Vitola: Dalia (Lonsdale)- 6.75” x 43 ring gauge
- MSRP $17.99
- Samples provided by General Cigar Company
Background
For the second year, the Partagas Limited Reserve Decadas has returned for a limited run. Matt Wilson, senior brand manager of Partagas said, the “Limited Reserve Decadas 2020 bring our venerable Cameroon tobacco to life in an intriguing way through an exclusive blend developed solely for this release. For cigar smokers who appreciate the depth of aged Cameroon wrapper and who seek extraordinary smoking experiences, [this release] is the ultimate super-premium indulgence.”
The blend for this release features 2009 crop Dominican Piloto Cubano and 1997-98 crop Mexican San Andres leaf in the filler, a 1997-98 Mexican San Andres binder, and a 2008-09 Cameroon wrapper. That growing season was said to be exceptional and only an average of three per thousand leaves from that crop were hand-selected for this release.
The Limited Reserve Decada 2020 shipped in November 2020. They are packaged 10 to a box, with each stick enclosed in a glass tube sealed with wax. At the time of this writing, our sponsoring cigar retailer, Small Batch Cigar, was sold out of this release, but they do have a button for “Notify me when available” if you want some and hope they get another shipment. I got mine from General Cigar Company and this is the third sample I’ve smoked.
Prelight
The box for these is a nice fairly upscale look, while the glass tube and hand-dipped wax is definitely a high-end thing. If you are going to have a Partagas branded cigar in this size cost as much as this does, it’s a good thing to bring a little bit of “show” to the packaging to make the buyer feel like it’s worth it. The band was a bluish-gray with white type and gold foil. The secondary band has a photo of Ramon Cifuentes, Sr., the man who took the Partagas brand to new heights during his tenure as owner in the early 1900s.
The wrapper leaf was very dark for a Cameroon leaf. Honestly, it was a dark chocolate brown that is more normal for Maduro leaf, although I’ve never heard of a Cameroon described as “Maduro.” It was oily to the touch and smelled of earth and cedar. The foot of the cigar had more barnyardy earthiness and a touch of semi-sweet chocolate.
After taking a generous cut on the head, I got a pretty good draw that had flavors of citrus, copper, cedar, and earth, with a touch of red pepper left on the lips after taking a test draw.
Flavor
On lighting up the Partagas Limited Reserva Decadas 2020, I got metallic mineral notes first things, with cedar and earth coming in slightly afterward. Toward the finish there was a little sweet and spicy mix that I have come to expect from Cameroon leaf. The retrohale had a much stronger pepper note, one that I’ve come to describe as “wasabi scorching heat” that is typical of Cameroon. There was also some cedar on the nose.
As I got into the second third, I picked up more earthiness and touches of leather. The metallic notes had faded and there was a steady black pepper burn at the back of my palate, along with occasional hits of sweet citrus.
The last third had a surge of pepper spice on the palate, pushing the earth and leather to the side. There was a stronger sweet component in the mix, too, although it was different from the citrus notes, maybe a little dark fruit.
Construction
I had a very good draw, although one of the samples I smoked was a little tight and I’ve heard from others that tightness is a frequent issue with these. It may be a cigar you want to dry box for a few hours before smoking. The burn line was very even and the ash was solid up to about half an inch.
Value
This is an expensive cigar for this size, really rising to the level of Davidoff pricing. I’m glad to say that I really felt it delivered on that price tag with the experience.
Conclusions
While I won’t go so far as to say “this is what a Davidoff would taste like if they ever did a Cameroon wrapper” it did fall into that same general category: rich, medium-bodied cigar with plenty of complexity to justify its elevated price tag. If you don’t have problems with the draw (I didn’t) it’s worth the cost of admission and sure to satisfy those that love a great Cameroon leaf.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
