Partagas Série D No. 4

I’ve been really looking forward to this one. Based on what I have read, it seems like the PSD4 (not to be confused with PTSD4) is right up my alley. This is one of the most popular Cuban cigars in the world, and it’s time to find out why!

Statistics

CotM: November 2012







Chosen by: avrus

avrus





Shape: Parejo







Size: 4″7/8 x 50

4″7/8





Country of Origin: Cuba







Wrapper: Cuban







Binder: Cuban







Filler: Cuban







Color: Colorado



Colorado





Strength: Full







Price Paid: Trade



Trade





Smoke Date: August 9, 2013

August 9, 2013





Box Date: April 2012

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings, and a “Waiter’s Friend” bottle opener.

Pairing

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA served in a pub glass. The sticky-sweet happiness was excellent with the sweetness and grassiness of the stick. During the final third when the PSD4 grew milder, the ale overpowered the cigar a bit.

Appearance/Nose

It didn’t look like anything much. The wrapper was smooth and light brown with a couple of veins. The triple caps were a bit lopsided. The band was a very plain red with embossed gold text. This is one of the most humbly presented cigars I could imagine. The nose was barnyard and rye bread.

Construction

Construction seemed fine, but not particularly pretty. There was a large vein running down the side of the stick. The triple cap was so lopsided I could only even tell it was a triple cap in one area. The foot seemed a bit softer and squishier than the rest of the stick. The burn was mostly even, with a bit of wobbling, but it burned so fast that it evened itself out very quickly. The ash was smooth and white, and held on for over an inch.

Cold Draw

The cold draw was fairly loose, but not quite an “air tube”, and tasted of hay and white tea.

Smoking

First third

The first puffs tasted of coffee and cream. Smoke volume was pretty intense, created thick creamy clouds.

Shortly into the stick, a buttery, caramel taste planted itself right on top of the other flavors. The draw remained very easy, and the flavor profile was a complex combination of butter, coffee, tea, grass, and honey. The burn was very even, and the smoke poured out, even when the stick was just sitting in the ashtray.

I noticed about ten minutes in that the first inch was already gone. Seems I have a fast burning stick on my hands. At about this point, the flavor leaned more towards the grassy side than the buttery, and the sweetness was fading.

Second third

Coming into the second third, the grassiness mellowed down a bit, letting the coffee and caramel pierce through. The smoke remained billowy, and the burn remained fast and (mostly) even.

The flavor remained an unusually balanced mix of grass, coffee, and buttery cream, with a slight hint of honey. The retrohale was a delicious coffee and cream flavor, with very little spice, if any.

Final third

The final third was upon me before I knew it.

Just after the band came off, the flavor shifted to an even milder state: cream, light honey, and grass. The coffee notes all but disappeared. The burn slowed down a bit in the final third, drawing out the smoke time to just past an hour.

Notes

Draw: Easy

Easy





Body: Mild-Medium

Mild-Medium





Smoke Output: Full

Full





Primary Flavors: Grass, coffee, cream

Grass, coffee, cream





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 2 minutes

Overall

This stick was milder than I expected, and burned very fast. I like the flavor profile, which was very grassy, with a good deal of coffee in the first half, but it faded so much at the end that I felt unfulfilled. This guy was only about a year old, which I understand is pretty young for a Cuban, so it’s youth may have contributed to the overall experience, but I have a hard time believing it wouldn’t have only gotten milder with more age.

Rating