Wrapper : 34 year old Cameroon
Binder : Mexican
Filler : Dominican and Mexican
Source : Gifted to me by Rob Griff
Today I have something very special for you in this cigar is well out of my comfort zone price wise to be bought except very rarely. That cigar is the Partagas 150.
I am going to be smoking the robusto size today which is a 5×50.
This cigar was made by General Cigars to indicate the 150th anniversary of Partagas. I have also tried the Partagas 160, which of course was made to signify the 160th anniversary, so we shall see how they compare.
Pre-Light
Starting out with the Partagas 150 and I am amazed at how well the condition of the wrapper is after all these years, especially when they did not have cello on them. The wrapper looks, tight, for a lack of a better word and seems to almost draw together at the head like having crows feet around the eyes.
I do not get a noticeable scent from the wrapper or the foot but the cold draw entices me with a slight hint of spices.
After one of my man servants clipped my cigar, I am off and smoking.
Apologies again if you have to watch me in the video as my smoking jacket was still at the cleaners when this was recorded.
First Third
Diving right into the first third, this Partagas 150 is giving me a very mellow spice taste that coats the palette along with a hint of sweetness and woody notes.
I must say, this first third went by very rapidly. I believe I finished it in 15 minutes. I will pay closer attention to how fast I am smoking it compared to the cigar burning itself to see if it was my fault.
A very mild cigar with slight hints of spice, sweetness and woodiness on the taste buds.
I do think the Zaya rum i am drinking is bringing out the sweet taste in the wrapper very nicely, as I tried the cigar without Zaya in the first few puffs, then when I took a sip it made the wrapper blossom.
Second Third
Into the second third of this Partagas 150 we go.
I will say, at this point, it is a very mild smoke that has very nice subtle hints of flavor that coats your palette with love and admiration.
Ending out the second third on about the same notes as the first except the woody taste is more on the aftertaste and not really noticeable up front.
Still a mild cigar with a great flavor to it. I wish I would have had one before so I could see how the extra age has changed it but compared to the Partagas 160 (from what I can remember) it seems to have a smoother spice to it and the other flavors are a little duller.
Final Third
Oh how I hate to be on this final third of my Partagas 150 already. I am really enjoying this cigar and at a price point of around $28, I should be.
I notice a bit of black pepper creeping in at the beginning of this third which adds a nice little change to the cigar.
Spice seems to have picked up a little bit in this third along with the woody taste in the background. I am not getting as much of the sweetness as I had in the beginning but that may be due to the spice ramping up just a little bit.
In about the last inch to inch and a half the black pepper has really kicked it up a notch. It caught me off guard at how much it ramped all of a sudden.
Even at the end of the last third the spice was the talk of the town. It was amazing.
Wrap-Up
I do not think I can put into words how much I liked this Partagas 150. I would tell everyone if you have the funds, go buy a couple to try, I do not think you will be disappointed.
Would I buy again? Oh hell yes, if I can find them and if I had the funds at the time.
Let me know in the comments what you thought of the 150. Let me know if you had one back in 1995 or so when they were released and how they have changed over the years. Also let me know if you have had the 160 also and how you thought it compared.
I also wanted to throw in that the cigar did seem to burn slower the more I smoked. Maybe i slowed down to savor the flavors, I am not sure.
Thank you again to Rob Griff for giving me the chance to try this cigar!
Here is Jerry’s take on the Partagas 150 – it is a different size though
AUDIO –> Right-Click: Save As
Purchase this album – Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos No. 3 & No. 4
Best video ever!!!!
Epic. Just have to ask–was the tie a clip-on?
no and I tied it myself too 🙂
Untouchable…
$28.00 bucks? I may have to rethink my opinion of you being a cheap hippie! Nice job Mike. 😉
mango
Hee Heee…..Fantastic.
@jessbayne here….. Mike….you’re such a fox!!!!!
:p
Loved the piano intro! 😉
One question: You WERE wearing pants, right? :p
Nice review, Mike…very snazzy!
Superb, fantastic, marvelous review Mike. Very enjoyable and informative, by the way can you pass the Grey Poupon.
Mikes best review to date! One word to sum it up… WINNING!! :p
CLASSIC!!!!
this ranks up there with Jerry the Elf.
Loved it!!!
Very creepy when you say “one of my boys.”
Sweet pants!
Did your wife pick-out the outfit for you? What shop Is on sale the Partagas 150 Cigar? It’s a good show…
Very entertaining, Mike. Do you ever do any hand wringing over when to light up something as special as this one? And how much of that Zaya did you have prior to filming?;-)
A LOT of hand wringing. When I only have one of something this hard to find, I usually try and save it for a special occasion. What better special occasion than to share my experience with all of you 🙂
1 glass before and 1 glass during lol
Mike best video ever period. I couldnt stop laughing and for you to keep a straight face. Classic oh and the cigar was bad either. Lol
I have paid 98.00 for this stick at Club Macanudo, in NYC, and have recently found a stash of 10 rare robustos that I have purchased, and keep securely in my humidor.
I may know of some more for sale…
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1843898/P150s.jpg
These are for sale at Fort Collins, CO only tobacco/cigar shop. FYI
I still have an untouched Partagas 150 Chest (Ramon y Ramon 150-ct version) from 2000 that I was about to
put on the market, but CigarAuctioneer.com just listed 5 sticks of the “C”…and they are moving hot on the bids!
Think I’ll wait to see what the final bidding gets too…(Too bad the Ramon y Ramon’s never got marked – Very Rare to find those!)
I bought a chest of Partagas 150 Robustos in 1996 in a shop in Evansville, IN for $78.00. My daughter graduated from high school that year and I celebrated with four of my friends (and a few undeserving guests) that she was valedictorian and attending Notre Dame. Four years later I celebrated that graduation with two of the same friends. I remember the smoke as spicy, clean draw with a distinct peppery finish. The after taste was a pure tobacco pleasure, I found myself wishing that the cigar was a Churchill! Little did I know it would be 13 years before I would celebrate another worthy event. I stored the cigars in their chest in a humidor and just recently brought them out. I found them in remarkable condition. When I first saw them, the bands were uniformly loose indicating to me that the cigars has lost some of their humidification. After a month, in a closed moist bag, they regained their shape and all the bands fit properly. The Cameroon wrap still has its luster and no flakiness is apparent. This accounts for the fine tobacco used, now 38 years old.
The memorable event this time is my retirement at age 65. We are having a large party at our lake house and one of the original four men will be there. I have 11 sticks left. I wanted to know the present value of of the 150’s as I enjoyed them. That’s how I found your site. The party is tomorrow night. I’ll report back the joy they bring me again!
In a retail setting, such as club Macanudo in NYC. The robust is retail for 100.00 a piece