Partagas Série D No. 6 Petit Robusto ARG May 2015 (PRRRW)

[Rega25]

I just joined FOH this month learning a lot from everyone on here and finally opened this box and got to try a D6 after patiently waiting 4 years. I’m learning about dry boxing finally but didn’t have time on this one. Instead I took Rob’s advice and popped it in the fridge after cutting for 2 hrs prior to ignition. It seemed to work pretty well. The filler made a slight crackle sound when rolled in hand and the band was moveable.

This Marca seemed light and underfilled but construction was nice.  The wrapper had a nice medium brown color with oily sheen with leaf veins visible.  Wrapper smelled light, floral and sweet. The foot smelled like raisins and tobacco. Cold draw had notes of sweet fruit like apricots and tobacco mixed.

First third had leather, pepper, wood, acidity like a dark berry and a creaminess with abundant smoke. I tried to smoke it slowly to avoid ruining the flavors and had to relight . Burn was slightly uneven but manageable.  Medium gray ash fell off easily and it reminded me of a Short with an extra dimension of creaminess and flavor. Medium body

2nd third had pepper, cedar/wood, creaminess was toning down but it started to burn and smoke better. Citrus, acidic notes and retrohale is still smooth.

Final third had the creaminess leaving with strong salt and pepper blast with that signature Partagas flavor alongside that Cuban twang.  Strong acidic berry flavor, toasted bread notes and retrohale still smooth. 

I paired it with a tangy radler that really worked with the acidic flavors or the d6 and coconut water is my new go to for non alcoholic pairing. The oil in the water gives a great compliment to the smoke and texture of CC for me. 

Final rating for me is an 89 for Partagas brand (comparing within brand) and 87 compared to similar sized competitors like Upmann half Coronas. 1hr burn time. Thanks to everyone on here for all the knowledge and looking forward to sharing future reviews on here with y’all. Happy smoking!