Partagas Serie D No 4 MSA NOV 17 (PRRRW)

[Deeg]

Third from a recent box purchase.  Stored at 65% RH, dryboxed for 2 days.

Music: Buena Vista Social Club

Pairing: strong coffee w/cream, followed by a 1998 Wild Turkey 8/101

Pre-light was the usual, cocoa/chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, a bit of sweet hay.  Unfortunately this was the first one from the box that may have shown its youth a little - burn was uneven, especially in the 2nd half, and required several touch-ups, and burn got a little hot late in the game.

First third: Very standard SD4 - cedar, light leather, a bit of pepper as the cigar got rolling.  Straight down the middle fastball, in usual PSD4 fashion.

Second third: Slow build in strength. More leather, some twang, and an excellent spice box component - old, dusty brown spices with a very "old world" character to them.  Still on-target.

Final third: This is where things started to get a little young.  A bit of mongrel (my first from this box), uneven burn.  More spice and pepper, body built to medium-full and more of a nic kick than the first two samples I smoked.  Toasted bread and various woods (Mizunara oak primarily) were present, but fighting with a bit of harshness and heat.

Overall: I'd go about 88 with this one, thanks largely to the rough edges in the closing stages.  First two from this box were in the 90-92 range.  Definitely worked better with the Turkey than the coffee - I love coffee with cigars, but this one didn't have the sweetness to make that pairing sing.  This WT is a very oaky, spicy beast, and meshed with the flavors of the cigar more smoothly.

[TheMonk]

Good review, nice pics!