let them sit and age. MRN refers to aging in not months, but years and even decades (although few of us have that type of patients). The oldest cigar I have ever smoked was a 1964 Montecristo, and let me assure you that the taste was something that no other young cigar has even approached. Again, this is only my opinion which was constructed through a mixture of hands on experience and dedicated reading on this subject, it is not an exact science and that is one of the most beautiful aspects of our wondrous hobby!

[CanuckSARTech]

That's two for Team Sick!

[PigFish]

I am not going to argue sick periods. It is a waste of time, it is speculative at best on either side of the argument and since a cigar can be smoked only once and is typically smoked by one person there is no objective way of proving it, or for that matter, disproving it. It is therefore a belief. I call it a scapegoat! But that is just me!

I posted again regarding ammonia. Ammonia is the result of improperly fermented tobacco. While cigars do sometimes smell of it, it is not intentional or necessary that a box of finished (rolled) cigars, at some point all smell of ammonia. Implying that "the ammonia smell" verifies, or validates the sick period theory; while it may be linked to 'sick tasting' cigars, does not evidence the theory.

JMHO. -Piggy

1 x against the sick period theory. -LOL

[cigaraholic]

Rob, never underestimate the power of the dark side.

[CanuckSARTech]

I am not going to argue sick periods. It is a waste of time, it is speculative at best on either side of the argument and since a cigar can be smoked only once and is typically smoked by one person there is no objective way of proving it, or for that matter, disproving it. It is therefore a belief. I call it a scapegoat! But that is just me!

Ahhhh, we're just poking at ya, Piggy!

1 x against the sick period theory. -LOL

Why I outta.........!!!!!!!!!!!