Partagas Black Label (Bravo) Review

[2chairs]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Oct-27-01 AT 11:32 AM (CDT)]If smooth, shiny wrappers are your bag...stop reading now. However....if you like a smoke that delivers a kick like a kangaroo wih an attitude....read on.

Last night (10 PM) I had the new Partagas Black Label Bravo (4.50x54 with a price of around US$4.50). It had black wrapper with a thick, brown vein running down it that looked like the Amazon River in a NASA satellite photo. The feel was rough but seemed a bit loose in the construction.The pre-light smell was strong and woody. Partagas advertising says the wrapper is Medio Tiempo, a Connecticut that has been left in the field 50% longer than a normal harvest. (At this point I went and poured myself a double of Lagavulin and a 16 oz glass of H2O and went out on the deck to go do battle.)

Firing this sucker up was quick and the draw was very easy. Tons of smoke billowed across the deck and into the night. On about the fourth puff, I held the smoke in my mouth for about five seconds and then exhaled through my nose. The result? Let's put it this way...I ain't gonna have to clip my nose hairs for at least two months. Whoa!

This stick starts out strong and even after I got my palate used to it....it was still strong with good earthy flavors and plenty of pepper. I believe that's due to the copious amounts of Nicaraguan Ligero and Piloto Cubano Ligero that make up the filler. (Obviously Daniel Ninez and his rollers in the DR aren't skimping on the ligero like our friends on the ISOM.) Add the new Dominican Sun Grown La Vega Especial binder to the mix and you get a hit that reminded me of Butkus meeting a running back head on.

Throughout the smoke it burned with a flaky ash that always had a red glow, similar to BBQ coals that were ready for the steaks. The biggest drawback (due to the loose construction) was that it burned a little too fast and got too hot to handle with about an inch and a half left. It started tasting like metal at that point and I ended the session with a buzz that lasted for the next thirty minutes.

Summary:
I like strong smokes so I'd give this a very solid B, maybe a B+. But this isn't going to be my "last smoke of the evening before walking the dog and going to bed" stick. (I couldn't hit the sack for an hour.) For me this will be a "sit down, weekend afternoon, booze-drinking, salsa and chips-eating, football-watching smoke." I would never recommend this to someone who is just embarking on their cigar-smoking career. Experienced palates only need apply. This definitely isn't your father's DR Partagas.

I'm going back to my local tobacconist this afternoon and pick up another and a couple of the other sizes (others in the line are 5.25x54, 6.00x54 and a 6.00x60 torp.)

Final point:
This cigar may be useful as a military weapon. We should drop these suckers into Afghanistan at night and let the Taliban light up. A half hour after they've finished, we can send in the Marines and Rangers to clean up because Osama and the boys will have too much of a buzz to hit anything with any accuracy.

[rkt]

This sounds like a fun smoke. I will have to look for
this one.:9

[rjs]

flipflop,

Wow! Great review. You certainly got my attention. I had seen some advertising for the new Partagas but figured it was hype. (Remember the 150 cigar anniversary humidor)

I'll give a few a try. Thanks for sharing.

... rjs

[DUFFER]

Solid review Flipflop! I myself like them strong and will sacrifice a little complexity to get that kick if need be. There are so many new cigars being hyped nowadays that I've gotten numb to them but thanks a ton for calling my attention to a real butt-kicker.:7

[rkt]

[Smoke Ring]

Just tried this one myself yesterday. It was 5.5" Tubo, I was worried about the untubed version because it seemed like it would tear easily. Wow! As described above, this is a strong and full cigar. Loved it!

-Smoke Ring-

[okie2]

I smoked a few of these, Clasico and Piramide, when they first came out a couple of years ago. They do have a ton of smoke with an easy draw like you said and they are strong. I inhaled a couple of times and got knocked on my ass!
Thanks for the review and jarring the ole memory banks. Time for a trip to my local shop to revisit some "Blacks".

[wouldestous]

i like me some strong smokes but every one of a half dozen or so of these had that 'all strength no flavor' going on. i think i just dont like this wrapper...