Partagas Short: Circa: 1998: Throwback Review Weekend

[Guest Nekhyludov]

I've mentioned before that Party Shorts were my go-to cigars in the late 90s. I was a broke college kid at the time, and back then I could pick up a box of Shorts for, I think, $97USD. I used to split a box with my friend Jason and I'd be out of pocket less than fifty bucks. That was one hell of a luxury in those days. Unfortunately, it was the very same Party Short that led me to completely give up on CCs in favor of NCs by 2002. I just got tired of 5 sticks out of every box being plugged, another 5 being bland, then trying to research and chase box codes. So I became a Padron fanatic and a Graycliff fiend for the next 15 years.

Last May, I picked up some singles from the INT store and decided to revisit my old friend. It was not a happy reunion ...

Luckily, thanks to a great BOTL here, I picked one up in a trade, this time with some 10 years of age on it. 

At its age, this cigar isn't much to look at. The wrapper is a medium colorado, with a bit of tooth. It appears dry, and the wrapper bunches up around the veins. But it lights well, and has a perfect, slightly loose draw. Lots of smoke and a tidy, gray, stack-of-dimes ash. Right away, the flavor is deeply leathery with a distinct green bell pepper sweetness. 

In the second third, the bell pepper disappears and the profile becomes primarily woody, with a rich hickory flavor. Some tarry sweetness starts to build in the second half as well. The burn becomes a little uneven and requires a touchup, but nothing too significant. 

Nearing the last inch, the flavors become a bit muddled as the heat picks up. But even at this point, it retains the depth and character of well-aged, high quality tobacco. 

All in all, this was a much better experience than my last Short. My palate has changed enough since 1998 that this no longer quite rings my bell the way it once did, but it does call to mind why I liked them so much back then.