Partagas Maduro no1 TUE ABR 20* (12DCRC)

[karp]

I paired this holiday treat along with a tasty lager from a local brewery. Wrapper is a rich brown, of course maduro with a rough texture and no oiliness apparent. In my opinion this cigar was underweight - it felt very light and insignificant in the hand. Partagas seem to be squishier than some other Marcas, but the lightness here was very noticeable for a cigar this size. I used a punch and the draw was way too loose. Unfortunately it stayed loose throughout the smoke. Ah well.

First third, was surprisingly light. I thought the maduro would be rich and strong, but not so. The burn tunnelled during the first inch but then was corrected and fine from that point on. Flavour starts with cocoa, with some hints of raisins. Chocolate covered raisins. Not bad! Some vanilla crept in which was also surprising. Second third developed some mild coffee, more cocoa, then nutmeg, and maybe touch of light pepper. No more raisins but some sweetness emerged at halfway. Last third, maintained the core flavours of chocolate and spices, and Partagas sourdough flavour finally came in late to the party. The vanilla stayed on the retro which was nice. The end reminded me of the E2 with chestnut-nutmeg flavours that I have noticed in those.

Overall time was about an hour - very surprised - I thought this would go for 1.5 hours at least. This cigar was full of surprises, both good and bad, so I give it a score of 3 from a 5 point scale. Being a big fan of the D4 and E2,  and having a Lusi recently, I thought this cigar was a bit disappointing for Partagas. Several construction issues and underfilled in my opinion. I would take an E2 over this vitola anytime, and luckily I have a box just for this purpose!

 

Cheers!