MY VERY FIRST REVIEW! (Don't Laugh Too Hard!)

Originally Posted 10/2003 here!

All right my first crack at a tasting:

Cigar: Partagas Naturales
Size: 5 1/2 X 50
Wrapper: Natural, Cameroon
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Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year

A Little Backround: The secret of todays rich Partagas cigars lies in their wrapper leaves. Grown in Cameroon, the Central West African country where the steaming, sub-tropical climate is unique to the fourth parallel, is ideal for growing superb wrapper leaves. The Cameroon wrapper has no equal for rich flavor and the Partagas is the richest of cigars with a deeply mellow taste.


Alrighty then I got my first haul of cigars today and a brand spanking new humidor. As part of the cigars I got a three pack of robusto size partagas from their 3 different lines. Natural, Black Label, Spanish Rosado. Because I couldnt wait till tomorrow for a smoke (got a Hemingway Signature for then) I decided to head out on the fron porch with this herf and a glass of Ancient Ancinet Age 10 Year bourbon, and see what happened. I dont know much about cigar construction so I cant comment on that yet except to say that the tobacco just under the cap seemed a little looser than the other two cigars I smoked. This may have had something to to with one of the problems I had with the cigar, it smoked a little faster than what I would have liked. It lit easily and burned evenly the whole way. The first third seemed a little tough on the draw and a tad tannic, though I am not sure if the tannic taste was all that bad. About 1/2 way through it opened up really nicely though, with tons of round feeling smoke and a flavor of slightly nutmeg like quality. This part was really enjoyable. It seemes to get abit more spicy following through to the end. Then everything fell apart. Literally. The last third was not only ever increasingly harsh, the cigar itself strted to unravel at the foot a bit. GRRRRR. This really frustrated me because to that point it was a suprisingly good smoke from one I wasnt expecting much from. not only was it enjoyable but it really played with the AAA 10 year nicely, the whiskey opened up to lose almost all its barrel notes and tatsed really fruity with a sweet finish that went on for miles. Luxuriant to say the least. It was a shame that the end was like crashing into a brick wall.

This cigar seems like a very workmanlike herf and I thing would make a decent everyday smoke, if it wasnt for the end. Until then, I was looking at the diminishing stick, wishing that I had gotten a longer cigar (I was wishing I had another #10 instead). Maybe a different shape would help the experience. It had perked my interest in the other two in the bundle though

TomC

Continuing the Archives Purge: Punch Gran Puro Rancho & Rock Hill Farms

One of my very first cigar reviews!

Cigar: Punch Gran Puro Rancho
Size: 5.5 inches X 54 ring gauge
Wrapper: Natural (says sumthin about it being special Honduran, Havana Seed Wrapper)
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Rock Hill Farms Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

A Little Backround: Punch Gran Puro is all-Honduran with an extra-dark, extra-bold Havana-seed wrapper developed exclusively for this cigar in the rich San Agustin Valley of Honduras. In addition, the binder leaves as well as the wrapper leaves are sun-grown and carefully selected from the highest primings to ensure the cigars' special color and flavor. The result is the puro of puros--a cigar impossible to imitate. A medium to full bodied cigar, Punch Gran Puro has a round, spicy taste with a hint of natural cinnamon that comes from the unique soil of the San Agustin Valley. Handcrafted in natural cedar, the Punch Gran Puro box expresses the cigar's rich heritage with an elegantly domed medallion that features a classic illustration of Mr. Punch and his dog Toby.

When I pulled this stick out of my spiffy humidor I noticed two things immediately: 1. That it was noticably bigger in size than the other 4 smokes I have had to this point. I didnt think that 4/64ths of an inch would be so obvious, but it surely was, and 2. Though this wrapper is listed as natural, it was also the darkest of all the cigars in the little sampling that I bought, which really piqued my interest in what was to come. It seemed well made and pretty tightly packed (didnt give much to slight pressure), there were a few small veins in the almost roast coffee colored wrapper. Being the dumbass that I am, I managed to scorch the thing lighting it, so initially it wasnt very pleasant, but as soon as I could knock the scorched ash of things improved dramatically. Initially (after first ash knock) it was spicy with pepper and sage notes, thet leads into lots and lots of wood tones, which I absolutely loved, first bolder like cedar and oak char (like bourbon barrels, yum), and then it got sweet like maplewood and a nice maple syrupy undertone. This was about the 1/2 way point and the cigar was producing voluminous amounts of round smoke. The other thing I noticed is that the ash was light, and rather firm, and held on for a LONG time (only knocked of the ash once after the first time). To this point it was a quite enjoyable smoke, and paired with the bourbon I chose (which I will describe after) nicely. But early in the last third, either the combination of bourbon and cigar, or the fact that it was a larger more full bodied than I had tried previously (or that I drank the bourbon rather fast) had me bugging out. LOL I was having an out of body experience, which by no means was bad, just quite unexpected (as an experience bourbon drinker I generally dont get buzzed on one glass of booze.). So even though I was enjoying the cigar thoroughly when it went out with 1 3/4 inches left to it (oh by the way, the draw got a little tight over tha last third) I decided that I didnt want to push it and just let it be. I will definately be trying it again sometime, though I will probably accompany it with a lighter, lower proof bourbon, or a microbrew beer.

You see the bourbon I chose to accompany it tonight was Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel/100 proof. And it really did fit the taste profile of the punch very well. It was big in the mouth with lots and lots of corn sweetness and a finish that went on for miles. I think the fact that these two went so well together kept me from pacing myself as well as I should have, and led to my big ole buzz. I dunno, I will say this, the pairing was good while it lasted.

TomC

More From My Archival Notes: Partagas Spanish Rosado and Four Roses

Name : Partagas Spanish Rosado San Agustin
Size : 5 1/2" X 52
Wrapper : Rosado (er, duh)
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Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey


Partagas is proud to introduce a new line to its family of cigars, Partagas Spanish Rosado. The Spanish Rosado name is derived from the wrapper that is grown exclusively for General Cigar in the San Agustin Valley in Honduras. "Spanish" refers to the country of Spain's influence in Honduran history, while "Rosado" refers to the reddish hue found in each wrapper. The new Partagas Spanish Rosado offers a new, unique taste that consumers have come to expect from Partagas. The Honduran-shade wrapper offers a rich, oily appearance with a consistent dark reddish-brown color. Because of the uniqueness of the soil, the wrapper provides a spicy taste with hints of cinnamon that burns white, leaving a beautiful ash. A Connecticut Broadleaf binder with a blend of Dominican, Honduran and Mexican tobaccos combine to make this medium to full-bodied cigar a must-have for serious cigar smokers.

Well it was a nice day for late November here in North-Central Ohio, nice enough in fact (a pleasant 47 and sunny) to wander out to the front porch with a good smoke. I have had one of these from a three pack partagas sampler I bought a couple of weeks ago and because of all the good stuff I heard about them I decided today was the day to try it, so i grabbed it, an nice pour of Four Roses Bourbon and headed out.

Everything about this cigar was pleasant, the wrapper had this nice amber glow to it and smelled fabulous as soon as I removed the cellophane. For once I nailed the way I wanted it cut and it lit easily, and drew perfect the whole time. Initially it was very mild and creamy with almond notes everywhere, with a nice fresh oaky undertone. It drew nicely and had plenty of smoke and because it seemed packed better than the Naturales I has had from this pack it burned slowly and evenly the whole way down (which also leads me to believe I finally pegged the right balance of humidity in my humidor). About a third of way in it gained some momentum with added coffee and dark chocolate notes, and that great crisp smell of a campfire off in the distance. This was sublime, to say the least. The last third kept the cocoa and coffee notes, and started to add the white pepper and sage that I had experienced in the other partagas smokes I have had, but not nearly as strong as the brick wall I hit with the Naturales. It never stopped being pleasant. This is what a partagas cigar should taste like to me. Take the regular ones, tell them to chill out a bit, and act a bit more refined and that is what you got here. From what I can tell these are rather reasonably priced as well, so I am surely going to get more. YUMMY stuff.

I have a real love hate relationship with Four Roses bourbon, when I am in the mood for it, nothing else will do, but when I am not it just doesnt impress me. Today it did not. It was underwhelming and had a sharpish finish today that I hadnt experienced much before. It was not nearly refined enough to match the cigar well. I will not pair these again.

TomC

Another Old Review : Hoyo Epicure #2 and WT 12 Year 101

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure #2
(4 7/8" X 50 ISOM)
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Wild Turkey 12 Year 101 Proof


I wasnt sure if I was going to get to smoke this beauty today. While it was not overly cold out in my opinion, it had been snowing all day and a little windy from a strange direction. Usually my front porch is sheltered for such things but the snow was accumulating on my porch swing! But nothinng was gonna stop me. And it seemed that God wanted me to have my fun too, because as soon as I headed out on the porch with this cigar and a few drops of WT 12, the snow stopped and the wind died out. No problems the whole time. This cigar looked innocent enough, a medium brown wrapper that was a little bumpy with a few veins. When I removed it from the little baggy that it was shipped in, and took a sniff there it was. I had always thought folks were strange when they said that cuban cigars smelled of a barnyard, but it did! Specifically damp hay in a horse stall. It lit easily. The first few draws were VERY VERY intense, and menthol, and it made me wince a bit and wonder what exactly I was getting into. Thankfully that did not last. It settled in to being medium in body with stronger (and yet smoother flavors) than most I had ecperienced before). There was an earthy undertone, like a damp peat bog that carried the base all the way through, with several rotating notes coming on top of it. Wood, almonds, butterscotch, a vegetal quality like fresh cut broccoli and blasts of black pepper (like I have experienced in domestic Partagas cigars, without the harshness though), all wafted in and out of the tremendous volumes of blue grey round smoke this cigar produced. Suprisingly, and unlike almost all cigars I have smoked to this point, this cigar got noticably sweeter as in neared the end, with the almond and butterscotch gaining momentum. Yummy Yummy Yummy. The only drawback to this cigar was that it did not seem to want to burn evenly, although this was never a major concern as it did not get ridiculous. The ash wash very dark in the center and mottled on the outside and held for about 2". As a final note, it would be remiss of me not to mention that I got a pretty decent buzz offa this one .

The Wild Turkey 12 year is delicious and paired well with this stogie, but I dont thing I am ready for quite that heady of a combination yet. After a few tiny sips to compare tastes I gave up on the whiskey to make sure my buzz didnt turn bad. All round sweet vanilla caramel and molasses in the mouth with the long spicy signature Wild Turkey spicy rye finish, it is a classic that is sorely missed in the US. This will be a must try combination again, as I gain experience.


TomC

Jessica Biel in the Real World = Still Hot!

Seem so long ago she was playing a goody two shoes on 7th Heaven, the lovely now movie star seems to prove (at least in these photos) that Lindsay Lohan/Britney/Paris Hilton/Tara Reid she isn't, as she stays stylish and fairly put together in public. Its nice to know not all budding starlets are trash.

TomC