Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas 2020

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  1 Forrest

  (3 years ago)

  The best cigar I ever smoked was the Partagas 150 D.

  And I went out of my way to try many, many of the various winning cigars from annual best-cigar reviews over the years --including many, many Cubans.

  The 150 D was the best.

  Made in the Dominican Republic, it was a blend of Mexican San Andrés and Dominican Piloto Cubano filler, with that San Andrés for its binder, and a vintage, Cameroon, African wrapper.

  That wrapper….

  Aged 18 years.

  And how it married with those fillers.

  Wow.

  It was released to celebrate Partagas’ 150th anniversary of the founding of their brand. The year was 1995.

  It was made in seven sizes:

  A 43 x 6-¾ --a Lonsdale.

  B 47 x 6-½ --a Churchill.

  C 49 x 5-½ --a “Hermoso”? A half-inch-longer than a Robusto.

  D 38 x 5 --a Panatela.

  AA 49 x 7-½ --a Double Corona.

  Robusto 49 x 4-½ --a slightly short Robusto.

  Don Ramon 52 x 7 --a Presidente, in an extra-fancy, beautiful box that looked like a book.

  I tried every ring gauge but the largest, the 52, the Don Ramon. I learned from trying the various ring gauges that I preferred the smaller ring gauge, for how the flavor of that fantastic wrapper came through the smoke.

  I vastly preferred the Panatela. Irrefutably more flavor of Cameroon than even the Lonsdale.

  The Partagas 150 D was a medium-strength cigar with FLAVOR. Beautifully-balanced, rich flavor. Accomplishing full, rich, balanced flavor from a medium-bodied cigar is high art in cigar-making. Accomplishing both flavor and silky, creamy-rich smoke from a Panatela that smokes not-hot and burns and draws as perfectly as a larger cigar all the way to its nub end is the highest of the art. This was a masterpiece. An astonishing accomplishment. Not only was it the best Panatela ever, it was the best cigar ever.

  It was thoroughly enjoyable even before lighting it. Its wrapper was the single best chewing tobacco on the planet. And its smoke was as good as it gets all the way to the nub. It did not get the slightest hint of ammonia at the finger-burning end.

  These masterpieces were sold out by the time my son was born in 1997. (Probably providential because I’d have felt that celebrating the birth of my new-born son by handing such a masterpiece of a cigar out to non-aficionados was a sin; while, at the same time, that to NOT hand this masterpiece out to everyone in celebration was a sin.)

  I read that there were a million 150s made, in total. I don’t know if that is correct. The largest run of the sizes was reportedly the A, the Lonsdale, 300,000 of them; and, the shortest run of the sizes was, of course, the Don Ramon, the Presidente, 10,000 of them. I don’t know how many of the Panatelas were made, but I certainly smoked a good share of them, if not most of them.

  After they were sold out, I tried in vain to find another cigar that I liked as much. For years.

  Then, in 2021 January, I discovered the Decadas. A Lonsdale. 43 ring guage. 6-¾ long. Same blend, same binder; and again, an aged Cameroon wrapper.

  This cigar’s binder and filler is also aged at least 10 years. Wonderful.

  It is truly wonderful to again get to enjoy what I so loved about the 150.

  And I very much appreciate that each cigar is sealed in its own glass tube with a hand-applied wax closure.

  I love how mellow it is. Subtly sweet. Mild Cedar comes in in the middle. I recall a bit more leather flavor in the 150 D --probably due to its thinner ring gauge-- but my memory is not to be trusted.

  This Decadas is Delicious.

  And it draws beautifully; burns evenly; has a lovely creaminess to its smoke. It has a decent-length ash hold. It’s tasty to nearly the end --almost to its finger-burning tip like the 150 D was.

  And that leads me to the reason for my un-solicited review and posting here:

  Please, please, please make the next Decadas a Lancero.
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  1 Mc

  (3 years ago)

  I have several from the 1996 and 1998 Decades Limited Reserve series

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