Size: 49 × 194 (7.5")
Shape: Double Corona
Filler: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuba
Smoking Time: 1 ¾ hours
This week we smoked a truly classic cigar from one of the classic Cuban cigar brands – the Partagas Lusitania. The Lusitania was named after the famous ocean liner that was sunk by German U-Boats during WWI. Partagas cigars are known for their rich and earthy flavour profile and are amongst the most sought after Cuban brands on the market. The Partagas brand was named after its creator, Don Jamie Partagas, who opened the famous Partagas factory in 1845. Partagas cigars are amongst our favourite Cuban brands and generally make for a satisfying Friday cigar experience.
This is the second time we have selected the Partagas Lusitania for our weekly tobacco inspired retreat. We greatly enjoyed our first experience of the Lusitania; however, it was overshadowed by the second cigar we smoked that evening – the Tatuaje Reserva SW. As we walked into the humidor of our local B & M we were instantly drawn to the near empty box of Lusitania’s that sat unassumingly beside other fine Cuban product. We decided to abandon our plan to smoke some two year old Monticristo #2’s that had been sitting in our humidor (not an easy feat as the Monti #2 is one of our all time favourite smokes – see next weeks review) and purchased the Lusitania’s instead. These cigars smell great and our examples were well constructed with few noticeable veins or soft spots. We clipped the caps, lit the feet, and sat back in the well-worn leather couches.
The Lusitania certainly deserves its reputation as one of the truly great Cuban cigars. We found the cigar to be of medium strength and flavour with loads of cream, earth, and cedar. Initially we didn’t get much sweetness out of the Lusitania, but hints of honey and vanilla seemed to creep in and out of the flavour profile after we smoked through the first third. We found the cigar well-balanced and highly enjoyable – well deserving to become a mainstay in our Friday cigar roster. However, this particular stick become a bit harsh after the first half and we found ourselves having to put it aside for extended periods of time to let it settle down. Overall, we enjoyed the Lusitania and will most likely pick up a box in our upcoming Cuba trip. I give this stick four Castro heads out of five.
1 comments: