Wurm
Bratwurst and Beer
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2005
- Messages
- 6,141
I received this stick as a gift from brother Infinity on the same day as Double D's birthday, and have to admit I forgot about it in the rush to get over to Dale's house for his birthday party. Thank you Brian, it turns out that the 160 is one of the best cigars I've had the pleasure of smoking.
I've never heard of the 160 before and to be frank ignore most of the NC cigars named after Cuban brands, due to the fact I can and do get the real thing all the time.
The Partagas 160 is a true tribute to the Partagas name.
Taken from Arnold's cigar store:
shape: ROBUSTO
length: 5 inches
ring gage: 50
As I was trying to decide what to drink while enjoying this cigar my wife came home and said, "They were having a wine tasting at the beverage store today and I bought us a few bottles of a Rheinhessen red I liked."
Never had wine with a cigar before, but if its good enough for NorCal, its good enough for me!
I lit up a few candles to celebrate the first day of December and sat down in the 5°C weather to light up the 160.
Now let me explain something about the 160, its a very understated cigar. The wrapper is milk chocolate brown and the band is a plain Red and Gold motif that doesn't jump out at you like the bands a lot of immensely inferior cigars have wrapped around them.
The cigar wrapper is also the most silky-smooth of any cigar I've ever had my hands upon.
The cap looks like it has a marble underneath it, and is triple wrapped.
And as I said the band is a study in understatement.
So after taking a quick break to go grab a down vest I clipped the 160 and put it to flame.
Very mild in the beginning with a firm dark gray ash, the cigar has that "Cameroon" taste, its very hard to describe, but any cigar lover who has smoked a good Cameroon cigar knows it. I'll compare it to the taste you get when you add Nutmeg to Hot Chocolate, but my inexperienced palate probably isn't doing it justice.
This is also one of those subtle cigars you have to concentrate on. Take a sip of wine (BTW really really liked the combo, its bound to become a favorite) and a slow steady puff and then let the creamy smoke gently billow out of your mouth and nose.
Ummmmmmmm! :love:
Elke came out to have a glass of wine with me and to smoke a cigarette and she commented on how good the smoke from the 160 smelled. And shes right, the ample smoke coming from both ends makes you want to hold the cut tip close to your nose and inhale... and I did for the entire 45+ mins I spent smoking the 160.
Near the middle the cigar picked up in flavor, not so much changing in profile but getting stronger. As I tapped off the first ash I noticed it was tri-colored, light and dark gray with a dry salt grass color mixed in.
Near the end the 160 started to make my lips and mouth tingle, sort of like when you finish a strong mint and take a deep breath with a open mouth.
I nubbed it.
And this picture is for the wine lovers here... 4 euro a bottle, this stuff is pretty damn good. As I mentioned I've never drank wine with a cigar before, and I was delighted in how good they go together. :thumbs: It certainly won't be the last time I partake in the grape while stoking a stogie!
Thanks for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed it.
Shawn
I've never heard of the 160 before and to be frank ignore most of the NC cigars named after Cuban brands, due to the fact I can and do get the real thing all the time.
The Partagas 160 is a true tribute to the Partagas name.
Taken from Arnold's cigar store:
shape: ROBUSTO
length: 5 inches
ring gage: 50
As I was trying to decide what to drink while enjoying this cigar my wife came home and said, "They were having a wine tasting at the beverage store today and I bought us a few bottles of a Rheinhessen red I liked."
Never had wine with a cigar before, but if its good enough for NorCal, its good enough for me!
I lit up a few candles to celebrate the first day of December and sat down in the 5°C weather to light up the 160.
Now let me explain something about the 160, its a very understated cigar. The wrapper is milk chocolate brown and the band is a plain Red and Gold motif that doesn't jump out at you like the bands a lot of immensely inferior cigars have wrapped around them.
The cigar wrapper is also the most silky-smooth of any cigar I've ever had my hands upon.
The cap looks like it has a marble underneath it, and is triple wrapped.
And as I said the band is a study in understatement.
So after taking a quick break to go grab a down vest I clipped the 160 and put it to flame.
Very mild in the beginning with a firm dark gray ash, the cigar has that "Cameroon" taste, its very hard to describe, but any cigar lover who has smoked a good Cameroon cigar knows it. I'll compare it to the taste you get when you add Nutmeg to Hot Chocolate, but my inexperienced palate probably isn't doing it justice.
This is also one of those subtle cigars you have to concentrate on. Take a sip of wine (BTW really really liked the combo, its bound to become a favorite) and a slow steady puff and then let the creamy smoke gently billow out of your mouth and nose.
Ummmmmmmm! :love:
Elke came out to have a glass of wine with me and to smoke a cigarette and she commented on how good the smoke from the 160 smelled. And shes right, the ample smoke coming from both ends makes you want to hold the cut tip close to your nose and inhale... and I did for the entire 45+ mins I spent smoking the 160.
Near the middle the cigar picked up in flavor, not so much changing in profile but getting stronger. As I tapped off the first ash I noticed it was tri-colored, light and dark gray with a dry salt grass color mixed in.
Near the end the 160 started to make my lips and mouth tingle, sort of like when you finish a strong mint and take a deep breath with a open mouth.
I nubbed it.
And this picture is for the wine lovers here... 4 euro a bottle, this stuff is pretty damn good. As I mentioned I've never drank wine with a cigar before, and I was delighted in how good they go together. :thumbs: It certainly won't be the last time I partake in the grape while stoking a stogie!
Thanks for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed it.
Shawn
I agree with you about smoking in cold weather.
