PARTAGAS SERIE D NO. 6 (Box of 25)

Description

PARTAGAS SERIE D NO. 6 Details

The name Partagas carries a special reverence in the world of Cuban cigars, second only to Cohiba.  While the latter may have the edge in terms of prestige, Partagas certainly has it beat when it comes to history.  The first cigar in their ‘Alphabet’ range, the legendary Serie D No. 4, has been enjoyed for almost 100 years; in the last 10 we have been treated to shorter formats of it.  First came the D5 in 2011 before in 2014 we were treated to the arrival of the Partagas Serie D No.6.

The D6 has already become a firm favourite with smokers as it is so powerful, and so short.  At only 3 ½ inches in length, but with a thick 50 ring gauge, it packs a lot of tobacco into a fairly short body.  It is also heavily armed with that legendary Partagas full body; the entire 20-25 minutes of this smoke is intense and flavourful.

 

Construction: 8/10

• The wrapper was slightly veiny, although shiny and an enticing colorado shade of brown, and there was a slight solidity to the touch in places.

Draw: 10/10

• If the feel of the construction gave concerns the cigar may have been plugged, the smoke soon dispelled them. Perfect draw, from start to finish.

Combustion: 9/10

• Occasional touches of sideways which righted themselves without assistance. When put down, the cigar did tend to go out on its own a little too quickly.

Ash: 5/5

• Solid; silver, almost pure white, in colour and clung well to the end of the cigar.

 

Smoke: 5/5

• What seemed like gallons of smoke filled the area from the outset, aromatic and rich. For such a small cigar to produce such density was remarkable.

Flavour: 22/25

• Punchy and warm, spicy and intense from start to finish. The notes were, to my memory, fairly typical of the series – no bad thing, and great for a short blast in the middle of the day.

Overall: 32/35

• This is a highly popular cigar, and for good reason. For so much body to come from such a short smoke is exceptional, and unique in Havana cigars to Partagas.  Other cigars of this length tend to have correspondingly slim ring gauges, but the added girth of the D6 allows the blend to perform as it does in the larger formats.  Truly an excellent smoke.

Final Score: 91/100

• When I sat down to this review I made sure of 2 things:

I had a large lunch shortly beforehand and a pot of black coffee by my side. As soon as I lit up, that coffee was complemented by similar notes from the cigar – a rich, dark-roast flavour underpinned by fiery black pepper began the smoke with a bang.  As I moved into the middle third the coffee was replaced by deep, earthy aromas, but the pepper remained constant.  The final third brought a further rush of body, and increases in spice and yet more black pepper.  The heat on the tongue is fantastic, and the tingling aftertaste enough to cope with the richest of preceding meals and accompanying drinks, while still making its own flavour impression.  The king of the small cigars.