Initial Thoughts
Hot off the press is a brand spankin’ new release! This Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte will surely be the talk around the blogosphere for the coming weeks. Following up the huge debut of the Original Partagas 1845, the cigar manufacturer decided to go back to the well and see if they could make magic again. According to the press release this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte features a higher priming of tobacco used to create a ‘deep- rich smoking experience’. Just like its cousin, this cigar uses a Ecuadoran Habano wrapper & Connecticut Habano binder. The filler is a combination of Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan leaf from 3 growing regions.
It’s going to come in 4 sizes and it’s only available at brick and mortar retailers:
Robusto Gordo (5.5” x 52), SRP per cigar $7.49; Gigante (6” x 60), SRP per cigar $7.99; and Double Corona (7.5” x 54), SRP per cigar $8.19 and Supremo (7” x 58), SRP per cigar $8.49.
They’ve also created a new blend strictly for online and catalog retailers. However the packaging and blend are slightly different. If you’re on the lookout for that cigar make sure to search for Extra Oscuro. The wrapper on that cigar is a Connecticut Habano Oscuro wrapper, hence the name. Well, I think it’s about time to dive into this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte.
Looks
The packaging for this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte is very similar to the original. However, they have changed up the coloring on the band. Instead of the black and gold, this cigar’s band is black and silver. I’ve always been a bigger fan of silver rather than gold so this cigar grabs my attention a little more than the other. However, there are quite a few black and silver cigars out on the market and hopefully this one doesn’t blend in with the rest.
I love that they carried over the same box packaging as the original. If you don’t remember from the review earlier in the week, the box has a gorgeous acrylic cover (can acrylic be gorgeous?) with the logo etched into it. There’s a clear, for lack of a better word ‘swoosh’ across the acrylic that lets you peek into the box to see the cigars. The only difference from the original is the band, from what I can tell.
The wrapper on this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte is beautiful. To me it looks very dark and oily, much more so than the original. In fact this wrapper is reminiscent of the Liga Privada line. It’s not as velvety to the touch as those, but similar in color.
Function
Time to get down to the nuts and bolts of this cigar. I went to pull this cigar out of the cellophane and realized that it was pretty snug in it’s plastic cocoon. So I actually had to cut the cello to remove this cigar. I’ve never had to do that before. Its like the plastic was acting as shrink wrap. Anyway once I got it removed I was looking up an down the barrel and all of a sudden the band came off! Now, usually I don’t mind this because at least it didn’t tear the wrapper when it came off. I didn’t even have the chance to take my pictures with the band on yet though. So I had to hold the band around this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte and take the picture at the same time. I think it worked out ok though.
Looking up and down the barrel I can’t notice any flaws in construction. The wrapper looks perfect, very minimal veins and I can only see the wrapper seams up towards the head of the cigar. Performing the pinch test I didn’t detect any soft spots in the filler. The cigar has a nice little bounce back to it. It’s not overly stiff which is always a good sign to me.
Time to nip the cap off and test out the dry draw. The draw is nice and open, and doesn’t throttle down much of the air flow. I take a nice long pull through the barrel which makes me happy and I’m ready to put the flame to this cigar and see what all it has to offer.
Smoking
As soon as I put the lighter up to this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte it takes off, like it’s been waiting years to be lit up. I make sure to rotate the cigar around and get a nice even burn all the way around. This cigar is putting off a good bit of smoke that swirls around the garage before it’s eventually whisked out by my fan. For the first third the burn line is great and the ash held on for almost an inch. I was off in my own world enjoying this cigar so much that I forgot to snap a ton of pictures. So basically you get a picture of the first third and then the nub.
The rest of the cigar smoked and burned perfectly. I just sat back and enjoyed it. It was a very relaxing and pleasurable smoking experience all the way around. I did purge the cigar in the 2nd third and final third just to make sure I was getting clean flavors. It wasn’t a necessity, just something that I’ve started doing as of late. Now, onto the flavors!
Flavor
While nosing this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte I pick up lots of hay and grass on the barrel of this cigar. There are some hidden earthy notes as well. However, when I test the dry draw I pick up this sweet tobacco and molasses note. Usually its the other way around it seems. I typically get the sweetness on the barrel and the foot, but not usually in the draw.
Right when I light it up, I’m getting this heavy char and floral note. It’s followed up by an earthy note with some pungent wood flavors backing it. It’s quite the mixture of flavors thus far, not getting any of those typical spicy or sweet notes though. Everything is very vegetal in nature which is a nice change of pace.
Just when I say that, the 2nd third changes pace a bit and starts to deliver those strong nutty flavors and the spice picks up slightly in the retrohale. Once the spice dissipates I’m left with a strong floral note which is quite soothing.
The final third hangs on to that nutty savory note and the spice never really gained much steam. It was simply there to offer some depth and complexity to the blend. Which I can appreciate. This Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte hung out in the medium range the entire time. Never building up a ton of strength. It’s a great medium bodied cigar with a good flavor profile, it’s hard to beat that.
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Potentially, depends on the price point.
Would I Buy a Box?
I love the packaging of the box, so I might buy it just for that.
Conclusion
Overall, I really enjoyed this Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte. As I said above it has a nice and complex flavor profile that is backed by a solid medium bodied strength. The construction was great, never had a problem with anything other than the band. The draw and overall smoking experience were fantastic. So I have no quams about giving this cigar a 9 out of 10!
