Partagas Serie D No. 4 Cuban Cigar Review

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• Size: 4.9 x 50 (Robusto)
• MSRP: $260.00 (box of 25); $10.00 for a single
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Wrapper: Cuban
• Binder: Cuban
• Filler: Cuban
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Humidor Time Prior to Review: 1 year+
• Cigars Smoked Prior to Review: 0
• Source: Gift from Family
• Date Smoked: December 25, 2018

Today is Christmas morning. My girlfriend and her family are off to Tampa, and I stayed back to prepare the Christmas dinner. I have a ribeye roast defrosting on the counter, and wanted to smoke a nice cigar. Last November my girlfriend’s parents took a cruise to Cuba and were cool enough to bring back a handful of Cuban cigars. They have been resting in my humidor for over a year. I haven’t smoked any yet. This is the first one. I thought I’d pen a review while I smoked it.

The Partagas Serie D No. 4 is a cigar that needs no introduction among fans of Cuban cigars. I don’t proclaim to be an expert. In fact I know even less about Cubans than I do about Non-Cuban cigars, but I still know about the Serie D and I wanted to smoke this special cigar today.

Appearance and Pre-Light Aromas

The Serie D comes in a light brown, almost cardboard colored wrapper. The wrapper is smooth with some veins. Seams are tight but not invisible. The texture of the wrapper leaf is smooth, with light grit. Again, similar to the cardboard Amazon box I have sitting on the floor next to me, although I imagine if I thought harder I could come up with a more flattering analogy.

The cigar has a pleasant heft for its size and it is topped off with a triple cap. It’s a regal looking cigar with its simple red and gold band.

When I sniff the wrapper I get mostly hay and barnyard aromas along with a little sweet cedar. From the foot I get more hay and cedar.

I gently clip the cap and take a cold draw. The draw seems snug, but I get flavors of molasses and cedar.

I start toasting and light up. Start time is 10:30 A.M.

First Third

OK, wow. Upon first the first puffs I can immediately tell this will be a good cigar. Things can change, but the starting flavors are a deep caramel. Lovely and sweet. A rich nuttiness backs it up. Cream begins to unfold on the draw. The cigar is extremely smooth. The aroma is sugary sweet and borderline intoxicating. One hell of a start.

The draw is a little snug but I’m getting plenty of smoke. I think it will be okay.

It is dead silent this morning. No cars on the road, no lawn mowers, no nothing. Just the odd bird chirping and the hum of an air conditioner.

And it is a beautiful clear morning. Hardly a cloud in the sky. Sunny, and a near universally perfect 65 degrees outside with virtually no breeze. Great cigar smoking conditions.

Back to our Serie D. It continues to be a beautiful thing. Sweet cream on the draw, followed by caramel, nuts, light cedar, and the slightest bit of black pepper on the finish. The retrohale is smooth and easy featuring sweet tobacco and light cedar. I’d say the body is around a medium.

The burn is good. It’s mostly even, and producing a quarter inch or so of compact gray ash.

I’m just sitting here enjoying the cigar. Flavors haven’t changed much, but frankly I don’t want them to. Maybe there is a touch more cedar now.

The cigar is throwing off clouds of resting smoke. It’s a wonderful sweet aroma.

The cedar is growing tangy, heading towards citrus. The cigar is smoking slowly. at the 25 minute mark we have barely reached an inch. I think the tight roll may have something to do with that. Not sure if this is “normal” for the Serie D, but the cigar is otherwise smoking fine so I can’t complain. Good value for money as far as I’m concerned.

Second Third

Smoke time is 35 minutes.

A delicate floral note has arrived. It’s most present on the retrohale. Still getting plenty of cream, some sweet tobacco, light toasted nuts, cedar, and now a little coffee as well. Body remains at a solid medium. No strength so far. It’s a delicious smoke and I’m having a hard time putting it down.

I have to say I’m having a very nice and relaxing Christmas vacation. This year Christmas is on Tuesday, so I took last Friday off and will return to the office Thursday for a 2 day work week. Then I’ll take a couple days off for New Years as well. I’ve been going to the gym every day, working on my websites, catching up on some reading, and smoking lots of cigars. I work for myself as a trial lawyer, so the down time has been great. This cigar has been a great choice, and I’m looking forward to preparing an excellent dinner for tonight.

The Serie D continues to be a great cigar. The sweetness from earlier has morphed into a rich milk chocolate. Still getting cream and cedar, and a small amount of coffee. The retrohale is aromatic cedar and flowers. It is a rich and luxurious smoke.

I’ve given the cigar a couple minor touch ups. I’m talking about kissing a high spot with my torch. Maybe it would have self corrected, but I’ve given it a couple micro adjustments through the first half.

55 minutes in and the ash is hanging tough. I’m not going to knock the ash. Let’s see what happens. Even money it’s going to hit me square in the nuts.

The burn has grown a little wonky. Depending on what side you look at we have entered the final third.

The Final Third

Smoke time is about an hour and 10 minutes.

The floral notes have stepped up substantially. The cigar is very perfumy, especially on the retrohale. Still getting some cream. The sweetness has dialed back. Still getting light nuttiness and some cedar as well. Coffee has ticked up a few points.

The ash has formed a huge crack in it’s base, so I end the game of chicken with a light tap into the ash tray. That opens the draw. Creaminess kicks into high gear as the cigar emits thick, almost chewy, clouds of pale smoke.

One thing to note is that this cigar hasn’t been strong. When I talk about strength I am referring to the amount of nicotine. It seems some reviewers use strength to comment on both the body, and the amount of nicotine. When I review cigars, body refers to the volume or intensity of flavor. Strength refers to the volume of

The flavor profile continues to be steady and slow to change. A gentle story arc rather than a roller coaster ride. While I enjoy cigars with strong transitions, I enjoy the flavors here.

Right now cedar is starring the show. Coffee is a close second. There is still some sweetness but nothing like the first third with that deep caramel flavor. The retrohale continues two be floral and aromatic. It opens the sinuses, but doesn’t send you into a sneezing fit.

We are at the band. It has been applied perfectly, and pulls off cleanly.

nicotine. To me this has been a medium bodied smoke with a mild strength.

Great band design. I like the “less is more” approach.

As we reach the final inch the flavors begin to darken. The nub grows warm and I can taste the flavors begin to wash out. The smoke grows more oily, and the sweetness wanes. Coffee, cedar, and a light leather are the main flavors. I’ll keep puffing on it as I type up my final thoughts, but we are essentially at the end here.

Partagas Serie D No. 4 Cigar Review – Final Thoughts

This is a hell of a cigar. The first third is excellent, and immediately signals that you are in for a treat, and the rest of the stick does not disappoint. The cigar has a lovely almost linear flavor profile that provides variations on a theme more than chameleon like flavor transitions. I’m OK with that as the core flavors are excellent. That said I also enjoy transition heavy sticks.

Construction on my cigar was good. I only have one of these for review, and suspect my particular cigar was slightly overfilled, but it still smoked cool and even, requiring only a couple small touch ups. The initial ash held on for half the cigar, impressive and a signal of quality and care in production.

This is a beautiful cigar, and the best thing I have smoked in a while. It’s reputation as an excellent smoke is well deserved. A great special occasion smoke, or perhaps a regular rotation blend if you can source them for around $10 as the online shops suggest. I have not attempted to buy Cuban cigars on the internet, but the Partagas Serie D makes me rethink that decision.

As I said in the introduction, this particular cigar was purchased in Havana, which is completely legal. I don’t know what the laws are regarding purchasing these off the net, and would investigate that before making such a purchase. But since I live in South Florida maybe a cruise to Cuba is in order for 2019.

Final Score: 4.5 / 5 (box worthy assuming ~$10 a stick)

Final Smoke Time: 1 hour 30 minutes +

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