Partagas Seleccion Privada EL 2014 Review

[JohnS]

Partagas Seleccion Privada - Edición Limitada 2014 (OPG Dic 2014) 

Vitola: Magnum 50 (50 ring gauge x 160 mm or 6.3 inches)

Introduction:  I've been meaning to visit this cigar for some time now, perhaps as much as 12 months. So why did I put it off for so long, and why has this Limited Edition cigar flown 'under-the-radar' lately? Certainly you rated it highly. A recent thread below discussed the two best Limited Editions of the past three years and the Partagas Seleccion Privada got many of your votes.

 

Heck, it even got my vote! (Okay, I've sampled the H.Upmann Magnum 56 since then and so it's hard to just choose two.)

 

Aroma and Cold Draw: Typical of Limited Edition releases, the aroma was refined yet strong. The wrapper was a distinctive rosado 'red'. My cold draw instantly told me that this was going to be flavoursome, I could detect pepper even before I lit the cigar.

First Third: The very first puff indicated Partagas DNA, oh boy, this was full of flavour. Coffee, sourdough, some leather and pepper, this was like a mild-medium Partagas Serie D No.4 with about 3 or 4 years of age on it. There was also good pepper through the nose and excellent amounts of smoke per puff.

 Second Third: This was by far the most enjoyable part of the cigar, this is where I want the cigar to be in the next two to three years throughout its length. By now the pepper had died off, retrohaling was more smooth, and the coffee and sourdough spine one gets from a quality Partagas Lusitania was what I savoured.

Final Third: During the final third, I encountered the standard dominant 'toasted tobacco' one finds in a cigar that shows obvious signs that it's still peaking. Still, I had no problem smoking it down, but it wasn't as brilliant as the first two-thirds.

Conclusion: If you have a box of this 2014 Limited Edition cigar resting, now is the time to start sampling it in my view. It's incredible to find Ken and Rob's views on this cigar in December 2014 are simply so 'spot-on' two-and-a-half years later! The 'Christmas cake' richness, the Partagas marca characteristics, the exhortation to re-visit these sometime in 2017.

As for me, I have a box resting away which I desire to peak further, perhaps I'll visit in another year or two, sampling one per six months. In the meantime, I think I'll sample my other single in my home humidor sometime in 2018. Below are some links to some other excellent reviews on this fine cigar...

 

[Fugu]

Thanks for the excellent review, John! Much in line with my view of it. Sampled it even fresh and was an enjoyable stick then. For me, showing all that and much more what I am missing in a Lusitanias these days. And I agree, despite being an LE this one is showing a good deal of its marca DNA. They certainly got this one right.

[havanaclub]

Nice review John


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[TheMonk]

Excellent review, John!