Partagas Shorts

[thechenman]

Cigar: PARTAGAS SHORTS

Vitola: Demi Corona/Minutos

Filler: Cuba

Binder: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Box Code: Unknown - Purchased as a single (likely '07 - '08)

Price: $4.95 (USD)

Ring Gauge: 42

Length: 4.3 inches

Body: Full

Pairing: Samuel Adams Black Lager

Location: Outdoors – On my front porch

Date/Time: Monday, August 31st, 2009 @ 10:33pm EDT

Environment: Monday night was unseasonably cool. I actually had to throw on a light jacket in order to sit outside and enjoy my smoke. The temperature was likely in the upper-50s (farenheit), but it wasn’t humid, which is always a relief, especially during the summer. This evening, I sat out on my front porch with my two dogs Max and Minnie. I also brought out a portable DVD player with Gran Tourino in it, as I had yet to finish the last 50 minutes of the movie. I don’t mean to turn this cigar review into a movie review, but as an aside, I don’t know if you’ve seen Gran Tourino, but if you haven’t you gotta rent it (or buy it). It’s classic Eastwood. You won’t be disappointed. Not to mention there is a hot ’72 Ford Gran Tourino Fastback in the movie.

Band: The Partagas band while attractive (there is just something about that red and gold combination), it is not one of my favorites. Love the colors, but the design does not speak to me, but what is important is that their cigars do. Still, I enjoyed studying the band while I smoked my cigar. Let’s face it, it still beats the crap out of a Sancho Panza band.

Appearance: A nice deep brown wrapper with a few water spots on it, but the cigar was definitely inviting. The triple cap looked like it was just slapped on, and therefore not very attractive. The cigar band was placed well, tight enough to hold, but lose enough that I was able to slide the band over the head of the cigar when the time is right. I so much prefer bands applied like this. It prevents me from having to pick at the seam to undo the glue from the band, therefore I avoid the risk of damaging the wrapper. There was a small tear in the wrapper at the foot of the cigar. It was likely due to rubbing up against the cedar tray in my humidor.

Construction: The construction of the Partagas Short was decent. The wrapper was nicely applied. There was the slight tear at the foot, which I mentioned earlier, but I think that was due to my own carelessness. The triple cap was sloppily applied though, and made the head of the cigar look a bit gnarly – and not in a good way. The cigar was firm to the touch and the wrapper smooth, but there was a soft spot near the foot of the cigar. That could have been why the burn on the cigar started badly and continued to remain bad.

Aroma: The aroma pre-light did not give me any indication as to how strong this little demi corona was going to be. The pre-light aroma was mild and smelled of chocolate and sweet tobacco. I was really looking forward to cutting this puppy and lighting her up.

Cut: I cut the cap off the head of my Partagas Shorts with my Palio cutter. The cut was perfect and the cap fell away clean. To be honest, it was one of my best cuts.

Draw: The pre-light draw on this cigar gave nothing away in terms of what was to come. Initially I tasted sweet tobacco and a bit of pepper. Very mild. The draw on the cigar remained virtually perfect for the duration of my smoke.

Light: I lit this cigar with my Blazer PB-207. Slowly toasting the foot of the cigar, it slowly came to life. It took only a few puffs to get her going. The glowing orange tobacco against the blackness of night in the background just warmed me inside.

Smoke: The amount of smoke created by this cigar was phenomenal. Simply incredible. It was blue in color and slowly drifted up into the night air as I sat back and enjoyed the cigar. There was so much smoke that it looked almost like clouds drifting by. However, during the start of the first third the smoke was a little harsh on the nose. Took a bit of time to get used to it.

First Third: The Partagas Short punched me in the face with my first few puffs, and really did not let up for the entire smoke. But let’s focus on the first-third of the cigar here. The first thing that hit me was pepper. Black pepper and bell pepper. Quite strong and unexpected from the aroma I captured pre-light. After I got past the initial surprise, I began to settle in with this smoke. After awhile it did begin to settle down, but the green bell pepper was the dominate flavor profile during this third.

Second Third: In the second third I began to pick up hints of chocolate and a little sweetness. The flavor of tobacco was coming through as well. There was a slight sweetness at the back of my throat. I couldn’t determine what type of sweetness (i.e., where it was from the chocolate or tobacco flavors), but it was definitely there. The black pepper and bell pepper was still the dominant flavor, but this was my favorite portion of the Partagas Short.

Final Third: The last third was unquestionably the strongest, but it so often is with any cigar. Here the sweetness receded as did the pepper sensations, and tobacco really reared its head. Smoking this cigar down to a little less than an inch, the taste began to get bitter. I thought I should put it down while I was ahead and let it go out at this point.

Burn: The burn on the Partagas Short was far from perfect. The burn was extremely uneven, and became so lopsided on two occasions, that I need to touch it up with my Blazer PB-207. The burn would correct for a short time and then go askew again. Luckily I wasn’t smoking a Churchill or Double Corona. That would have been really aggravating.

Ash: The ash on this cigar was not pretty. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures for you. Gotta remember to bring out my Canon the next time I head out for a smoke, problem is, I never know whether or not I am going to review the cigar or not. The color of the ash began with a peppered gray and white, but quickly turned almost black. It held for about 1.25 inches before falling off on its own. Personally, given how flakey the ash was, I was surprised that it hung in there for as long as it did. The ash would fall on its own one more time before I finished this smoke.

Smoking Time: 47 minutes

Conclusion: The Partagas Short was a really good cigar overall, but a great cigar in terms of flavor. I know some may seriously disagree with me as this cigar has a strong a loyal following. It certainly lived up to its reputation of being a real powerhouse. It opened up full bodied and ended that way, and was full bodied everywhere in between. I don’t mind an in your face cigar, and often enjoy them when I am smoking with friends, but on my own, I tend to like a more mild to medium cigar that I can relax and think with. This cigar had me so concentrated on it because of the flavors, I had to rewind certain portions of my DVD. I don’t know whether it was despite the power, or because of the power, but I really enjoyed the Partagas Short. The construction was not perfect, but that is often the case with Cuban cigars, at least in my limited experience. The aggravating thing for me was the burn which I had to touch up twice. Two times you say? That is not a lot. While that may be true, I am the type of smoker that will not attempt to correct a burn issue unless it is really, really bad. And in this case it was. Would I smoke these again…most definitely, unequivocally, without the slightest bit of hesitation or apprehension. Might I add that they are an extremely good value too.

Rating: 90/100

Date of Publication: September 2nd, 2009

Written by: David Chen (a.k.a. thechenman)

[jfury76]

The Party Short is a little flavor bomb and the recent "07 box offering from El Pres is exceptional. Do yourself a favor and pick up a box; that is, if there are any left. The wrappers are just a marvelous shade of colorado maduro.

[thechenman]

The Party Short is a little flavor bomb and the recent "07 box offering from El Pres is exceptional. Do yourself a favor and pick up a box; that is, if there are any left. The wrappers are just a marvelous shade of colorado maduro.

I have been contemplating that same idea since smoking the Party Short.

[bunburyist]

nice review pal - about as comprehensive as they come, I like it. Would be great if you could chuck in some pics as well, makes it come alive a bit but still

[bunburyist]

plus you're right, Gran Torino is a great movie - pretty edgy like most of Eastwood's stuff. I hope I'm as much of a gnarled git when I'm old.

[lemmycaution]

I haven't had a Partagas Short in a couple of years and forgot how much I enjoy those little smokes. You just made up my mind to purchase a box. Thanks, great review.

[Guest rob]

That is one full-on review!

Well done on reviewing one of my 'go-to' cigars so accurately.

[ksblazer]

From my experiences I usually like party shorts with a couple/three of years on them. As I find them to be a little rough around the edges when young. That said I just smoked a recent short (07-08) and was quite impressed. Very refined compared to the others that I have smoked so young. It seems like the Partaga short is one of the most consistant cigars out there IMO.

By the way nice review. A classic movie to go with a classic cigar.

[jquest63]

Great review! I agree, the flavor more than makes up for the rugged appearance. Think I'll have another this weekend.

[tucomapache]

I love me some shorts the best of its size...

[Mr Peales]

Nice smoke. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

-P

[MontrealRon]

Great review, David -

These are my favorite small smokes, never had a bad one.

Currently going through a box of '05s.

They were great fresh, even better now, and are still improving.

So much character in such a small package.

[thechenman]

Great review, David -

These are my favorite small smokes, never had a bad one.

Currently going through a box of '05s.

They were great fresh, even better now, and are still improving.

So much character in such a small package.

Thanks for the feedback.