Partagas Shorts BMS JUL 14 (XNYRW4)

[bishop532]

I have a handful of Partagas Shorts from 2014 left, and they have been smoking very well lately. I decided to smoke one yesterday afternoon. This is from a cab, so it’s edges are rounded not box pressed like the ones I have from a dress box. The color on the wrapper is fairly light, maybe a step or two up from claro, and also a bit toothy. The aroma at cold is woody, spicy, and a little musty (in a pleasant way, like an old house or old store). Wrapper seems fairly dry compared to the others from this bunch. Lastly, there are a couple small dark spots in the band which I suppose could be mold. No mold issues in the rest of this bunch so far, but I decided to give the cigar a much closer inspection than normal. Nothing negative to report.

The beginning of this smoke is a little strange. Right off the bat there is a sour note that I don’t really enjoy much, but it transforms after a few puffs, becoming more like sourdough bread. There are also leather and cedar notes lurking in the wings. Some spices are present on the retrohale, but it’s not peppery in any way. 

The second half was a bit spicier, but again no real bite at all. These cigars have aged into a very smooth, tasty smoke. There’s a lot of earthy and tannic flavors too now, and more leather. 

The construction on this guy was pretty solid. Burn was fairly even and the ash was fine, holding on for an inch or so each time.

Overall this was a good smoke, but compared to the others in this cab it was not quite at the same level. There were a few moments where the cigar went flat, plus that sour note at the beginning. Still a very enjoyable cigar, though. Even the underperforming smokes in this bunch have been pretty good. In my experience, 2014 seems to have been a great year for Cuban cigars all around. 

Total Smoking Time: 45 minutes 

Score: 90/100

 

[Silverstix]

I have a few left from a 2013 box - I just smoked one on Christmas and it was terrific, they've all been really good.  Not sure how high I could rate a minuto, but whatever it is, mine was that good.  

[bishop532]

8 hours ago, Silverstix said:

I have a few left from a 2013 box - I just smoked one on Christmas and it was terrific, they've all been really good.  Not sure how high I could rate a minuto, but whatever it is, mine was that good.  

I say if it’s a terrific smoke, rate it highly. Shorts really seem to age well. This was far and away the worst of the ones I’ve smoked recently out of this 7 year old box, and it was pretty damn good.