Partagas E2 RAU MAY 17 (SM2RW)

[slowsmoke]

This comes from the great tubo day back in May.  I’ve become a fan of the recent UAO 5 packs, and was quite excited to get these with a couple years on them.  But so far they’ve ranged from average to good, at best.

Paired with a Prairie Ales “Vape Tricks” Sour Ale Aged on Cherries, which admittedly is an odd pairing for just about any cigar, but man is it a good drink.  Every single thing I’ve ever tried from Prairie has been excellent.

The wrapper is nice, with a slight sheen.  Smells of a faint sweetness.  The cold draw is a great gingerbread, but the draw itself is too light.  I hate a tight draw, but this almost always spells disaster.

First puffs are generic dry wood, a little sour.  The first third brings mild toasted sourdough, alternating with a bitter woodiness.  Nice cuban tobacco finish.  Overall quite nice.

Halfway, this thing is barely medium bodied, generic tobacco, and not at all what I expect from an E2.  It dies, I ash, and I see the start of the tunneling.  I relight and give it another go, but it is spongy and getting hot, so I decide to pitch it as the final third begins.

I could have finished it, and I still would have rated it a decent cigar, but knowing how good these can be, it just wasn’t worth it.  Now, what to choose next for the review weekend… ?