Length: 5 1/8"
Ring Gauge: 52
Strength: Full
Packaging: 1 Single
Vitola: Maduro No. 1
Smoking Time: 45 Minutes
PARTAGAS
If there is one building in Havana that excites cigar lovers above all others it is the old Partagas factory. You can find it at No. 520 Industria Street, just behind the Capitol building, in the heart of the city.
The factory was opened in 1845 by Don Jaime Partagas and was still operational until just a few years ago. It is now closed with plans to transform it into a cigar museum well under way. The Partagas shop on the ground floor however, remains open and is well worth a visit.
A Partagas is immediately recognisable by its deep, earthy flavour. The character of its blend springs from a selection of filler and binder tobaccos grown in the Vuelta Abajo zone and chosen for their unmistakable richness of flavour and aroma.
Partagas come in a wide array of shapes and sizes notably the Lusitania and the 8-9-8, a cigar that is named after the way it is arranged in its box.
But perhaps the best known of all Partagas is the Serie D No.4, the robusto size that formed part of the legendary Partagas alphabet series that dates back to the 1930s. In 2005 a Pirámide, the Partagas Serie P No.2, was added to the range, which has fast become the cigar of choice amongst lovers of full-flavoured Havanas. In 2011 the Serie D No.5 and the heavy ring gauge Serie E No.2 extended the alphabet series once again. 2014 saw the most recent addition to the range when the diminutive D.6 was added.
All sizes are ‘tripa larga, totalmente a mano’ – long filler, totally handmade.
MADURO NO. 1
Adorned with an additional band and dressed in a distinctive dark (maduro) wrapper the Maduro No.1 was an innovative extension to the range when it was released in 2015.
Maduro describes a very dark shade of wrapper leaf. The leaves are harvested from the top of the shade grown tobacco plant and after air curing, natural fermentation and ageing, assume their rich, dark, oily appearance which adds a “top-taste” to the blend which many describe as sweet. Dedicating Maduro wrappers to a vitola is not a totally new concept for Habanos S.A. In 2007 they launched the Cohiba Maduro 5 range in three sizes. However, this is brand new for Partagas and the size is also not currently found in the brand’s portfolio.
91 / 100
"A dark robusto with a slightly jagged head. It draws and burns well, imparting a streak of orange peel, hazelnut and salty leather on the palate. A big note of cocoa powder builds to the spicy, leathery finish..."