PARTAGAS Serie D No.6 Tasting & Review (New release 2014)

Length: 9cm
Ring Gauge: 50
Factory Name: Serie D No.6
Vitola: Petit Robusto
Type: Petit Robusto
Presentation: Box of 5s & Box of 20s
Release Date: Third quarter 2014
Price: N/A

During the opening night of the 16th Habanos Festival in Cuba last February, which was dedicated to the Hoyo De Monterray & Partagas brands, the new Serie D No.6 and Le Hoyo de San Juan (review will follow soon) was handed out for guests to sample. I have smoked one during the festival and kept the other to review for you guys, so lets take a look...

The Construction - Smooth semi-matte wrapper with very few faint viens, firm body with fairly packed rolled tobacco, similar size to the Upmann Half Corona but with a wider gauge. The Serie D No.6 is Shortest cigar in the Partagas line since the discontinued 1970s Partagas Half Corona. It is intended for a quick 15 minute smoke as proclaimed by Habanos S.A.

The Draw - Since this vitola is a little bit wider than the Upmann Half Corona, I went ahead with my wide gauge punch. Fairly easy draw and not to loose. The moment you take in a cold draw you can really tell it has a Partagas profile. You can pick up some fresh tobacco and earthy scent with a little sweet taste to it.

The First Burn - very harsh peppery taste as you take the first couple of draws. Its like accidentally sniffing cayenne pepper through the nose. It goes without saying that this has a fairly young tobacco and that ammonia is playing a huge role in the flavor. Plus its expected that the back of the throat will be stinging from that peppery taste. The Serie D N.6 is burning quite well and is producing abundant smoke.

The Middle Burn - still offers that harsh zing in the nose and back of the throat. Flavors of dry wood and sawdust with a bit of sweetness peeping through. Spiciness of black and cayenne peppers are the dominant taste I pick up in this profile. Sold light grey ash and very smoky, reminds me of the Serie P No.1s. harshness cuts down a bit but does not fade away.

The Final Burn - harshness almost fades away completely and you can finally enjoy the Partagas character with that spicy black peppery and wood notes. Plenty of smoke and the ash as you can see held up pretty good. Expect your lips and the tip of your tongue to be hot as if you were eating chicken wings! Yup this cigar just made me hungry...

Definitely an interesting short smoke that requires a bit of resting time to be enjoyed fully. This Partagas Serie D No.6 provides a full flavor profile of this marca and is a wonderful addition to the series. Will revisit this review later once Habanos release this line in the market and see how the flavor progresses and develops.

The Pairing - to counter balance the harshness and spicy notes of this young cigar, I strongly suggest it to be enjoyed with Nespresso's Rosabaya de Colombia. With intensity level 6, its fruity and subtle acidity will cut through the harshness of the Serie D No.6 and will complement the spicy & woody character of this cigar.

Enjoy!