Partagas Lonsdale (Box Date 1998)

As I was playing hooky from work recently, a friend of mine was also playing hooky on the same day, so we decided in the best tradition of the Brotherhood of the Leaf, that we would proclaim a day of smoking. My friend, being the solid Brother of the Leaf that he is, proffered this smoke as a palate cleanser for the cigar I reviewed just before this one. I gladly accepted and set to removing the foul remnants of the prior cigar.

This smoke is a near perfect visual. The wrapper is a chestnut hued brown and it shows plenty of age. There are few veins and the cigar is firm and bold looking, yet still elegant. I savor the pre light aroma of leather and spice. I also note that the pre light draw is showing deep, rich tobacco notes laced with spice and leather.

The cigar opens with a very intense profile of leather and crisp tobacco, the complexity is not what I would like at this point but the depth of the flavors is stunning. At the back of the palate and through the nose there are delicious flavors of toast and almost wheaty notes that make the cigar very interesting. The draw is tight, but not horribly so, I will gladly labor a bit to enjoy this cigar. The burn shows a nice shoulder, but is not especially sharp from the beginning.

The first half of the cigar continues to develop beautifully. There are notes of leather, spice and full tobacco flavors dancing on the palate. At the back of the palate there are still very satisfying toasty flavors and light spates of cinnamon that add to the complexity of the cigar. The draw continues to be somewhat tight, but I am still not having to labor in an untoward way. The burn is still lopsided, but the shoulder continues to show nicely.

The final half of the cigar shows an interesting shift. The core profile still shows heavy influences of leather, but cinnamon begins to show through at the front of the palate. At the back of the palate some toasty notes give way to spice and flavors of wood that transition this cigar into an unexpected place that I was not expecting to delve into. The draw is still too tight for me and the burn catches in the final two inches, however, neither of those developments are detracting in any major way.

The finish is long and lingers with a pleasing dusty quality on the palate. There are notes of leather and spice.

Appearance- 94 an excellent example of what a lonsdale should look like
Taste- 93 a fantastic taste experience that lacked early complexity, but fully recovered by the end
Construction- 90 is the best I can do after burn and draw issues
Strength- 93 a nice medium/full that compliments the profile well
Overall- 92.25 a very good smoke that could be classic with some complexity early

Partagas Lonsdale (Box Date 1998)

This was another gift from my friend and I looked forward to smoking it after his rave reviews. The cigar is beautifully constructed with a wrapper the hue of cafe au lait, there is little veining and the silky smooth exterior is most appealing. The pre light aroma is of cedar and light tobacco essence. The pre light draw smacks of leather and light wood.

The cigar opens with an unexpected complexity. The core profile is of leather and light tobacco, but there are undertones of cedar and other wood. The draw is a bit tight, but I expect this from cigars of this geographic vintage. The burn is steady with a fantastic shoulder.

The development in this cigar is too difficult to describe in stages. There are three significant profile shifts during the duration of this smoke. The first described above. The second shift was to a core of rich tobacco with undertones of lemon zest and orange peel. The final shift was to a core of lighter tobacco flavors with undertones of leather, light earth, cedar and vanilla bean.

The finish of this cigar was long and smooth with notes of leather and rich tobacco. This cigar is a classic, and I wished it was longer for further evaluation.

Appearance- 92 a beautiful cigar with a bit of a ruddy look
Taste- 98 this cigar had complexity and depth that is seldom experienced
Construction- 98 this cigar performed extremely well, for this vitola the construction was nearly flawless
Strength- 95 a wonderful medium smoke that complements all other elements of this smoke
Overall- 95.75

Partagas Seleccion de Connoisseur (Box Date 1999)

This is a 10 year old lonsdale that I have been anticipating after hearing about them from a friend. He gave me this one to try tonight. The cigar presents with a ruddy appearance and prominent veining in the wrapper. The feel of the cigar is firm and well rolled, exactly as I would expect from this vitola. The pre light aroma is floral with some leathery notes touching the nose. The pre light draw also has floral notes and I can feel the tingle synonomous with high nicotine content, but is not tight as I have experienced with other cuban cigars of this size.

Upon lighting I am immediately intrigued by a unique floral essence that continues for the first two inches. Then a feeling starts to coat my palate, the tingling almost minty feeling that comes along with blasts of nicotine. The floral notes and the nicotine continue to almost the half way point of the smoke.

At the half way point a profile change emerges and I begin to pick up a strong leathery core with undertones of pleasing medium tobacco flavors. The burn stays strong and the burn stays razor sharp. The ash is a dark gray and the shoulder on the cigar is prominent.

The last half of the cigar is sneaky strong and catches me offguard. The leathery core intermingles with a re-emerging floral note and finishes with a flourish of leather, floral notes and tobacco flavors.

I was impressed with this cigar as I am aware of the difficulty in maintaining quality in smokes of this size. The construction and burn were superior.

Appearance- 84 the ruddy, veiny looks hurt the appearance
Taste- 92 the complexity of this cigar was above average and the profile changes were satisfying
Construction- 95 one of the finest examples of a lonsdale that I have smoked
Strength- 91 surprising nicotine notes made this stronger than expected
Overall- 90.5