When the Cuban embargo lifts there will be quite a few things that will need to be decided rather quickly when it comes to a few brands, and one of those is Partagas which has been around since 1845. Prior to the Cuban revolution, the brand was last owned by the Cifuentes family before being taken over by the government of the island nation. Stateside, the brand is owned by General Cigar Company which acquired the trademark from the aforementioned Cifuentes family.
For the last three decades, General has released an Anniversario for the brand, with the 150 being perhaps one of my all time favorite smokes from the company.
Cigar Review: Partagas Aniversario
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Connecticut Havano
Filler: Dominican & Nicaragua
Source: General Cigar
Strength: Medium
The Look: At first look; I dislike the fact that they changed the red and gold band of the 150 and 160 to this. When it comes to collecting cigars I like the uniformity of the bands on certain limited production smokes. Changing the band to me instantly detracts from the cigar. Once you get past that which you cannot smoke, the Cameroon wrapper is darker than I remember the 150/160 to be and much more sturdy than the previous releases which were subject to cracking and splitting. In the hand the cigar feels like fine sand paper with no soft spots and a nice weight to it.
The Notes: Once the cap is clipped the cold draw serves up some cream, hay and a touch of earth that are slightly over powered by a little bit of a sour note like an artificial candy. The foot of the cigar has some elements of mocha, coffee and a faint wisp of wood.
Once the cigar is lit there is some pepper on the nose even before the first retrohale which for me usually doesn’t happen to the 4th or 5th puff. Once the pepper tones subside there is a dominant leather note and some cream. The retrohale enhances the pepper and leather.
In the second third of the cigar the leather remains, but some nuts join the mix. There is a flavor that is powder like or almost chalk like that is a detraction from the cigar, as it leaves the palate very dry. Through the nose the nuts remain but the finish is a bit rough.
The last third of the Aniversario celebrating 170 year continues to disappoint with a chalk like note over earth and leather. In the back of the throat the cigar feels a little rough and the aroma also reminds me of burning paper.
The Burn: The Partagas Aniversario has a perfect burn with a razor-thin combustion line that reveals a light-colored ash. The ash which has a slight flake to it holds on for more than a third at a time. The draw is slightly loose but it remains lit from first light to last puff.
The Finish: The Partagas Aniversario has absolutely nothing in common with its predecessors the 150 and 160 for me; which might explain the band change. While it might come off as being fixated on the band, to a degree I was because it took away from what the cigar was on a historical level. As for the tasting notes; the cigar lacked balance and that special something which results in the stick coming off as average with a way above average price point.
Score: 83
Price: $15.99
Bullet Points
- Once the cap was clipped I was taken back to see 5 larger veins taking up a lot of visible tobacco, some might refer to this as stems.
- I actually feel a little bent out of the shape that this Partagas 170 didn’t keep the uniformity of the other limited releases. It actually would prevent me from buying one.
- Who ever General Cigar hired for their bands just doesn’t get it based on this years releases.
- The one thing I’ve learned about the industry since I began working in it; is how much manufactures and retailers hate catalogs. And while manufactures continue to sell to catalogs they have to get the blame, since this cigar sells in those catalogs at nearly 40% less than MSRP. This is why many retailers have turned their backs on General cigar from what I have witnessed on the shelves of humidors around the country.
- When it comes to creating a level playing field in terms of pricing, the cigar industry is one of the worst.
- Profile wise; I would of never have guessed this to be a Partagas Cigar.
- I wanted to like this cigar, but it doesn’t smoke like a $16.00 stick or a $10.00 stick.
- Smoking time was 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Partagas Aniversario
Partagas Aniversario Foot
Partagas Aniversario Burn
