Partagas Serie D No 4 MSA NOV 17

[Deeg]

Rested for 5 days, dry boxed for 1 day

 

Pairing: Joseph Magnus Bourbon Batch #27 (as I suspected when I first tried it, this whiskey is an excellent cigar pairing - it has enough sweetness and complexity to complement the cigar, and some tobacco notes of its own), and a cup of coffee with light cream and sugar.

Pre-light aroma: heavy milk chocolate, cinnamon

Pre-light draw: cedar, cinnamon, nutmeg

 

First 1/3: Immediate cedar and salt.  Leather, baking spice, cream.

Second 1/3: Consistent, with more woody notes (oak) joining the cedar.  Cocoa, espresso, cinnamon, soft earthiness.

Final 1/3: A bit of pepper, salt, a citrus tang develops for about 5 minutes.  Closer to the nub strong fresh-baked biscuit, a hint of barnyard earthiness, leather, general "darker" flavor notes, cardamon. 

 

 

Burn: cool throughout.  A couple of touch-ups to even it out, but no relights necessary.  Slow and even.  

Draw: Close to perfect, slightly on the tight side of dead-center.

Total smoke time: about 80 minutes

 

 

Notes: Yep, this is pretty much what I remember the PSD4 to be like (haven't had one in a few years). A classic all-arounder Cuban profile - leather, earth, cedar, chocolate, coffee, light barnyard tang.  No young or acrid notes, no heavy vegetal or green flavors present. Consistently medium-bodied from start to finish, medium-full flavor profile, mild nicotine rush.  Construction was solid - only occasional touch-ups needed.  Roll and pack was tight here - no soft spots developed, even in the final third.  Telltale crystals of oil shine on the wrapper from the midpoint on.  In terms of flavor, consistency is front and center.  It develops for sure, but this is a train journey, not a roller-coaster - the flavors gently transition over the course of the cigar, with no sudden or dramatic shifts.  Most consistent start to finish was cedar and wood, with chocolate and coffee more prevalent in the final 40 minutes than the first.

 

Considering this was less than a week OTT, I'm quite impressed with the burn - construction is excellent. And considering the age, not overly young or at all green - these cigars are really good now, though I suspect the darker and heavier flavor notes will intensify with some more box time. 

[Raskol]

Nice pictures & good review. Thank you.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Deeg]

2 minutes ago, Raskol said:

Nice pictures & good review. Thank you.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
 

Thanks!  I haven't bought for a good few years, and I was very pleased with the initial impressions - very uniform and lovely wrappers, construction appears really good.  No sign of any underfilled sticks no soft spots or significant imperfections.

[TheMonk]

Very nice first review, keep it up!

[Deeg]

9 hours ago, TheMonk said:

Very nice first review, keep it up!

Obrigado! I used to be a regular with Habanos about haven’t bought in a few years (ironically, after I moved to from the States to Japan). Tough to tell from a couple of photos I know, but what approximate grade would you give these visually?