El Jefe
05-19-2013, 12:29 PM
Wow, this was really cool, even tho I kinda got rick-rolled in the process, but in a good way. :naughty:
So yesterday after lunch I decided a smoke sounded good, but I didn't have time just then to commit to a churchill or any thing of much size. So I'm looking through my small humidor that holds the smokes I'm intending to burn now. I come across a small Partagas cigar that looks to be perfect, about 5" X 42. This little stick had recently been gifted to me and much as I did when I unpackaged it and put it in the humidor I only glanced at the band and didn't give it much thought. My habit when smoking a stogie is to remove the band before I light it. Not sure why, I just don't like the band on em usually.
Here's what it looked like before the band came off...
http://s22.postimg.org/61zlbxiwx/cigars_beer_whatever_105.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
I noticed right off that this cigar smelled great before being lit. I took that as a good sign that it would be a good smoke, little did I know. At the outset this little stick proved to have some punch to it, pepper, cedar, rich tobacco. So I concentrated on not herfing on it like a Don Diego and just kinda let it come to me if you will. After about a half inch this thing got really complicated, one second its spicy as hell, the next I'm getting flavors and aromas I can only describe as floral, a few times I actually thought of wild honeysuckle. Thats definitely a first in my experience, not only did it surprise me but I was mildly shocked at how much I enjoyed this new tobacco flavor. :thumbsup: No sooner had I noticed the floral notes than the flavor profile of the cigar shifted gears and suddenly it was coffee and dark chocolate followed by leather and a sweetness reminiscent of caramel. Damn! It was at this point I knew something was up and that I was smoking something much more substantial than I had at first realized. I had tossed the little band into a pile of cigar bands that have been accumulating on my desk here. I located it and gave it more scrutiny than I had previously. BOOM! There it was, plain as day, Habana-Cuba. I quickly did some innerwebz sleuthing and figured out that Partagas in Havana had changed the label on these to its present version in 2007. This tells us that this stick was made at some point in the last 6 years. I also checked on a couple of sites that will authenticate bands. There are fake cubans out there, but this band was legit and matched none of the known fakes. Not that I was surprised, by this time I was halfway through this cigar and it was still proving to be an incredible smoke. Its really rare in my experience for a cigar to offer all of the different flavors that this cigar had. At no time was it harsh or unpleasant, just nothing short of fantastic.
http://s21.postimg.org/gdr3vxtkn/cigars_beer_whatever_108.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
http://s17.postimg.org/ng0hmtahb/cigars_beer_whatever_109.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
As you can see the burn line wasn't perfect, but neither was it a problem. This cigar had a perfect draw and look at that firm, white ash. :naughty:
This ordeal caught me off guard and ended up being a very pleasant and special treat for my weekend. Hard to bitch about anything when you're sitting around smoking free Cuban cigars. ;)
I'm really tempted to call out my Bro who sent me this, but I don't know if he wishes it known that he's a common criminal who peddles contraband! :embarrassed::thumbsup::cigarsmoking:
But seriously, this was a very generous thing to have done and I won't forget it. Thank you my friend. :) Now go ahead, fess up. ;)
So yesterday after lunch I decided a smoke sounded good, but I didn't have time just then to commit to a churchill or any thing of much size. So I'm looking through my small humidor that holds the smokes I'm intending to burn now. I come across a small Partagas cigar that looks to be perfect, about 5" X 42. This little stick had recently been gifted to me and much as I did when I unpackaged it and put it in the humidor I only glanced at the band and didn't give it much thought. My habit when smoking a stogie is to remove the band before I light it. Not sure why, I just don't like the band on em usually.
Here's what it looked like before the band came off...
http://s22.postimg.org/61zlbxiwx/cigars_beer_whatever_105.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
I noticed right off that this cigar smelled great before being lit. I took that as a good sign that it would be a good smoke, little did I know. At the outset this little stick proved to have some punch to it, pepper, cedar, rich tobacco. So I concentrated on not herfing on it like a Don Diego and just kinda let it come to me if you will. After about a half inch this thing got really complicated, one second its spicy as hell, the next I'm getting flavors and aromas I can only describe as floral, a few times I actually thought of wild honeysuckle. Thats definitely a first in my experience, not only did it surprise me but I was mildly shocked at how much I enjoyed this new tobacco flavor. :thumbsup: No sooner had I noticed the floral notes than the flavor profile of the cigar shifted gears and suddenly it was coffee and dark chocolate followed by leather and a sweetness reminiscent of caramel. Damn! It was at this point I knew something was up and that I was smoking something much more substantial than I had at first realized. I had tossed the little band into a pile of cigar bands that have been accumulating on my desk here. I located it and gave it more scrutiny than I had previously. BOOM! There it was, plain as day, Habana-Cuba. I quickly did some innerwebz sleuthing and figured out that Partagas in Havana had changed the label on these to its present version in 2007. This tells us that this stick was made at some point in the last 6 years. I also checked on a couple of sites that will authenticate bands. There are fake cubans out there, but this band was legit and matched none of the known fakes. Not that I was surprised, by this time I was halfway through this cigar and it was still proving to be an incredible smoke. Its really rare in my experience for a cigar to offer all of the different flavors that this cigar had. At no time was it harsh or unpleasant, just nothing short of fantastic.
http://s21.postimg.org/gdr3vxtkn/cigars_beer_whatever_108.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
http://s17.postimg.org/ng0hmtahb/cigars_beer_whatever_109.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
As you can see the burn line wasn't perfect, but neither was it a problem. This cigar had a perfect draw and look at that firm, white ash. :naughty:
This ordeal caught me off guard and ended up being a very pleasant and special treat for my weekend. Hard to bitch about anything when you're sitting around smoking free Cuban cigars. ;)
I'm really tempted to call out my Bro who sent me this, but I don't know if he wishes it known that he's a common criminal who peddles contraband! :embarrassed::thumbsup::cigarsmoking:
But seriously, this was a very generous thing to have done and I won't forget it. Thank you my friend. :) Now go ahead, fess up. ;)