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partagas culebras
evening all,
here is my first proper attempt at a cigar review, so please be gentle with me! lol!
over the last few weeks, i have developed a bit of an obsession (addiction would be too strong a word) with my cigars! there's something so, refined about them! having a pretty hectic work schedule and dealing with the stresses of fatherhood, the opportunities to 'step out of time' and unwind are few and far between! so, when i get the chance to indulge in my weekly 'ritual' that is smoking a cigar, i absolutely relish it! the preparation, from perusing in my small humidor for that special something to relax over, to clipping the cap and toasting the foot to release the wonderful aromas, is something i look forward to! excuse me, i've wandered off the track a little.......
this evening i finished work relatively early, so i seized the opportunity to indulge myself in a cigar! for some reason i had only one in mind, a partagas culebras! i bought a box of 3 (9 cigars) a few weeks ago and i was so excited when they arrivedin the post! i was even more so when, upon cutting the seals and opening the box, i was presented with 3 'coffins', reminiscant of old wooden school pencil boxes! immediatly, i thought i should put one of the boxes away for my father in law for christmas (he appreciates oddball things)! when i opened the box i intended to consume right away, i was presented with beautiful oily cigars tied with nice red ribbons! i have already smoked 2, so this was the last remaining cigar out of the first bundle (i have 2 bundles left, 6 cigars) that's been lying in my humidor for the last 5 weeks or so! anyway......
with a generous measure of bushmills 16year old single malt and a small bar of bourneville dark chocolate, i retired to the back garden! i studied the cigar for a moment, apart from the crooks and curves of it being twisted together with another two cigars, it looked perfect! the wrapper looked flawless (no veins or blemishes), it was the colour of milk chocolate and pretty oily looking! the aroma was beautiful too, toasted coffee beans and leather, as well as the obvious cedar from the humidor! after clipping the cap, i took a 'dry draw', which was easy, and was bowled over by the strength of the hit! already i could taste the peppery spice synonymous with the partagas cigars i was familiar with (PSD4, shorts, tres petite corona)!
after gently toasting the foot, i felt relaxed by the aromas it released! it was like incense! there was something quite herbal about it, mixed in with the usual aromas of roasted coffee beans, leather and tobacco! the first few draws contained flavours of the above mentioned, coffee and tobacco, and lots of creamy smoke! no sign of the typical partagas peppery spice! then, when it approached it's first bend (around the first quarter to first third mark), BOOM! the partagas flavour kicked in, and the strength was lifted! it was like the PSD4 had just entered the room! the sweet peppery spice really invaded the senses! this went from being a 'novelty' cigar to a serious contender! all the while, it burn slow and perfect, with lots of smoke! the strength really lifted in the second third, but it never became overpowering! the flavours became a bit complex for a novice like myself, i found it wavering between the coffee, tobacco and pepper, with the pepper keeping it's head above the rest! with a little concentration, i found i was able to follow the flavours, aided by the dark chocolate i was nibbling on and the whisky i was sipping! the final third saw an introduction of a sweetness i cannot put my finger on! by this stage, the pepper was tasting rather 'warm'! an aroma introduced itself that reminded me of the smell of decaying leaves typical of autumnal woodland! all in all, i smoked this right down past it's last inch, untill it extinguished itself! a perfect way to end a perfect cigar!
to be quite honest, the reason i bought these cigars was because of a novelty factor! aesthetically i found them interesting, rustically charming! but beyond that, these are serious cigars with plenty of punch! i was already familiar with the PSD4 and partagas shorts, so i kind of new what i was expecting! i was surprised, however, by the strength from such a small gauge! aesthetically, these cigars will not be to everyone's liking, since they look like something you'd wrestled off some old hobo, but looks aside, they are fantastic cigars! one last point though, i don't think i'll be attempting to smoke all three together anytime soon!
appearance (out of 15): 14
smoking characteristics (out of 25): 24
flavour (out of 25): 24
overall impression (out of 35): 30
total (out of 100): 92
all the best,
alex, belfast
here is my first proper attempt at a cigar review, so please be gentle with me! lol!
over the last few weeks, i have developed a bit of an obsession (addiction would be too strong a word) with my cigars! there's something so, refined about them! having a pretty hectic work schedule and dealing with the stresses of fatherhood, the opportunities to 'step out of time' and unwind are few and far between! so, when i get the chance to indulge in my weekly 'ritual' that is smoking a cigar, i absolutely relish it! the preparation, from perusing in my small humidor for that special something to relax over, to clipping the cap and toasting the foot to release the wonderful aromas, is something i look forward to! excuse me, i've wandered off the track a little.......
this evening i finished work relatively early, so i seized the opportunity to indulge myself in a cigar! for some reason i had only one in mind, a partagas culebras! i bought a box of 3 (9 cigars) a few weeks ago and i was so excited when they arrivedin the post! i was even more so when, upon cutting the seals and opening the box, i was presented with 3 'coffins', reminiscant of old wooden school pencil boxes! immediatly, i thought i should put one of the boxes away for my father in law for christmas (he appreciates oddball things)! when i opened the box i intended to consume right away, i was presented with beautiful oily cigars tied with nice red ribbons! i have already smoked 2, so this was the last remaining cigar out of the first bundle (i have 2 bundles left, 6 cigars) that's been lying in my humidor for the last 5 weeks or so! anyway......
with a generous measure of bushmills 16year old single malt and a small bar of bourneville dark chocolate, i retired to the back garden! i studied the cigar for a moment, apart from the crooks and curves of it being twisted together with another two cigars, it looked perfect! the wrapper looked flawless (no veins or blemishes), it was the colour of milk chocolate and pretty oily looking! the aroma was beautiful too, toasted coffee beans and leather, as well as the obvious cedar from the humidor! after clipping the cap, i took a 'dry draw', which was easy, and was bowled over by the strength of the hit! already i could taste the peppery spice synonymous with the partagas cigars i was familiar with (PSD4, shorts, tres petite corona)!
after gently toasting the foot, i felt relaxed by the aromas it released! it was like incense! there was something quite herbal about it, mixed in with the usual aromas of roasted coffee beans, leather and tobacco! the first few draws contained flavours of the above mentioned, coffee and tobacco, and lots of creamy smoke! no sign of the typical partagas peppery spice! then, when it approached it's first bend (around the first quarter to first third mark), BOOM! the partagas flavour kicked in, and the strength was lifted! it was like the PSD4 had just entered the room! the sweet peppery spice really invaded the senses! this went from being a 'novelty' cigar to a serious contender! all the while, it burn slow and perfect, with lots of smoke! the strength really lifted in the second third, but it never became overpowering! the flavours became a bit complex for a novice like myself, i found it wavering between the coffee, tobacco and pepper, with the pepper keeping it's head above the rest! with a little concentration, i found i was able to follow the flavours, aided by the dark chocolate i was nibbling on and the whisky i was sipping! the final third saw an introduction of a sweetness i cannot put my finger on! by this stage, the pepper was tasting rather 'warm'! an aroma introduced itself that reminded me of the smell of decaying leaves typical of autumnal woodland! all in all, i smoked this right down past it's last inch, untill it extinguished itself! a perfect way to end a perfect cigar!
to be quite honest, the reason i bought these cigars was because of a novelty factor! aesthetically i found them interesting, rustically charming! but beyond that, these are serious cigars with plenty of punch! i was already familiar with the PSD4 and partagas shorts, so i kind of new what i was expecting! i was surprised, however, by the strength from such a small gauge! aesthetically, these cigars will not be to everyone's liking, since they look like something you'd wrestled off some old hobo, but looks aside, they are fantastic cigars! one last point though, i don't think i'll be attempting to smoke all three together anytime soon!
appearance (out of 15): 14
smoking characteristics (out of 25): 24
flavour (out of 25): 24
overall impression (out of 35): 30
total (out of 100): 92
all the best,
alex, belfast
BTW, the story I was told by me pappy, 
Nice stories to think about, if nothing else.
TJ, TJCoro, and my damn Siglo I expired while I wrote this post.
don TJ and the 
Coros
.
said:
"Come in here, dear Boy, have a cigar" ....Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
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