Cigar Review: Partagas Serie D

• Vitola: Robusto (No. 4)
• 4.8” x 50 ring gauge
• ~$11
• Samples provided by Swiss Cuban Cigars

Background

In April I was contacted by Swiss Cuban Cigars about doing a review on a Cuban cigar brand in exchange for a link to their website. I’ve had a long-standing opposition to supporting the totalitarian regime of Cuba through any purchase of goods or services from the island nation, I thought it might be time to lighten up on my rhetoric and review a cigar that many people still see as the “world standard” for excellence.

While I haven’t purchased any Cubans myself in quite some time, I have partaken of the occasional Cuban stick that someone has generously gifted me. Some have been absolutely outstanding (Quai D’orsay and Cohiba Maduro 5 spring immediately to mind), some have been very nice (Juan Lopez and Bolivar Belicoso Fino, for example)…and some have just been disappointing (most Romeo y Julietas, recent regular-series Montecristos, San Cristobal). How would the Partagas Serie D stack up?

I have had the Partagas Serie D in the past, but it’s been quite some time. For this review, I have smoked 2 or 3 samples prior to the review sample I picked out. I will give Swiss Cuban Cigars kudos for packaging and shipping. The 10-count box they sent arrived packaged in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag to ensure freshness. It went straight from the mailing package to my humidor where I selected about 1 a week for 3 weeks before getting to this review. 

Prelight

I’m not an expert on identifying Cuban cigars vs fakes, but everything seemed legit on these. The tax stamp sealing the box had hologram and barcode. The print on stickers and clique on wood all seemed clear and crips and professionally done, not knock-off quality. The box date of February 2018 was clear and easy to find. The simple red and gold bands that are so distinctive of the Partagas Serie D line were of excellent print quality. 

The wrapper leaf of the cigar itself was a medium-brown, peanut butter color with a smoothness and oiliness to the touch and an aroma that had light notes of cedar and hay. The foot of the cigar had more hay and wood, along with a touch of earth. The faintness of all the aroma notes made me acutely aware of how much cellophane on cigars tends to intensify the prelight aromas (as well as protect the wrapper leaf) and made me appreciate that modernization of the non-Cuban cigar industry that much more.

Once clipped I got a very nice draw that featured flavors of cedar, grass, citrus and a little earth.

Flavor

Once lit there was a light grassiness, wood and a touch of lemon. The body was on the milder side of medium at the outset. Through the first few minutes, it tasted very much like some Dominican leaf I’ve had, without a trace of that “Novocain” numbness that I’ve gotten from every great Cuban cigar I’ve smoked since I can remember. Still, there was a bit of earthiness that was distinctively Cuban…a flavor I’ve only gotten from that island’s leaf. A bit of sweetness was in the mix, as well, in the form of a undefined fruitiness.

As I got into the second third, the Partagas Serie D had a mix of vegetal notes, earth, and slight sweetness. The retrohale was mild and woody and there was a bit of the numb tingling around my lips that I’ve come to expect from Cuban leaf. The body had increased to a medium-plus. 

Toward the end of the second third and into the the final one, I finally started getting some black pepper heat on the retrohale, while the general profile on the palate became more earthy, making me think of Nicaraguan leaf, though I was still getting that numbing tingling, too.

Construction

I had a good draw, very even burn line and solid ash.

Value

The price tag for these is very fair.

Conclusions

I have had this blend years ago…more than a decade ago…and don’t remember it closely enough to say if this is exactly the same blend or not…but…it definitely does not taste like most of the other Cuban cigars I’ve had in the last few years. At times there were hints of Dominican leaf, other times Nicaraguan, but that could just be my familiarity with those countries’ products and their similarities to some Cuban leaf, I guess. In the end, the Partagas Serie D is a nice medium-bodied cigar with a good amount of complexity and a price tag that won’t hurt your wallet like some famous Cuban brands will. If it all sounds like something you would like, please check out Swiss Cuban Cigars…their prices are fair, their shipping was fast and they took excellent care of the cigar for their journey.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10