This year General Cigars rebranded the Partagas line with new bands and boxes, including the original line featuring a cameroon wrapper. I really like the new look and think it was overdue, honestly. The new branding looks much more modern and away from the old Cuban style that we’ve all grown used to. We have a video interview with Andres from Partagas about the new packing which you can see here. The blends were to remain the same with the introducing of the new Legend line. For this review, I’m smoking the Partagas Cameroon No. 1 in the lonsdale size, one of my favorite sizes
- Vitola: Lonsdale
- Wrapper: African Cameroon
- Binder: Mexican San Andres
- Filler: Dominican, Mexican
- Size: 6 3/4 x 43
- MSRP: $8.75
Pre-Light
The Partagas Cameroon No. 1 has wrapper that reminds me of pebble grained leather with a rich brown color. The cap isn’t the prettiest and it looks like it was quickly applied. The draw was a little tight, but it’s not too bad. I get notes of cedar, leather and pepper.
First Half
The Partagas Cameroon No. 1 starts off with notes of cedar, pepper flakes, orange zest, almonds and a hint of cocoa. I get a lot of the pepper flakes and more of the almond note. The Partagas Cameroon No. 1 puts off a lot of smoke with a full body and a long finish.
Second Half
The Partagas Cameroon No. 1 started the second half quite bitter. It actually enough that’s it’s negatively affecting the smoking experience of the cigar. I still get notes of cedar, orange zest, almonds and cocoa, but the pepper flakes have faded away. The flavor of the cigar is quite good p, but the bitterness is a little too much for me.
Conclusion
This is probably not the best Partagas in the line up. The flavor was there, but the bitterness really killed it for me. I’m not into this blend very much and, after the success of the Heritage, I thought it would be more balanced and flavorful. I guess not all of them can be winners. This one is a pass for me.
