Partagas Maduro No. 1 TUE ABR 20 12DCRC

[saltbox]

As with all my other sampler cigars, this has been stored at 62RH using Boveda packs, and has been resting for a bit under 2 months now since receiving it. Cold draw was a bit too loose for my liking, but a welcome change from the super plugged Rio de Seco I had last night.

First third: Opens with some spiced cream and a touch of chocolate pudding and a blast of pepper on the palate and retrohale reminiscent of many Nicaraguan cigars. After the initial blast of pepper, the cigar settles into chocolate pudding and white bread. It really just tastes like someone took a cup of Jello chocolate pudding and spread it between two slices of untoasted Wonder Bread.

Middle third: More of the same. There's some peppery spice on the palate but it doesn't quite cross into being harsh; the spice is a bit uncharacteristic of the Cubans I've had and, again, reminds me of many non-Cubans, though I imagine the spice will fade with some age. Towards the end the chocolate notes become a touch darker, and there are some almost imperceptible bitter notes on the finish.

Last third: Chocolate returns to the milky chocolate pudding notes from before but the bread notes become a bit less prominent and there's a slightly tannic, almost cedar-like characteristic to the bread. The light sweetness that's been present throughout takes on a bit of a caramel note through to the end.

Overall: One dimensional but tasty. I can see why maduro Cubans are somewhat controversial. It was a pleasant smoke but it definitely downplayed the unique characteristics of Cuban tobacco, and if you closed your eyes and imagined less cream and more nuttiness you could almost imagine you were smoking a non-Cuban, particularly one of the many maduro Nicaraguan puros out there. 90/100

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on 1.) how these age (granted they were only released in 2015) and 2.) how these compare to the Cohiba maduros I've been eyeing (and failed to snag in today's 24:24).