Partagas Serie D No. 4 TPO NOV 17 (PTGSRW)

[saltbox]

One of my early 24:24 purchases, as I wanted to get a jump start on aging some Cubans. Rested at 62% for 3.5 months, just over 3 years of box age. This is my second PSD4, after a disappointing first from an ABO OCT 19 box which hasn't lived up to the many Shorts and handful of Lusitanias I've had.

First third: Opens with a nice creamy sourdough bread and distinct leather on the retrohale. Peppery spice and paprika appear as a melange of spices that's more earth and spice than what I've had in Shorts and Lusitanias. A touch of black licorice appears here and there as the cigar becomes a bit earthier, with notes of cedar and coffee grounds.

Middle third: Creamy earth, coffee, and spice, with a nice sweet cream on the finish. There are still some interesting distinct notes of leather on the retrohale. The spice mix calms down and turns into baking spices.

Last third: Nice toasted sourdough bread and coffee. The cream fades a bit to the background as a nice creamy sweetness on the finish, and there are intermittent notes of black licorice here and there until the end.

Overall: Tasty and complex, better than my previous PSD4 by a wide margin and more complex than Shorts. 89/100