Partagas de Partagas No. 1

[mm12]

I dug into the back of the cabinet this afternoon to pull out a few smokes I haven't tried in a while. Among them was this Partagas de Partagas No. 1.

The aroma from the box was very rich. A combination of chocolate and rubber. The wrappers on these are Colorado Maduro and still have quite a bit of oil on them. Construction is perfect, and the draw at cold has a mild dry hay flavor.

Open: Medium bodied. Cream, earth, chocolate, and just a hint of black licorice in the background. No spice at all on the palate or through the nose.

1/3: Still Medium. As I get into the first third, the flavor profile develops into cream and malted chocolate. The are occasional hints of spice in the background. A few vegetal notes show through occasionally. Very subtle and very classy.

2/3: The creaminess and chocolate begin to fade a bit, and some vanilla notes begin to emerge. Some very distinct raisin flavors come in about halfway through. Soon after, the spice shows up and it builds very quickly. Body is now up to medium full. Toward the end of the third, I have a flavor profile of very spicy Christmas cake. Almost like a Ramon Allones, but much more spicy.

3/3: As I begin the final third, I'm greeted by a lot of white pepper which quickly morphs into cayenne. After a little bit, smoked paprika starts to really come through. The aroma of the smoke was amazing. Like I opened a jar of smoked paprika and held it up to my nose. Some light cream and chocolate flavors are present in the background. With about 1.5 inches left, honey begins to emerge, and the cigar ends with a flavor of very heavily spiced honey.

This was a truly great cigar. It started very subtle and classy and managed to make its way up to full-on mongrel Partagas. The final third of this cigar literally brought tears to my eyes. Not something I was expecting after such a subtle and delicate start. I give this one a 94.

[Colt45]

I'm a good way through an '03 box myself, and really enjoy these as well.

Thanks for the review.

[CBL]

Love this cigar. Had a couple from '05 (I think) and was surprised at how strong they become in the end. But like your review, I found the first half to be deliciously smooth