15th Anniversario Friends of Partagas Festival Conde 109

I was gifted a 15th Anniversario ‘Friends of Partagas’ Festival Conde 109 and a Sublime vitola when I was in Havana for the ‘Friends of Partagas’ Festival recently. All I heard was, ‘Don’t you write that blog? Here, review this…’ and these came flying at me. LOL

I was told that all the Festival cigars were rolled by La China exclusively. Not sure if this is Cuban lore or not. Will have to confirm the next time I am in Havana.

Thank you to the generous BOTL who provided me the opportunity to try these out.

Let’s see how it does…

The 15th Anniversario ‘Friends of Partagas’ Festival Conde 109 is a gorgeous cigar. It comes in at a 49 ring gauge by 7.1 inches.

The wrapper is a nice honey golden brown colour. Silky smooth to the touch with no apparent veins.

The cigar is firm to the touch throughout the body. Just a little give when squeezed. It is packed filled with Cuban tobacco goodness.

One of the things that I like about the Conde 109 vitola is the marblehead at the top of the cigar. Very unique and an art form unto itself. This is just perfectly executed on.

The aromas from the wrapper are barnyard, earth, cocoa and nutmeg. Very strong aromas emanating from the wrapper.

The foot of the cigar is packed. Overall, this cigar is a beauty to behold.

The band on this cigar is quite detailed and intricate. The picture of the Partagas Factory and the 15th Anniversario logo is quite stunning. The sides of the band that shows the Anniversary years of the Friends of Partagas Festival as well as the La Casa Del Habanos Partagas logo are equally stunning. Very well put together. A touch of flair and class.

A quick snap from my Palio cutter and we are ready to go….

The cold draw is excellent. No draw problems at all. A nice combination of good airflow and a slight resistance.

The initial flavours are leather, earth, a hint of spice and pepper.

Time to take this to the flame….

First Third
Leather, cedar, roasted nuts, honey and a slight slap and tickle of pepper greet me from the get go. Strength starts off fairly robust. No shyness with this cigar at all.

The smoke production is impressive. Lots of blue smoke emanating from the head and foot of the cigar. The draw is nice. Very relaxing. Minimal effort but maximum amount of smoke drawing out of the cigar.

The ash is a nice ‘Dirty’ whitish grey. Very dense. A good sign of the quality of construction of this cigar. You can tell that this was made with tender, loving care.

I paired this with a dram of Havana Club 7. It really brings out the honey and roasted nuts flavours. A nice sweetness to the cigar.

The strength of the cigar is a solid medium body. The spice/pepper combo really complement the leather, cedar, roasted nuts and honey profile. Very delicious.

The after finish is long as well. The flavours linger on your palate, just telling you to ease back and enjoy. There is no rushing this cigar.

Second Third
The honey and roasted nuts flavours are really predominant now. The pepper characteristic has lowered its volume but still lets you know it is around once in awhile.

Seems to be a more rounded flavour profile now. The leather and cedar act more as supporting cast vs. main characters in this experience.

The strength has tuned into the medium bodied category. The ash remains strong. Only one drop off so far as we entered the second third. Very cool!

Final Third
This has become more refined and complex is I smoke it. The flavours have integrated nicely. Lots of changes/nuances in level of flavour throughout the smoke. The spice has given way to more expresso notes, bringing a deeper, more richer flavour profile in the final third.

The expresso seems to amplify the leather and cedar notes as well as compliment the roasted nuts and honey flavours. There is also a slight touch of sourdough bread coming in here and there. A marvellous flavour combination. Always is keeping me guessing.

The after finish remains long. Very deep and complex flavours just seem to linger for an eternity. Smoking this cigar very slowly as the flavours and the finish keep forcing me to slow down and enjoy the show.

Final Impressions
I wish this was a regular production cigar. Such great richness, depth of flavours and complexity with this cigar. I love the Conde 109 vitola unto itself for its uniqueness, degree of difficulty for producing and its overall look and feel. Just a gorgeous cigar to have in the humidor. It would be great to have a Ramon Allones, Trinidad or Cohiba in this format. (Hint, hint, hint…) 🙂

A most excellent experience, this cigar has provided. It brought me back to the Festival and the memories of good times, good food and most importantly, great friends…