Partagas De Partagas No 1 CUE OCT 03

[shrink]

Excellent and persuasive review, El Presidente. Send me a box and I'll take the Pepsi challenge. These will get an unflinching and disciplined comparison with the best lonsdales and dalias that Partagas has to offer. We will see, Rob... we will see.

[stever]

Great review Rob. Never had one, but it sounds like I'll need to change that.

[tigger]

Hmmm. Might have to try some of these. It's been awhile.

And I can't read a list of Cervantes without putting in a word for the soon to be departed RG Lonsdales. :-)

[Bolivariano]

I was given one of these, can't wait to try it!

Will post my impressions.

[mulberry]

very good review of a very good cigar, just finished my last one from '01 and them seem to get stronger, another good smoke soon to be gone

[Miami101]

Very good review I look forward to picking up a box.

[shrink]

Just a follow-up on these as they continue to acclimate in the humi:

Today's example followed an '02 Hoyo des Dieux and an '04 Cohiba Robusto, all smoked in one afternoon. The Partagas was easily the best of the bunch, although it remains on the mild side of medium bodied. I found the flavor profile to be distinct from the classic Partagas lonsdale or dalia, with a distinct cocoa and coffee mocha note, sweet toasty woody core, with wisps of white pepper and light citrus. It had a finish like a chocolate malted milk. At times it reminded me of the "paprika" spiciness of an aged Diplomatico No. 1 or 3, and towards the middle, it brought to mind the freshly baked spice cake goodness of the SLR DC. So much so that if I had smoked it blind, I might have guessed SLR.

This is proving to be an outstanding cigar, which I am reaching for more and more often.

[El Presidente]

Partagas De Partagas No 1 CUE OCT 03

Dalias. 170mm (6 3/4 inches) 43 Ring Gauge.

5pm Friday afternoon and our Czar House "Deck Party" was well underway. I cleansed my palate with some Champagne and reached for my second cigar fo the afternoon which was a Partagas De Partagas No 1.

To be honest it has been a few years since I have tried a Partagas De Partagas No 1. When I have wanted a Dalias /Lonsdale I reached for a Partagas Lonsdale, Sanch Panza Molinos, SLR Lonsdale or Ramon Allones 898 Varnished. These cigars gave me the breadth of flavour necessary from mild to full and everything in between.

However one can not live on fine Habanos alone ( still trying) and given that our last shipments of Partagas No 1 had come in (now discontinued) I wanted to assess them before making any recommendation.

Perfect construction. Box pressed. Nice cap, open foot and a sweet spice and barnyard smeel at cold.

Clipped the cap and found another great draw (It is the longest run of great draws that I can ever recall). No discernable taste when drawing cold. The wrapper was good if nondescript. Colorado colour, no great oil content with a few veins. Good looking cigar. No prom queen but the sort of cigar I would not hesitate to ask out......if it were a girl....you know what I mean

Fired up the Partagas, let it burn on its own for a mm or two and then took the first real draw through the nose.....BANG!!!...ahhh....Partagas white pepper spice in spades. This however was no one trick puppy, along with oodles of white pepper spice was interlayed sweet paprika which smoothed out the intensity and added a complexity which would remain with this cigar to the very end.

Well into the first third and this cigar was in so many ways what Partagas is all about. Medium full bodied. Pepper, sweet spice, earth, leather, toasted tobacco and treacle thick black espresso coffee. I was in love from the first third and handed one from the same box to good mate and serious cigar buff Steve Pelligrino.

You can tell the great cigars. Here we were on a Friday afternoon, 12 FOH members on the deck, all good friends, talking women, rugby, wine, fishing etc....and all the time I kept thinking "how good is this cigar." The profile changed not one iota from the first third. Sweet Paprika/espresso, leather etal...and I didn't want it to. I looked over to Steve who was well into his cigar and he gave me that look and nod of the head and one word..."superb". Steve smokes two cigars. Saint Luis Rey Double Corona's and Cohiba Esplendido.

The Partagas De Partagas No 1 is another cigar I nubbed. It also makes my list as my personal top 10 cigars of 2006. While demonstrating what Partagas is all about ( body, spice, leather.....something missing in many 05 and sadly 06 Partagas) it went a step further and carved a niche in complexity and balance which I have not experienced in very many Partagas of recent times outside of my beloved Partagas Serie de Connoisseur lines.

I fell in love with this cigar and to be honest I expected so very little of it. I was expecting a nondescript formulae effort. What I got was a wake up call that just when you think you have things nailed....a cigar will come along and kick you in the arse and show you how much you still have to learn.

3 boxes came home with me on Friday night + two boxes of Sancho Panza Sanchos. If these are to disappear then I need some. Well I probably don't "need" them

[Bartolomeo]

Partagas de Partagas #1 2003

This was given to me from a friend here.........damn you for giving me a cigar that is discontinued and is excellent!

Wrapper was Brown/Grey-ish in color, wrinkled looking with a Matte feel, construction was solid

Pre draw was that of a great smelling humidor

Ash was Jet Black........a first for me

Initial puff was light pepper and aged tobacco

Flavors included wood, leather, pepper, dry cocoa and earthy

Medium in profile with hardly any after taste........that was nice

Smoke time was 87 mins

Started to heat up in 2/3 but I eased it back which was key with this smoke

Almost tasted like "Partagas Light" in flavor

First PdeP #1 I have tried, not saying all are like this, but this one was excellent

9.25/10

I wish I could find these, but as mentioned above, they are discontinued so if anybody has some extras, PM me

Bart

[PigFish]

Partagas de Partagas #1 2003

This was given to me from a friend here.........damn you for giving me a cigar that is discontinued and is excellent!

Wrapper was Brown/Grey-ish in color, wrinkled looking with a Matte feel, construction was solid

Pre draw was that of a great smelling humidor

Ash was Jet Black........a first for me

Initial puff was light pepper and aged tobacco

Flavors included wood, leather, pepper, dry cocoa and earthy

Medium in profile with hardly any after taste........that was nice

Smoke time was 87 mins

Started to heat up in 2/3 but I eased it back which was key with this smoke

Almost tasted like "Partagas Light" in flavor

First PdeP #1 I have tried, not saying all are like this, but this one was excellent

9.25/10

I wish I could find these, but as mentioned above, they are discontinued so if anybody has some extras, PM me

Bart

You are quite welcome my friend. Code DTF NOV 03. Nice review.

[RijkdeGooier]

Here we are, almost 6 years on from pigs last post...smoking this right now. Can only concur a beautiful Habano.

Hope my box may last me a long, long time...

Review will follow in due time on my FB page

Shameless plug below

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.294891424013407.1073741852.100004776544405&type=1&l=22143fd027

[teamrandr]

Now where do I find these! Nice review.

[RijkdeGooier]

As promised an update can be found here.

Amazing how they kept their taste just like the ones Rob smoked.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=435310093304872&set=a.294891424013407.1073741852.100004776544405&type=3&theater

[nick2021]

I really like these cigars a lot, wish I had more

[ChanceSchmerr]

Hard to find but always an underrated treat. I have one single left that I found in Palma, Spain 4 years ago. It rests until I can find some more....can't bear to smoke the last one.