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A Partagas review for El Cat.
Partagas ? Serie du Connaisseur No. 3
Size: 143mm x 35 ? Carlota
Smoke time: 1hour 12 mins
Box date: MAR-03 Source: www.mysmokingshop.co.uk
8.4 rated, yet discontinued by Habanos last year and now becoming seriously HTF by the week, this P.SdC3 review is at the request of El Cat, although why I don?t know, because it?s not the cigar he?s had me scouring the net for the last month or so helping him look for.
Appearance: To be honest, this was the ugliest of several I?ve purchased from Simon, but good enough for Cat I thought, (hehehe) so that?s why I chose it. Elegant, un-banded and perfectly proportioned the cigar oozes ?class? and was simply a joy to look at and to roll though the fingers. The deep brown wrapper, whist oily and nicely ?toothed? had a less smooth and slighty ?wrung? appearance ? suggesting it was not quite as carefully rolled as its fellows. The cigar was evenly packed along it?s entire length and yielded nicely to the ?pinch?.
Construction: Outward appearance aside it was perfect. No burn or draw issues whatsoever. The pre-draw and draw was slightly resistive, which I prefer. The dark-grey ash remained compact and firm throughout the smoke. No re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma from the foot was sweet and vegetal. On light, my first impression was cereals over a slight lemon freshness. Totally delicious and totally refreshing. A little into the third and a clean woodiness but in a strange and seductive way ? this is hard to explain ? imagine the woods not alongside or above the initial flavours, but as a filter through which the first flavours have to pass. I?ve not really done the SdC3 proper justice here, but the taste was amazing and I was also picking up support notes of nuts and sweet spice. Before describing the second third I?m going to use a few sentences on the smoke quality and the after-taste (but which is more all-during really). Smoked (correctly) or at rest the SdC3 isn?t designed to produce big volumes of smoke, but the smoke it does release is aromatic and has a nice pepper edge to it. The Cuban lemon ?twang? COULD be tasted with every inhale throughout the first and second thirds, lightly at first and then progressively diminishing. However the SdC3 plays a clever trick, set the cigar to rest and no matter what other flavours are in play, during the first two thirds it leaves a light, refreshing citric after-taste in the mouth which intensifies rather than recedes between puffs. Shifting into the second third and I could pick out new sharp, clean vegetal notes within the woods. Carrot/parsnips might be pushing it a bit, but that?s how it tasted to me. Thoroughly enjoying the flavours and moving towards the half-way mark I was suddenly aware of the tobacco power which had crept in, hidden almost behind an increase in the amount of pepper/spiciness that had entered the mix. Entering the final third the power increased even further with the SdC3 revealing it?s darker aspect as woods dissolved in richer, deep more chocolatelike flavours accompanied by sneeze inducing (I always do) peppers. One of the best smokes out there!
Overall: Possibly not a cigar to be tackled just after breakfast, more I think an aperitif cigar before moving onto a Lusitanias or something after a rich meal. But in saying that the SdC3 is smooth, refined, certainly isn?t lacking in Partagas oomph and tastes wonderful ? so goodness knows what the higher rated Charlotte it?s direct ancestor, or it?s bigger brother the SdC1 taste like because I?ve never tried either ? but I do know which one El Cat wants to get his furry paws on.
Not recommended for Newbees. There simply aren?t enough left for us proper folk.
Size: 143mm x 35 ? Carlota
Smoke time: 1hour 12 mins
Box date: MAR-03 Source: www.mysmokingshop.co.uk
8.4 rated, yet discontinued by Habanos last year and now becoming seriously HTF by the week, this P.SdC3 review is at the request of El Cat, although why I don?t know, because it?s not the cigar he?s had me scouring the net for the last month or so helping him look for.
Appearance: To be honest, this was the ugliest of several I?ve purchased from Simon, but good enough for Cat I thought, (hehehe) so that?s why I chose it. Elegant, un-banded and perfectly proportioned the cigar oozes ?class? and was simply a joy to look at and to roll though the fingers. The deep brown wrapper, whist oily and nicely ?toothed? had a less smooth and slighty ?wrung? appearance ? suggesting it was not quite as carefully rolled as its fellows. The cigar was evenly packed along it?s entire length and yielded nicely to the ?pinch?.
Construction: Outward appearance aside it was perfect. No burn or draw issues whatsoever. The pre-draw and draw was slightly resistive, which I prefer. The dark-grey ash remained compact and firm throughout the smoke. No re-lights, no corrections.
Flavour: The pre-light aroma from the foot was sweet and vegetal. On light, my first impression was cereals over a slight lemon freshness. Totally delicious and totally refreshing. A little into the third and a clean woodiness but in a strange and seductive way ? this is hard to explain ? imagine the woods not alongside or above the initial flavours, but as a filter through which the first flavours have to pass. I?ve not really done the SdC3 proper justice here, but the taste was amazing and I was also picking up support notes of nuts and sweet spice. Before describing the second third I?m going to use a few sentences on the smoke quality and the after-taste (but which is more all-during really). Smoked (correctly) or at rest the SdC3 isn?t designed to produce big volumes of smoke, but the smoke it does release is aromatic and has a nice pepper edge to it. The Cuban lemon ?twang? COULD be tasted with every inhale throughout the first and second thirds, lightly at first and then progressively diminishing. However the SdC3 plays a clever trick, set the cigar to rest and no matter what other flavours are in play, during the first two thirds it leaves a light, refreshing citric after-taste in the mouth which intensifies rather than recedes between puffs. Shifting into the second third and I could pick out new sharp, clean vegetal notes within the woods. Carrot/parsnips might be pushing it a bit, but that?s how it tasted to me. Thoroughly enjoying the flavours and moving towards the half-way mark I was suddenly aware of the tobacco power which had crept in, hidden almost behind an increase in the amount of pepper/spiciness that had entered the mix. Entering the final third the power increased even further with the SdC3 revealing it?s darker aspect as woods dissolved in richer, deep more chocolatelike flavours accompanied by sneeze inducing (I always do) peppers. One of the best smokes out there!
Overall: Possibly not a cigar to be tackled just after breakfast, more I think an aperitif cigar before moving onto a Lusitanias or something after a rich meal. But in saying that the SdC3 is smooth, refined, certainly isn?t lacking in Partagas oomph and tastes wonderful ? so goodness knows what the higher rated Charlotte it?s direct ancestor, or it?s bigger brother the SdC1 taste like because I?ve never tried either ? but I do know which one El Cat wants to get his furry paws on.
Not recommended for Newbees. There simply aren?t enough left for us proper folk.
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