Well, it finally came to pass. I smoked my last Partagas Lonsdale from just about the best looking cabinet of cigars I ever saw. These were rare when I first bought them, seems like almost ten years ago. Maybe more like 8. But now? Sheesh, these are goner than gone. And today, my own stash is also gone. But what a way to go. I went outside to watch a DRIVING rainstorm that didn't seem like a downpour, it just seemed like a month's worth of rain, all decided to come down over the space of one evening. It was torrential, but also constant. I thought about not even lighting the cigar since it was SO muggy and wet, I thought it would draw up tight on me, and this was not a cigar I wanted to waste. I had already cut it though, and the draw was perfect, I love watching the rain, so I decided to just go for it.
HEAVEN ON EARTH. The smoke instantly drenched my tongue with butter and herbs and sweet spice. Once I got into the first 1/2 inch line, it immediately turned into sweet red peppers and burnt sugar....that's funny, I initially typed BURT SUGAR. Man I miss ole' Burt Sugar. Of course, he was BERT Sugar, not BURT, but it made me think of him just the same.
ANYWAY, continuing, with Bert's permission, I couldn't believe what a great cigar this was. People always ask, why are Cuban cigars so special? Well right here was the perfect answer. I have been smoking cigars for what seems like 20 years straight, and I have never had anything that comes close to the pleasure and flavor this cigar gave up. It is wholly unique in every way. Its not even so much that non-cubans don't have great flavors, its that no other nation can provide THESE flavors. Sure they can do pepper, they can do spice, but its the CORE that you wrap other things around that Cuba has over all the others. In all other countries save for maybe Nicaragua, the base tobacco flavor is a lesser flavor to me. Havanas can be stunning with ONLY this core flavor presenting. Everything else is an extra added value.
The cigar burned straight as a builders square could make it, and an interesting taste of "roasted honey?" came through. I know that is weird, but it wasn't straight sweet, there was a funkiness to it, and then a roasted quality on top of that. I cannot place it for the life of me. But it was almost erotic. Certainly the way I felt trying to lick and caress that smoke in my mouth for every last nuance it could offer was sensual. Bordering on pornographic. I couldn't let the smoke go before I had used up it's last molecule of flavor. And then when that was gone, I could get MORE. But like all good things, it would not last. But when the next flavor came, it was almost as good. That sweet, creamy butter flavor was still there, and I got a caramel-pepper flavor with it which gave up even more of a finish on my mouth. It was CHEWY like you can't imagine. It was then that I remembered ALL THE LESSONS I have learned here. DON'T heat it UP! SLOW DOWN. I did, and I think I got an extra inch out of that strategy in the end because I smoked this one to an inch long. Once the ends of my shoes got soaked, I was through being amazed by the rain and found myself just annoyed, so I tossed the butt in the flower bed and folded up my chair. The end of an era had come and gone. I will miss that cabinet of smokes. And were another to come available, I could never afford it, anyway. So it really is goodbye old friends.
The highest score I ever gave by a superlative long shot. 100 points
