Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
by Staff
£52.99
Reviewed by Andy Marinkovich (October 2000)
What a pleasant surprise to return from my Christmas vacation to find a package from C.GAR Ltd with three Partagas Lusitanias inside of it. I was surprised the reviews weren't being done blind (no labels on the cigars, like we always did at SMOKE) but I wasn't complaining!
Even though I was recovering from a bout with the flu, I decided to start with my reviews. First, I'll say that each of these cigars were stunning in appearance and construction. They were perfectly shaped, box-pressed, and were covered with a dark, oily wrapper that exhibited very few flaws. These are the types of cigar that I get pleasure from just looking at and feeling them (no, I'm not perverse!).
The first Lusitania I smoked, however, turned out to be a problematic smoke. It was plugged! One of the things I hate the most about being a cigar smoker is having to put up with cigars that don't smoke properly. This particular cigar was rolled so tight that I could hardly get a draw. I lit it up anyway, and managed to get it going, but it was hard work. After some plunging with my draw poker, it opened up a bit, but would quickly close back up. I huffed and puffed on this thing, but the tobacco in these cigars is too strong to enjoy smoking it this way. I tried to get something out of it, but my mouth became raw and irritated from the continued puffing, and I had to give up on it just past the halfway mark.
The flavor of this first cigar was difficult to measure given the draw problems. It mostly came off as hot and acrid -- definitely not what a Lusitania should be. The cigar burned relatively straight, but the ash flaked and created a bit of a mess. Overall, a disappointing experience.
(As an aside, I will point out that I recently stopped buying Churchills and Double Coronas for two reasons. One, is that I just don't have the time to really enjoy big cigars these days, and plus I've found that I can get as much enjoyment out of a smaller sized stogie (such as the Bolivar Corona Extra, Punch Punch, or Rafael Gonzales Lonsdale) and pay less money for it. The second reason is that I've found too many draw problems with larger sized Cuban cigars. I purchased a box of Partagas Lusitanias about a year ago and more than half the box were almost unsmokable. (No, they weren't fakes!) I've had similar experiences with Hoyo Double Coronas and Punch Double Coronas, so I decided not to spend the extra money for the big smokes any longer, and stick instead with the medium sizes, where I've found draw problems far less prevalent.)
I tried the second Lusitania a few days later and had better luck with the draw, but it was still tighter than I would like. This cigar was strong, strong, strong from the first puff. I was able to taste some tarry, earthy flavors that also came across a bit hot, which I attribute to the tight draw and the extra huffing that was required to get a mouthful of smoke. This cigar burned evenly and had a semi-solid ash that was much better behaved than the one on the first sample. While I was able to smoke this one down to an inch-and-a-half, it still required more effort than I would have liked. The flavors improved in the second half as the cigar heated up, and delivered some powerfully spicy and earthy notes to my senses. I even had to put this thing down a time or two to ease my spinning head. While better than the first sample, this cigar only hinted at the greatness this cigar is capable of.
I smoked the last cigar three days after that one, and was so happy to find that it drew just perfectly. "Now this is going to be an experience," I thought to myself, and I was right! Like sample #2, this cigar started strong and immediately began to pummel my palate with it's intensely layered flavors of wood, spice, and earth. It had a definite nose-burning bite to it which I attributed to youth, and it definitely hadn't quite reached the kind of flavor balance I have experienced with other Lusitanias. However, don't get me wrong, this smoke rocked my world. As I continued to puff, the complex flavors flourished, creating a cigar nirvana that is not often attainable. While this cigar was powerful, it finessed my palate with a myriad of great flavors, and the complexity kept my palate singing for the entire smoke, which I puffed down to the last tiny nub. While this cigar could have used a bit of additional aging, it showed its greatness in heaps and was a joy to smoke.
One final comment on the Partagas Lusitania: I've had a good number of these fine cigars over the years, and the one thing I always realize after smoking them is that they are extremely powerful. I usually like a good, strong cigar, but these always manage to sit me on my ass for awhile. This is not a cigar to give to a beginner to try, unless they eat nails for breakfast. This is a brash cigar that likes to overpower you. If you let it work its magic and go along for the ride, you are in for an incredible treat. Still, it's a cigar that will be best enjoyed by experienced smokers who like cigars with attitude, power, and tons of great flavor. I just wish that every Lusitania drew as well as the last sample I smoked.
Thank you C.GARS Ltd for this fantastic opportunity, and I hope you find my comments of interest.
