#NowSmoking: Partagas de Bronce Cigar Review
#NowSmoking: Partagas de Bronce Cigar Review (Video)
Blend Details:
Factory: El Titán de Bronze – Miami, FL
Size: 6¼” x 46 (Corona Gorda)
Body & Strength: Medium+
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Medio Tiempo Ligero, Corojo Seco, Dulce Viso
Presented in boxes of 10
The Partagas De Bronce Back Story
Earlier this year, Partagas Cigars announced the release of their first collaboration blend, Partagas De Bronce. Like another STG brand, Cohiba Serie M, De Bronce is handcrafted in limited production at the famed El Titán de Bronze Cigar Factory in Little Havana, Miami, Florida. For the cigar’s name, the spelling of “bronze” comes from the actual Spanish spelling with a “c” as a tribute to the Cuban origins of Partagas and El Titan de Bronze.
STG’s Justin Andrews worked with El Titán’s proprietor and maestra ligadora, herself, Sandy Cobas and her blending team on this very special Partagas to create a puro that melds the iconic heritage of Partagas Cigars with the artistry of El Titán de Bronze.
Think about this: What you have here is one of Cuba’s most iconic heritage cigar brands in a version made expressly for the American Market; the entire blend was grown, cured, aged, etc., in Nicaragua; then, the cigar is blended and rolled in the United States by a crackerjack team of Cuban exiles. You gotta love the irony.
All that aside, Partagas brand manager, John Hakim, put it best: “Collaborating with a legend like Sandy Cobas and creating a special, limited edition cigar at her family-owned factory marks an important step in Partagas’ evolution.”
Only 5,000 boxes of 10 cigars were made and each box is signed by the El Titán de Bronze cigarmaker who crafted them.
Cigar Basics
As expected, the Partagas De Bronce is a stellar example of artisanship. The Corojo wrapper is first rate – caramel brown throughout and firmly rolled. I didn’t get much of an aroma off the wrapper as usual, but the tobacco at the foot was sweet with a speck of citrus. The triple seam cap had a nice round form to it. I’m not all that fond of extra-long cigar bands but both bands—the second band boasts the factory name—are attractively done with embossed bronze foil.
Partagas De Bronce Cigar Review
A straight cut produced an excellent draw with a mostly sweet tobacco pre-light flavor. Once lit, the first couple of puffs were spicy hot, but that didn’t last long enough to be significant. So, the first flavors were an earthy-woody mix with a bit of leftover pepper. The first ash to drop was 3/4”, roughly, and medium grey in color. Shortly after, the pepper and earth began to fade, an oak-like note emerged, and a hint of white pepper remained on the finish. A toffee-like note tried its darndest to squeeze out. Next, accents of leather and nuts. The smoke settled into a medium-bodied and impressively creamy cigar at this early stage. Retrohales were smooth with more of a nutty quality.
At the midsection, I was greeted by another long firm ash (see photo). The cigar is still medium in body and strength, and creamier. The aroma was a bit sharp. A mix of toffee and cashew developed. I began to notice how well the cigar was balanced. Suddenly, just before moving into the final inches, a faint hint of nutmeg knocked on the door.
During the final laps, the strength remained medium, while the body increased slightly to medium-plus. The nutmeg flavor became more dominant. There was still a hint of sweetness as some light earth returned, but the woody-nutty base flavors never left their seats. Letting it rest a little longer than usual, I did manage to get some more flavorful puffs out of it.
Are Partagas De Bronce Cigars Worth Buying?
If you’ve smoked any Herrera Estelí Miami or Cohiba Serie M cigars it’s easy to make the case for El Titán de Bronze’s superior craftsmanship. This Partagas De Bronce performed beautifully and had enough well-balanced flavors and complexity to hold my interest. It also casts a pretty wide net in terms of body and strength, so I think it will appeal to a lot of cigar smokers, especially Partagas devotees. Pairing-wise, I really liked it with espresso, but you should have no problem mating it with your favorite whiskies.
Because Partagas De Bronce is a limited edition release made in the United States, the sticker price is up there. If you’re more the collector type, I’m confident that they will further improve over time. Even so, if you enjoy smoking medium-bodied Nicaraguan puros, give the Partagas De Bronce a shot and let me know what you thought with a comment.