Partagas Edicion Limitada Pyramide

[flipflop]

Fired up this one in the pub with some Pilzner Urquell.

Really nicely constructed pyramid that was dark with a tasty, fairly smooth wrapper. Lit up pretty easy with a nice draw. Lots of smoke (maybe a tad harsh to begin with on the taste) with a great aroma. Expectations were high.

Uneven burn problems started in the latter part of the first third but the smoke continued to flow. Not a tremendous amount of flavor in the first 7-8 puffs but hints of coffee and leather started to come through. Expectations went down a bit.

More leather and coffee really started to kick in; another taste was there but I just couldn't identify it. But, like the Monte EL Robusto I had last week, the filler was burning faster than the wrapper and binder.

A bit more than halfway through, this sucker had tunneled and started to go out. Relighted and touched up the uneven burn. The amount of smoke decreased noticeably. After 5-6 more puffs, I put it down for about a minute and....it went out again. I gave it another 10 or so puffs after relighting, put it down and the damn thing went out again. Just into the last third, I gave up, said a few words over it and let it die peacefully.

Overall: While it is a tasty, medium/full-bodied smoke after you get it going, it took more work than I like to keep it touched up and fired up. This cigar has some potential but the fact it went out several times and burned more unevenly than the Monte EL Robusto caused it not to live up to what I thought it would be. Me thinks aging is a must for this stick. Since I'm so much a fan of the ISOM Partagas line, I'll give it another shot...but only after it gets at least a year or two on it. Until then, the Monte (IMHO) gives far more bang-for-the-buck in the EL category.



Sacred cows make the best hamburger. --Mark Twain