Last year, Habanos S.A. launched a new series of special release aged cigars called Añejados. The idea behind the series is that special vitolas for a marca are rolled, then aged between five and eight years. While the idea of aging Cuban cigars isn’t a new one—consumers have been doing it for quite a while now—in the grand scheme of things it is somewhat of a recent trend for Habanos S.A. The Añejados Series differs from Habanos S.A.’s other programs such as Reserva, Gran Reserva and Edición Limitadas because the cigars are aged, whereas those series largely focus on the raw tobacco components being aged.

Partagas Corona Gorda Anejados Box 1 Partagas Corona Gorda Anejados Box 2

Initially there were only two cigars released that got the Añejados treatment, but this year we saw another two added to that list, with a fifth already announced.

Anejados Vitolas

Partagas Corona Gorda Anejados 1

 

  • Cigar Reviewed: Partagás Corona Gorda Añejados
  • Country of Origin: Cuba
  • Factory: n/a
  • Wrapper: Cuba
  • Binder: Cuba
  • Filler: Cuba
  • Length: 5 5/8 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 46
  • Vitola: Corona Gorda
  • MSRP: $16.15 (Boxes of 25, $403.75)
  • Release Date: Feb. 17, 2016
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

A first glance, the wrapper appears slightly darker and a little more rough than my regular production Partagás stock. After grabbing one to directly compare however, the shade variation probably isn’t anything that’s directly related to the release so much as just the natural shade variances you’d see anywhere. The aroma off the wrapper is puzzling: there is almost no smell coming off it at all, just the slightest waft of leather. Thankfully, the cold draw is much more flavorful with creamy cinnamon, grains and sweet fruits, definitely all classic Partagás notes, but seemingly more rich and robust.

Starting out the first third there is a significant amount of pepper on the nose, some cedar and a touch of grassiness. The draw is good, easily within the ideal range, but definitely closer to the tighter end of it. Though the burn isn’t razor sharp, it remains fairly even and free from the need of any touch ups. There is a bit of spice and creamy fruits that have been added to the mix, working well with the pepper, cedar and grassiness.

Partagas Corona Gorda Anejados 2

Shifting into the second third of the Añejados, the spice has grown to dominate the profile, leading the flavor parade of pepper, cedar, grass and creamy fruits marching dutifully behind. The burn cleaned itself up surprisingly sharp and even without any intervention on my part, while the dense ash is holding on surprisingly tight to well over an inch. Spice continues up front, while the pepper has faded slightly, allowing for a smoother retrohale, even though I wouldn’t necessarily describe the retrohale as smooth and easy.

Partagas Corona Gorda Anejados 3

As the final third starts off, I’m not noticing any new shifts in flavors, which is just fine by me as they’ve been steadily enjoyable the entire cigar. The burn has gone slightly sideways, requiring the first touch up of the experience. Plenty of smoke production both on the draw and from the foot afterwards allows for the spice, cedar, grass, fruits and pepper to pleasantly assault my senses from all directions. Nearing the end, I continue the experience as long as I can, getting the cigar down to around the half an inch mark before it starts to burn my lips while not getting harsh or hot.

Partagas Corona Gorda Anejados 4

Final Notes

  • Añejados translates to Aged, so if you speak Spanish, it’s quite obvious what this release is all about.
  • The range of five to eight years certainly gives me the impression that they are sampling these cigars as they age to see when they are producing ideal flavors and would be best to be released.
  • Having said that, it could be as simple as they are giving that range of time so that they can release these depending on demand, i.e. even if they’re shooting for an eight year age on the cigar, they could release that batch earlier if sales are looking higher that year.
  • Each box includes the usual stamp that includes the roll date, but also has a revisado stamp that says when the box was inspected and approved for release.
  • While we certainly don’t have any idea what the future releases will consist of, currently all Añejados are all special vitolas for that marca—either discontinued vitolas or previously unseen vitolas.
  • Immediately after smoking my third sample, I lit up a Partagás Short, which was the closest vitola I had to compare. The box code was from March of 2013, so they certainly aren’t as old as the Añejados, but do have some age. For something I normally associated with smoother and developed flavors, the Short’s profile was certainly much less refined and not nearly as smooth as the Añejados.
  • Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • Final smoking time averaged just under an hour and a 45 minutes.
92 Overall Score

Partagás has long been a favorite marca of mine, so I was excited to try the Añejados release for it. After seeing such contrasting opinions on the previous year’s Añejados releases however, I certainly wasn’t sure what I had in store for my experience with the Partagás Corona Gorda. Thankfully though, the cigar not only produced refined, classic Partagás flavors, but it did so consistently and without hardly any construction issues. I certainly would love to add these to my regular rotation, but while price doesn’t affect the score, it does affect how many I’ll be procuring for myself. If you’re in the market for a good, special release from Habanos S.A. though, and price isn’t too much of an issue for you, then I can easily recommend getting your hands on these.

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Brian Burt

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.