Partagas de Bronce

What do you do to make your first project with a factory special for a limited release? For the Partagas brand under Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), the answer was to unite with arguably the most acclaimed boutique in the US—El Titán de Bronze in Miami, Florida. This collaboration adds to a long list of brands, including Cohiba, La Gloria Cubana, Warped, Drew Estate, and La Palina, that have partnered with El Titán de Bronze. In the heart of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, located on Calle Ocho, El Titán de Bronze has been making cigars since 1995. They use exceptional, highly qualified cigar rollers that focus on construction and producing small volumes of cigars in the traditional Cuban manner.

The cigar that has been created for this collaboration is dubbed Partagas de Bronce (Bronce being the Spanish spelling of Bronze). Partagas’ 175-plus years of history has been focused on old-world cigar making, and the brand’s first US-made cigar pays tribute to such heritage. Justin Andrews, the new business development manager for STG, collaborated with Sandy Cobas, the owner of El Titán de Bronze, and their blending team to craft this Nicaraguan puro. It’s a limited production, debuting last April in 10-count boxes, with a total of 50,000 cigars being rolled in a 6¼″ × 46 format that’s dubbed ‘Gran Corona.’

“For a venerable brand like Partagas, collaborating with a legend like Sandy Cobas and creating a special, limited edition cigar at her family-owned factory marks an important step in Partagas’ evolution. Partagas de Bronce highlights Partagas’ devotion to old-world cigarmaking techniques, and its commitment to marching the brand forward through innovation. We look forward to sharing this exceptional blend with cigar lovers across the country.” —John Hakim, brand manager of Partagas

Partagas de Bronce Gran Corona Breakdown

Appearance

Partagas de Bronce has a dark walnut-colored wrapper with no seams and mild veins. In the right light, there is a slight oily sheen to the outer leaf. The label blends cohesively with the color of the cigar, displaying a matte background shade of coffee cream brown. The large primary band has the Partagas seal on gold, bronze, and dark brown. There’s also a secondary band that has the same color scheme with the name of the factory (as opposed to the cigar’s title). The boxes are 10-count traditional wood displays with the Partagas name and seal on the lid, along with the right quarter part of the box in a bronze paint. Opening the box, the great color of the cigars and labels jump out, along with each box being signed by the cigar maker, as well as an information sheet on the cigar.

Smoking Experience

Evaluating this cigar, there is a slightly oily feel to the wrapper, but you can see and feel its premium construction. With a straight cut of the triple-cap head, the cold draw produces a nutty peanut flavor with some spice notes that remind me of a Thai peanut sauce. With a proper toast of the cigar, the initial impression of this smoking experience is a very dry smoke feel with light salty almond flavors. The retrohale has a light nutmeg flavor with no upfront spice.

Throughout the smoke, the superior construction of the cigar really stands out. A razor-sharp burn line, cool burning temperature, and overall feel of the cigar is what is brought to the forefront. The ash holds firmly for approximately 1.5 centimeters at a time, and the draw offers just a hint of resistance, hitting what I consider the sweet spot.

The middle and end regions of the corona gorda maintain that dry-smoke mouthfeel. In the middle part, the salty almond flavor lessened, but a red pepper spice could be felt on the tongue. Every so often there would be a light, almost mint-like character. Closing out the cigar, that salty peanut/almond, with the mixture of spice, brings back that Thai peanut sauce component. The retrohale changes to light nutmeg, then to something nondescript, and finally closes out with some black pepper spice. The smoke output during this whole experience was moderate.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

Partagas de Bronce is a well-constructed cigar. In fact, the best part was experiencing the construction. While the flavor notes were interesting, they just weren’t necessarily exciting. The notes of salt and spice were nice, being reminiscent of classic Nicaraguan character. I’d likely try this cigar again for the construction and to support El Titán de Bronze—a great staple in American cigar manufacturing.

• The name Partagas de Bronce does not appear on either of the cigar’s labels.
• As of this review, the Partagas de Bronce scores a “100% Smokable” rating on Dojoverse, ranking in the top 48 percent of cigars on the all-time leaderboard.

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