Partagás Serie du Connaisseur No 1 FPG OESU

Measures: 189 mm x 14,5 mm

Age: The cigar came from a box with the code FPG OESU = Partagás, 04/98.

Setting: After a series of meetings in the office, I felt the need to spend some time alone to think. I am very fortunate that an ideal circumstance for this is offered by a cigar-friendly café in the building just opposite my location, so I left the craziness of the office a bit early and seated myself there, with a cup of coffee and some ice water. And, of course, a cigar: the Serie du Connaisseur No 1 by Partagás which I had picked out from the humidor the previous evening, wisely anticipating a cigar session.

This is a cigar of unusual proportions: long and thin. It was clad in fairly dark brown Colorado wrapper. This, and the general rugged looks of the cigar make it fairly masculine in my eye: while it is expertly made, with very uniform feel, it looks more purposeful than pretty. After cutting, I tried the draw. It felt a bit to the tight side, and for a moment I considered the option of leaving the cut cigar for another day or two in my travel humidor. At the end, I decided against it because otherwise the cigar felt just right for smoking.

The first draws from the lighted cigar removed my worries about the draw: it was just right after all, in fact ideally resistive for this type of a cigar that benefits from slow smoking. The cigar produced a quite satisfactory volume of smoke. It burned perfectly evenly, producing beautiful ash that held easily in 1,5 inch increments.

But the story of this cigar is a story of flavour. It was so smooth and integrated that no description seems to make justice to it. I nevertheless sensed hints of pepper and sweet citrus, sometimes also earth (from burnt sugar field) and leather, sometimes even a bit of salt. These occurred on top of slowly intensifying core tobacco taste, the strength of which became apparent by the second half of the cigar. It was like bear's grip: soft but irresistibly powerful.

This cigar has been described as "old school Partagás" by those who know. Having never experienced old cigars of this make, I cannot comment on this. Yet this description caused my mind wander: I imagined that this cigar ought to be smoked at evening on a hacienda balcony, listening to sounds of crickets, exotic birds, and workers returning from days' toil in the cane fields. In short, this is an extraordinary and subtle cigar that gives an unique smoking experience.

Bolívar Coronas Junior IPL NISU

Measures: 107 mm x 16 mm

Age: The cigar came from a box with the code IPL NISU = Por Larrañaga, 12/98.

Setting: The winter is at its peak in Finland. The darkest period is past, and we can again enjoy sunshine and light, the intensity of which is doubled by the plentiful snow. I like snow, and I am glad there's a lot of it on the ground: schools have just closed for winter holidays, and many families with school-age children are traveling to Lapland for skiing. I'm sure they will have a great time. (I will not take holiday though: my kids are grown-ups.) The only downside is that it is a bit too cold for cigar smoking: even if one dresses up properly, the extremely dry air seems to cause bigger cigars to burn badly. Thus I decided to quench my cigar-crawing by selecting a small cigar, and so picked up a Bolívar minutos from the humidor for some afternoon balcony smoking, encouraged by the sunshine and the relatively warm weather (just minus 5 centigrade).

The small Bolívar was clad in darkish wrapper that still feels quite oily; it glistened nicely in the sun. The band slid easily off the cigar that must have lost a bit of its original girth during its 7-year sleep. I cut the cigar and found the draw to be acceptable, perhaps a tad to the light side. The predraw aroma was very nice indeed. So I lighted the Minuto and started to puff away.

And what a delightful cigar it was! I like the Bolívar line a lot, and this cigar delivered the characteristical flavour package in a very balanced and pure composite. The light draw turned out not to harm the smoking experience at all: the flavour remained smooth during the entire session, even though the cigar probably burned faster than usual. Most importantly, the cigar worked its magic on me: after a fairly stressful week (with little opportunities for smoking, or even rest), I again felt that balance and harmony that a good cigar moment carries in its wake. This is what cigars are meant for, I thought. I had taken a book to read while smoking, but I put it away and just lingered in the pleasant dolce far niente of the moment. After some 45 minutes, I re-entered the house as a very satisfied man.

The BCJ is a good cigar for any weather. For winter smoking, it is a godsend.

Trininad Fundadores 1998

Measures: 188 mm x 15 mm

Age: The cigar came from a box with a 1998 code.

Setting: Yesterday the local music school had its annual dance party. This is a tuxedo event with good food, good company, and a lot of live music of various genres. It is also an entirely cigar-friendly occasion. So, a special cigar was in order. It took me no time at all to pick one of the recently bought Fundadores as the after-dinner cigar for the event.

The Fundadore is a gorgeous and stylish cigar. Long and thin in shape, it challenges the more recent trend of big ring gauges. The wrapper was fairly dark, almost EL-style. It felt exquisite in hand: the oily surface was covered with the tiniest teeth. The smell of the unlit cigar was intoxicating. The construction appeared to be just as good as the most experienced rollers can make it: uniformly firm with just the right grade of suppleness. The characteristic pigtail crowned the generous cap. It was so beautiful that I hardly had the heart to cut it.

But I did, and lighted up the cigar. From here on, my (limited skills) of analytical observation went overboard. I can only report that the cigar performed just as excellently as it looked: the draw was perfect, and the cigar burned slowly and evenly. The aroma was pure heaven, increasing in intensity and spice as I puffed away in bliss. The burning cigar smelled even better than the unlit one; several people commented that its aroma was nice. At times while smoking the cigar I had some difficulty to fully participate in the lively discussion in the dinner table: I was on a trip. For how long, I cannot tell, but I suspect I spent nearly three hours smoking the cigar.

This may well have been the best cigar that I have so far had the privilege to smoke. Even better, it matched perfectly the festive, yet merry and relaxed mood of the setting. Life was good. This memory will stay in my mind.