Partagas D1

The Ten Manchester Street cigar terrace has invested in some really great cigars lately, including some aged ones which are definitely worth a try... Amongst those, I recently caught the opportunity to smoke again the Partagas D1, a Limited Edition released in 2004 which has become really difficult to find over the last couple of years.

I have to say I love Partagas - they are amongst the most full body cigars you can find and they have that combination of wood and leather flavours that just makes it a cigar to smoke again and again. 

In this picture, Cristiano - F&B manager at No. 10 - is preparing my cigar for an afternoon of pleasure

And here is the cigar in all his beauty - a double-robusto (50 ring gage for 6.7" in length). I hadn't smoked one of these for quite a while and I have to say it continues to be a smoke not to be missed, peppery to start with evolving into a lot of spice with wood and leather - like a Partagas should be. The good news in my view is that the new 2010 Limited Edition - the Serie D Especial - seems to evoke some of the same flavours. Happy smokes!

Italian cigars... not only Toscano

I was having an interesting debate a few days ago with some fellow cigar smokers? Is it possible to  "sample" every day a cigar you have never tried before? The answer is certainly yes, if only because being hand made every cigar is unique; more importantly, however, one can always try his/her favoured vitola from a different year but also sample one of the more and more Limited and Regional Editions... Not all exceptional by all means, but a new cigar is always a new cigar :)

During the winter break, I had the opportunity to put my hands on the Italian Regional Edition released in 2009, the Punch Diademas Extra. The story goes that the cigar was meant to be released in 2008 but only hit the shelves in late 2009 as the first batch of gold foil used to wrap the cigar was lost, the second batch was simply of an unacceptable quality and when the last batch finally arrived the cigars were almost aged by up to two years...

The wait was in my view worth it, at least to the eyes. The box looks astonishing - see picture below (this picture is not mine, but I took it from www.cubancigarwebsite.com)

What else can I add? Well, I have to thank once again Ajay at the La Casa del Habano, who managed to find a few more of these big smokes - they are a 55 ring gauge for 9.2" in length. As mentioned, the cigar is beautiful and although the smoke is not necessarily the most amazing you will try, it has a nice peppery and creamy taste. I think the Diademas Extra is overall not too strong but the sheer length of it means that you will feel it all :)

A nice touch is certainly given by the bands outside the cigar, more visible in the picture below

So, next time you hit a cigar shop in Italy you should try your luck. Not many cigars are still around (total production was 10,200 cigars) but if you are looking to smoke something different from a Toscano (the traditional Italian cigars), these are certainly worth the experience