Partagas 1845 Crystal

Today's cigar is the Partagas 1845 Crystal which is the tubed version of the Rubusto. This was my first Partagas stick ever, and... spoiler alert... it was quite good. The packaging was superb, and the cigar inside hand picked to be the best that Partagas had to offer.

The cigar sports a dark brown/ aged copper hued Dominican wrapper over a Connecticut binder with a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. With ingredients like that you know you are dealing with a strong cigar! Execution in the construction of this smoke was of the highest caliber. The wrapper was pretty smooth, a bit heavy on the veins for a "perfect" wrapper, and the cigar was firm from end to end. No soft spots, no hard spots. Just a nicely rolled, hand constructed smoke from a top-notch manufacturer.

I am a bit odd when it comes to enjoying a cigar... I like to savor the entire experience. The feel, the smell, the tastes, the plume of smoke, the ash... everything you can think of when it comes to a fine cigar. I must say when I pulled this cigar from the glass vial it was shipped in, the smell was amazing. I couldn't quite place it, but it took me back somewhere to early childhood and some great memory that was just beyond latching on to. It had a sweet tobacco smell with earthy overtones of oak and cedar. Not over-powering, but just the right blends of olfactory stimuli.

Nipping the head, I was a bit dismayed that the draw was a bit tighter than I had hoped, but not excessively so (I hoped). My first pre-light draw was nice, very nice. Those initial smells were rewarded with a dry taste that matched... Slightly sweet tobacco, perfectly aged and cured with hints of earth and wood.

After a light toasting of the foot, which released even more of those great pre-light aromas, the cigar sprang to life. I mean this is the reason we buy these things, isn't it, to smoke them? My first impression was quite a surprise! the first draws revealed quite a creamy, earthy lightly woody taste with strong natural tobacco overtones. There were not a lost of spice notes, just a hint in the aftertaste. Wow, what a nice blend!

The first half inch burned a bit uneven, but it quickly corrected itself and burned straight and true for the remainder of the smoke. I did find the draw a bit too hard for my liking, but in looking, I had barely snipped the cap so I elected to open it a bit more... After cutting this stick a second time, I was still within the shoulder of the cap and the opening was quite a bit larger. But still the draw was a tougher than I prefer. That being said, It wasn't so hard it could not be smoked, just not as easy as I prefer... We all have our little peculiarities when it comes to our cigars, don't we?

As I worked my way through the fist inch and into the second, I was pleased to find that the flavors, though evolving, stayed very consistent. You could tell this was a powerful cigar (medium-full if you read the literature), but it smoked more like a medium to mild cigar! The cigar produced a nice amount of smoke, and the ash was tight and held on to the end of cigar nicely. To those of you that like a smoke that stays consistent as it burns, with flavors that evolve very little, you may want to pick on of these up. While the flavors do change from beginning to end, the evolve quite slowly, and never end up harsh or bitter.

As I passed the halfway point of the 1845 I was thinking to myself that this is a really good cigar for its price point! A quick internet search showed a price point of about four bucks per stick for larger quantities, you can expect to pay a bit more for singles at your Local Cigar Shop. But still an affordable cigar, and quality in an inexpensive cigar is hard to find.

The flavors at three inches had added a taste of nuts, still quite creamy, but strong tobacco and woody flavors continued. This really didn't smoke like a strong cigar, but that feeling that you get when you smoke a REALLY strong cigar was there, what was missing was that powerful punch with every inhale that you normally get. very nice.

As I neared the last inch or two I kept waiting for the flavor to sour... you know what I mean, we have all had "that" cigar... The one that concentrates all the flavor into the nub and the taste gets stronger and more bitter the farther down the smoke you get... But that is not this cigar. The Partagas 1845 was well balanced from beginning to end. The flavors did get stronger, but remained smooth and creamy from tip to nub!

I am glad the guys at the Cigar Cave recommended this stick to me. I am not sure it is one that I would have chosen for myself. The wrapper isn't as dark as I usually like them, the strength is a bit lower that I normally pick (I love a full strength cigar!) and the price was indicative of a cigar that was not manufactured with the best materials... Man, was I ever wrong!

So bottom line, this is a great smoke at a dang decent price. The lesson for me was don't be afraid to try something new. Go out on the edge, pick a stick you would normally not choose. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers!
Jm