Learn with Lewis - Partagas

As an administrator, my role is extremely varied within the business here at C.Gars Ltd. I am extremely interested in the cigars, whisky and other products we have to offer and enthusiastic to learn about them. Follow me along on this learning journey, as I take you through what I have learnt about our brands so far; hopefully you can learn something new too!   Today I have been learning about the brand Partagas.

Ah, Partagas. One of the most well-known brands across the world from non-smokers and cigar aficionados alike. Partagas is the oldest cigar brand known that continue still making cigars to this day. Founded in 1845 by Don Jaime Partagas y Ravell, Partagas was located at No. 520 Industria Street, just behind the Capitol building in the heart of the city. 

In 1868, Don Jaime was murdered on one of his plantations. The killer believed that his wife was having an affair with the cigar maker. After so, the business was handed down to Don Jaime's son, Jose, who shortly after sold the business to a rich banker - Jose Bances. Bances did not know too much about the cigar industry, so he took in a partner called Ramon Cifuentes Llano. One year later Ramon Cifuentes took over the business completely and bought his first tobacco farm some tobacco fields. Furthermore, Cifuentes aquired the rights to the brand Ramon Allones, who also still stand to this day.

A few years passed, and the Cuban revolution hit. This proved to be terrible for many businesses, and the revonalutionary government of Fidel Castro took over 16 cigar factories; Partagas being one of them. In an interview with Cigar Aficionado in 1991, Cifuentes proclaimed "They came inside and said, 'We're here to intervene the company, and they didn't allow me to take anything from there".

Since 1960, Partagas have been in control by the Cuban Government.

Let’s have a look at some cigars from different lines:

Brand and Vitola	Size	Tasting notes
Serie D No. 4	4 7/8" length and 50 Ring Gauge	Well balanced and smooth, classic cuban Partagas aroma and construction. Wonderful. A king amongst Robusto cigars. Toasty and woody with citrusy hints.
Presidentes	6 1/4" length 47 Ring Gauge	A beautifully created cigar with the classic Partagas notes. Toasty, woody and full bodied.
Serie E No. 2	5 1/2" length 54 Ring Gauge	"...A thick cigar with a wrapper the colour of milk chocolate. Some initial acidity dissipates to show big notes of caramel, wood and a mineral finish..." - Cigar Aficionado
Maduro No. 1	5 1/8" length 52 Ring Gauge	"...A dark cigar with the spicy, meaty qualities of smoked sausages. The dry, tannic finish grips the palate leaving a touch of leather as well..." - Cigar Aficionado
LCDH Culebras	5 7/8" length 39 Ring Gauge	A unique cigar - or should I say cigars. The Culebras starts with light cedar and cocoa, then follows through with more of those classic spicy notes partagas are known for.

Summary

So, what have we learnt today?

Today we learnt about the interesting life of the brand Partagas, the tragedy that fell upon the man who created it and the brilliant link between Partagas and Ramon Allones. Thankfully, we can still experience this incredible brand to this day.

I hope you enjoyed today’s blog of Learn with Lewis, and I hope you learnt something new! Until next time, take care and happy smoking!

Lewis