Partagas 898 RAE JUN 15 SM2RW

[Wailbait]

I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist.  But I have one that I hang onto.  Namely that Partagas changed the 898 blend post 2015 to a milder one.  Recent 898s from both 17 and 18 have been enjoyable out of the gate.  Such was never the case with the 898 of the past.  I have two boxes from 08 and 09 and just a couple left from this 15 box.  And they have one thing in common: strength.  My 09s are just becoming ready and I was curious about how this 2015 one was.  

It’s just such a darn pretty cigar.  Perfect in every way.  Nice weight and hue.  Good fill.  Balanced draw.  
 

First half.  My buddy Dileep said it best: “This is the night train to Cleveland!”  Hoo boy.  This one is strong.  It’s way way stronger out the gate than I recalled.  It’s not unpleasant or unbalanced but it hits you like a train.  The only negative for me is that while it has all the strength and construction one dreams of, it lacks complexity.  Didn’t have the fruit, didn’t have the spice.  But wait....

The second half.   Everything comes into focus.  Interestingly, it got less strong.  Perhaps more flavors were disclosed so the strength took a backseat.  Increased cream.  Great nutmeg and cinnamon notes.  It really turned into a 93 point cigar.   At this point, I ditched the martini and we made a nice split manhattan (amer picon/dolin vermouth split) that sort of resembled a Little Italy.  Much better match.  Overall impressive.  Still needs 5 more years.