Partagas Black Label Clásico

5" X 54, Maduro

Appearance: This cigar was smooth and vein less and DARK. This cigar always looks kinda weird, like its not quite real. I have commented in the past that I thought the wrapper of this cigar looks shellacked! This one wasn't as dramatic as some I have had, but that weird, almost varnish sheen was there.
Pre-Light: My spiffy Palio clipped this stogie easily, and the draw was free and easy. Like I said before, this cigar doesn't look as much oily and attractive as shellacked. Pre-light draw yielded a bit of tangy tobacco, and some cocoa, but not as much as I was expecting.Burn/Draw: The thickness of the wrapper of this stogie seems to lend itself to burn problems, and every one of these cigars I have had show this. About an inch or two in the burn got funky (as shown below), and it never really recovered. Conversely, the draw was free and easy and produced a decent amount of smoke. Not an issue at all.
Flavors: I really tried to appreciate what others see in this cigar. I really did. But, alas, I do not see it. This cigar just does not taste particularly good to me. It has this tangy note that is not a pleasant one, like I enjoy in so many other cigars. This note is more like a rancid vegetal taste, like spoiled asparagus. There is also an astringent quality to this cigar that just turns me off. I guess there are some decent wood and pepper notes in there, and there was a quarter inch in the middle of the cigar where it wasn't bad and I could see where the hype might come from, but in general this cigar was awful, and I could not finish it. I would like to caution people that this is not my first Partagas Black as well, and this experience was consistent with the other cigars. Not Reccomended.

TomC