Partagás Presidentes

[jazznut]

"Not Quite Presidential, But…"

Partagás Presidentes

Country of fabrication: Cuba
Dimensions of cigar: 6.25 inches by a maximum 47 ring gauge
Name of vitola: Tacos
Box code: DGC CCUG
Factory: Placetos, Villa Clara Province
Date issued: May 1999
Date smoked: Friday August 19th, 2005

Accompanying drink:

Ardbeg 10 Year Old 46%ABV distillery issue, and a tall glass of water at its side. Pitted against the drier wood and herb elements of the Presidentes, the initial malt explosion of my first sip of the Ardbeg came as something of a shock. However, as this surge of sweetness receded and allowed the seaside salt and smoke of the Islay single malt to work their magic, the synchronization between the tastes of cigar and whisky grew.

The cigar:

Texture of capa: Good tooth. Surprisingly smooth and quite seamless with but a pair of mildly prominent veins and only a single area of stretching of the outer leaf near the head. An oil saturated sheen. Some plume as well.
Colour of capa: Colorado. Deep, rich Jatoba wood hue melding sanguine toned cocoa and Indian red. Profusely mottled with dark chocolate spot, streak and swirl-like markings.
Colour of capote: Burnt umber.
Colour of tripa: A little cocoa and reddish burnt sienna, but predominantly burnt umber to dark chocolate.

Construction: A moderate box-press, more apparent in the central region of the cigar. Nicely crafted ends, though the taper toward the foot was offset to one side. Medium-firm finger feel at the broader portion closer to the foot, softening to only a medium degree of roll density approaching the head. Very hygroscopic leaves.
Draw: The slightly facilitated draw made for a relatively easy though by no means overly exuberant smoking tempo.
Combustion: The tan-tinged grey to medium charcoal ash possessed the outward appearance of fragile sedimentary rock, yet was quite a bit more compact and solid toward its core. The ash routinely held on past 1½ inches, dropping to reveal a properly conical ember. Further into the session, I encountered some irregularities in the burn edge, which were corrected with little difficulty. One relight was required.
Total smoking time: Over 1 hour.

Pre-light aroma: The leathery, woody, damp straw and earth fragrance of a stable. Ground nuts and coffee with brown sugar.
Pre-light draw: Tobacco laced with Jalapeño peppers. Freshly sawed wood. Bitter dark chocolate.
Post-light aroma: Toasted tobacco topped with leather and nut butter compote.

Palate entry: A brief walnut and fresh mint overture followed by a hay-like interlude leading to peppery tobacco. Very wood laden, herbaceous peripheral palate sensation. Became more rounded and focused around the tobacco aspect past the 1 inch mark, with the woodiness revealing hints of citrus zest.
Mid point: Jalapeño infused Cuban leaf, cedar and salted lemon. Virile.
Latter stages: Apart from some scorched coffee notions, little flavour progression. Undeniable strength and fullness, if rather linear. Seemed to lose its steam over the last few puffs.

Summary: A simplistic though honest and robust hit of Partagás tobacco until the lackluster closing moments. Unfortunately, I have read that more recent production suffers both technically and taste-wise in comparison.