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Old 12-04-2010, 07:45 PM   #1
bsslack
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: A Lone Star State
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Partagas Salomones Review

This is a Monster smoke. It is very hard not to have High Expectations for a cigar like this. But, We've All been disappointed by expensive "Special" cigars before. I am a Huge Partagas Fan the 8-9-8's, Parti Shorts, PSD anything, Lusitania's, the much under appreciated Super Partagas and even the Culebras. But This size......I've only had one before and it was a sad experience, so I'm hoping to improve on that.



CIGAR: Partagas Salomones, Habano.


SIZE: The Book list's it as 7.25 x 57 a Massive Perfecto.
My Ring Gauge, Gauge doesn't go that Big, so We'll take MRN's word on that.



APPEARANCE: This is a Big and Beautiful Cigar. The Creamy Tan Wrapper bespeaks of yesteryear. While the Bold Partagas red, gold and white Band clearly says's Today. There is also an LCDH burgundy and gold Band below the Marca Band. The Wrapper has medium veining and a varied finish. Some of the Wrapper has a semi gloss sheen and the rest has a flat finish. The Head and Foot are each nicely dressed, with only a tiny green spot marring the otherwise Beautiful Image that the Wrapper presents.



CONSTRUCTION: There are several reasons why You do not see a lot of this size cigar. One big reason, it is very difficult to execute properly. This example appears to be done correctly, it has a firm roll with scant soft areas and is uniform, in it's roundness, from Head to Foot. That's no mean feat with a cigar of this size. There is however, a slight crack in the cap. It remains to be seen whether that will effect the experience, We will soon find that out.



PAIRING: Once again My new Texas Friend Tito's Vodka will be my sparring partner tonight.


PRE-LIGHT: There is a very light bouquet coming off of this lightly tanned Beauty. I clip most of the cracked cap off. The draw is a bit tight, but that's to be expected with a perfecto, the real test will be after nipple burns off. There is a very light flavor on the draw, a clean tobacco taste comes through. There's no reason to char a perfecto, so on to the Main Event!



The FLAME: So begins this Exotic Adventure into Old World Tradition. Armed with my trusty Vector torch, We begin. It is quite tame as one would expect, to begin with. Even still there is a nice finish and more than a hint of the Twang to come. Less than 1/2" and the cap comes apart from the split, fortunately on a 'Figurado' shaped cigar that is less bothersome than it would be on a 'Parejo' shaped cigar. The flavor has not settled in yet, There is a weedy element and a twang on the Finish. So far nothing that I would recognise as a "Partagas Profile". I mentioned that I had one of these several years ago and it was not a pleasant encounter. I do believe that that cigar was ruined by improper care, as it was very dry. So, I reserve judgement in cases like that and hope for a rematch, such as this.
Both of the Bands slide off cleanly. Just coming up on the full diameter and on the Power. The first 3/4" was pretty tame, now we are getting somewhere. This is a Big Habano. Yes, there are larger cigars than this. The Monte "A" and "The Sancho" immediately come to mind. But, those are odd ball sizes. This Shape and Size have a History. Plus it's a Beautiful and Balanced cigar, an Event Cigar. The flavor and power have both increased, slightly. The flavor is still not one that reminds me of other's in the stable of Partagas. It is weedy and slightly earthy with just a touch of harshness on the back of the throat. The twang on the finish is very prevalent, with a medium duration. The burn is right on and the ash is still hangin on tight. Ash coloration is white on the outside and motled on the inside. Over an inch in and the ash drops off in as single piece. The blend is considerably lighter in body than I was imagining it would be. However, with it's huge diameter and the overall size, I guess I can understand not wanting to over do it, since it's gonna be a long smoke. I've been huffin and puffin on this baby and it's still over 5" long and smoking slow and cool. The noted bitterness is now completely gone, so the pleasant earthy texture and the Twang are the primary players. It's a unique profile, so I just slow down and enjoy it. What a nice Big Cigar. I do not know the age of this cigar, but it would not surprise me to find out that it is still very Young. The flavor and finish are consistent, but the early bitterness and not quite developed profile hint in that direction. You simply do not find many Habanos with this ring gauge, 57 Is Huge. Granted that's the peak RG at the foot, most of the body is at 54 or smaller and the head is roughly 50 RG. Once past the first inch or so it has settled into a regular profile, mild to medium with plenty of that Habano finish. The burn is slow and steady with a cool return. It's been nearly an hour and I still have 4" of cigar left! The crack on the Head has been completely clipped off so no more worries there. What an enjoyable and Relaxing cigar so far. I'll update any changes or come back when it's done.

She's plugging right along and still just as consistant. At around 3" I had to correct the burn a touch, but otherwise great. I just now watched "The Little Drummerboy" on Hulu. It seems a shame that they don't show that on broadcast TV anymore. I guess it's not PC enough. I like seeing things like that, from my Youth, it makes me feel connected, You know?
She's moving along nicely now. I'm now picking up a slight sweetness and a toast like flavor, in addition to the other notes. While I generally prefer a fuller flavor and power profile, this is a welcomed change. It has a subtlty that is refreshing. This is a cigar that just about anyone could enjoy. Short of the Culebras, this is about the Mildest Partagas that I have ever had. Not boring at all, just Mild and Refined. The wobbly burn appears here to stay in the last few inches, nothing serious just a touch up here and there. The sweetness continues. I am very Pleased with this Cigar, it was 2 hours of genuine Relaaaxation. A definate Winner in my humble opinion.



PARTING COMMENTS: I very much enjoyed this Cigar. I definately had expectations for it and even tho what I expected was not what I got, it was great in other ways. This is a very laid back and slow moving smoke. Quality and certainly Quantity are both, to be found here in this particular cigar. There is Definately a place for it in Our World of Fine Cigars.










Cheers!






slack
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