Partagas Legend Fabuloso Leyenda

For the lone new entry to the Partagas portfolio at this year’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, General Cigar Co. released a cigar that is a tribute to five men who played very important roles in the brand’s history.

The Partagas Legend honors Jaime Partagás, Ramon Cifuentes, Edgar Cullman Sr., Daniel Nunez and Benji Menendez, all of whom had a key hand in establishing and growing the Partagás brand.

As part of that tribute, the cigar uses tobacco that have historical significance to the brand and the men behind it. It sports a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Honduran Olanco San Agustin binder and aged Dominican piloto cubano filler leaves.

The Partagas Legend is being released in three sizes, all offered in 20-count boxes with production happening at General Cigar Dominicana in Santiago de los Caballeros.

• Partagas Legend Corona Extra Leyenda (5 1/2 x 44) — $11.49 (Boxes of 20, $229.80)
• Partagas Legend Fabuloso Leyenda (6 1/2 x 48) — $12.49 (Boxes of 20, $249.80)
• Partagas Legend Toro Leyenda (6 1/4  x 54) — $14.49 (Boxes of 20, $289.80)

While the Partagas Legend is rooted in history, it’s also a nod to the future of the brand, as it sports a new look and branding, with the cigars packaged in bright white lacquered boxes and wearing white embossed bands.

• Cigar Reviewed: Partagas Legend Fabuloso Leyenda
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
• Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
• Binder: Honduras (Olancho San Agustin)
• Filler: Dominican (Piloto Cubano)
• Length: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Vitola: Grand Corona
• MSRP: $12.49 (Boxes of 20, $249.80)
• Release Date: July 2018
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Partagas Legend’s wrapper is a darker than medium shade of brown with a bit of mottling and varying evenness in colors; while the first is consistent the second creates a bit of a barber pole appearance. There’s just a bit of oiliness to the wrapper, giving more of a tactile sensation than a visual glisten. It has some familiar box-press give but no particular soft or hard spots, and the caps are all applied well. The foot has a solid core of dry soil and earth, with varying degrees of cherry cola sweetness depending on the sample. The cold draw is a bit tight on the first two samples—and near ideal if a tick loose on the third—and offers a flavor set I can’t quite put my finger on; there’s a bit of graham cracker but with a slightly sour and herbal finish

The first puffs of the Partagas Legend Fabuloso Leyenda are a bit firm and have me looking for appropriate descriptors as there is some body to the smoke but the flavor feels a bit restrained. There’s a bit of earth and pepper, but neither seem ready to really command the flavor profile, until the flavors get a bit clearer in the first inch, with pepper becoming more distinct through the nose first, leading the palate to get a more focused version as well. A few retrohales after the first clump of ash drops are surprisingly punchy, showing that the cigar is steadily opening up and unpacking its flavors. I’d peg this section at medium in terms of body strength and flavor intensity, with the latter the first to move towards medium-fulll. The first third closes out with just a bit of broadleaf sweetness entering the mix, a very pleasant and welcome addition to the profile.

The second third sees the Partagas Legend really open up its flavor profile, letting the earth and pepper have some space to breath, while keeping just a touch of thick sweetness in the background. The third sample is the only to show some hints at creaminess, a very enjoyable addition that balances the earth and pepper without overly taming what they can offer. The sweetness fades away with the rest of the profile remaining mostly the same, though the earth does take on a bit of a warm root beer flavor just ahead of the midpoint. Past that point, the cigar generally returns to its earthy, peppery core, though the third sample hangs onto its creaminess with rich, full smoke that has a bit of a condensed milk finish.

The smoke gets appreciably warmer around the start of the final third, even though I’m not smoking it particularly faster than I was earlier. It’s hard to tell if the flavor is changing as well on its own, as I feel a bit more gruff pepper in the back of my throat, something I’m sure isn’t being helped by the slightly labored draw in the first sample as I don’t pick up the same intensity in the second and third samples, though it is still there. The earth backs off a bit at times, which slides the strength and body back down to a more medium-bodied profile, which seems to be where the cigar needs to be to show its full depth and complexity, which while not astounding, are well above average. The Partagas Legend Fabuloso Leyenda wraps up with a good bit more bite from the pepper, which has me reaching for some water to cleanse the palate from its effects. Other than the tight draw of the first sample, each of the three cigars have burned quite well with even burn lines and plenty of smoke.

Final Notes

• The first sample was an incredibly slow burning cigar, and while I wasn’t rushing the first sample, it took some 40 minutes to get through the first inch.
• Thankfully the draw on the second cigar was much better, taking about 25 minutes to get through.
• There is a ton of embossed detail on the bands that don’t get picked up by the photos; it’s almost a shame as if it got a full color treatment, it would be much more visually rich. That said, I do like the new band style as an update to the classic brand’s identity.
• The first cigar left me with a bit of a nicotine buzz, though I’m inclined to think it was compounded by the draw. The other two weren’t nearly as strong, but did give a bit of a kick.
• I haven’t had a chance to smoke the other two vitolas yet, but I’d be interested to do so to see how they affect the peppery bite that the cigar offers.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• General Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was just shy of two hours on average.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars.com, Corona Cigar Co.  JR Cigar, Famous Smoke Shop,  Serious Cigars and Thompson Cigar carry the Partagas Legend Fabuloso Leyenda.