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Thought I'd 'pop' in a quick review (and try to add something useful to the site for once) of the Partagas D5 EL (2008) for those of you yet to try one.
First of all, I should confess, I'm a sucker for an 'Edicion Limitada' (it's the shiny gold band thing), so I've generally tried to sample at least one of all the releases going back to around 2001.
However, due to this particular stick receiving less than stella reviews upon its release, I'd side-stepped it ... until now.
Overall, I have to admit, it was better than I was anticipating. OK, the construction isn't going to win any prizes, and the blend is pretty one-dimensional, but it provided a pleasant 40-ish minutes of typically Cuban flavoured smoke.
And that can't be a bad thing!
The main failing of this cigar I guess, is it fails to capture the essence of the Partagas brand. The earthy, robust, spicy-ness is absent, instead it's replaced by a strong chocolate element (those of you who enjoy the Upmann 48 LE's will find a like-minded bedfellow in this puro), the chocolate though reminded me more of a supermarket own brand than a fine, high quality cocoa (though still enjoyable nonetheless).
Aside from a few minor burn issues the stick behaved itself throughout, though failed to develop (or deliver) any more complex flavours as it progressed (though it did provide generous amounts of creamy smoke).
I'm not sure it's one I'd endorse for long term aging, but for kicking back and watching the first half of a football/soccer match (delete according to continent), it was perfectly fine.
I'm not going to bother breaking down the score into its component parts, let's just say it scrapes into the early 80's.
N.B. This is based on a single smoking experience. I have a couple more to try, so if my experiences of those offer anything different I'll edit this post.
First of all, I should confess, I'm a sucker for an 'Edicion Limitada' (it's the shiny gold band thing), so I've generally tried to sample at least one of all the releases going back to around 2001.
However, due to this particular stick receiving less than stella reviews upon its release, I'd side-stepped it ... until now.
Overall, I have to admit, it was better than I was anticipating. OK, the construction isn't going to win any prizes, and the blend is pretty one-dimensional, but it provided a pleasant 40-ish minutes of typically Cuban flavoured smoke.
And that can't be a bad thing!
The main failing of this cigar I guess, is it fails to capture the essence of the Partagas brand. The earthy, robust, spicy-ness is absent, instead it's replaced by a strong chocolate element (those of you who enjoy the Upmann 48 LE's will find a like-minded bedfellow in this puro), the chocolate though reminded me more of a supermarket own brand than a fine, high quality cocoa (though still enjoyable nonetheless).
Aside from a few minor burn issues the stick behaved itself throughout, though failed to develop (or deliver) any more complex flavours as it progressed (though it did provide generous amounts of creamy smoke).
I'm not sure it's one I'd endorse for long term aging, but for kicking back and watching the first half of a football/soccer match (delete according to continent), it was perfectly fine.
I'm not going to bother breaking down the score into its component parts, let's just say it scrapes into the early 80's.
N.B. This is based on a single smoking experience. I have a couple more to try, so if my experiences of those offer anything different I'll edit this post.
"Come in here, dear Boy, have a cigar" ....Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) 
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