Partagas Presidentes (2017/18) 12DCRC

[mt1]

As some of you may have read in Rob's top 10 of 2018 thread, the Presidentes seem to have made a come back.  From what, I wouldn't know as I've not had them until this year, but whatever it used to be can disappear into history because what we have now is sublime.  I've been really attached to the Presidentes lately and unfortunately I didn't get to take too many pictures of this cigar, I was too busy enjoying it.

I'm a huge fan of the V-cut and my favorite is probably v-cutting these double figurados.  The notch is awesome, I find it aesthetically pleasing and fun.  But that's just part of the appeal of the Presidentes.  I absolutely love the shape, it reminds me of what cigars are drawn like in cartoons and the feel in the hand has something special to it.  Maybe it's just because it's different, but the entire taper of the cigar brings me a lot of joy.

I love how when you start this cigar, it's very faint puffs of flavor.  As you smoke it down to about the point in the picture below, that's when you've progressed to the full flavors.  Everything before that is a tease, a sort of cigar foreplay that makes the sweet spot of this cigar even more enjoyable.

Flavor-wise, I am not as well-versed as some of our friends here but the Presidentes is an intensified and concentrated Partagas to me.  The flavors are toast, roasted nuts, and some slight pepper spice that I actually don't mind in this cigar, maybe because the start is so light.  As you progress down to the sweet spot pictured above, the spice grows a bit but is accompanied by very intense roasted nuts while the smoke itself has a sort of creamy texture to it.

I don't get much wood flavors from this cigar, I find the taste pretty consistent and just varying in intensity.  I like that the widest part is at the start, and the cigar noticeably becomes smoother and softer as you finish it (I assume because it tapers down).  I kind of wish they made these larger but I guess that would ruin the flavor profile.

Overall, this is an excellent excellent cigar, easily a top 10 for me.  It's got all those great flavors of toast and nuts, in a package that is very pleasing and complementary to the flavor profile.  If I had to carry around a cigar to chew on but not smoke or just to hold, this would be the one (though I would probably not be able to resist and would smoke it right away).

I've got my eyes on this cigar going forward and am hoping to pick up a few boxes over the next few months when Rob puts them up.