Review: Partagas Minis

There are a number of Cuban mini’s on the market, whilst they are no replacement for a “proper” cigar, if you only have 5 minutes (or if its really cold outside), then they are a good option.

Appearance 5/10

These are not the prettiest cigars you will ever see, they have large veins for their size, and the wrapper is “nobly”. There is also no real distinct cap to the cigar.

Construction & Draw 7/10

These cigars are so small there is no real way for them to be plugged, the burn is even, and as these are so small they are very unlikely to have any burn issues.

Flavor 6.5/10

You do get a taste of a Cuban cigar, there is a hint of spice and a reasonably earthy taste, they are more rough and ready than your average Cuban, there is not a lot of subtlety and finesse on offer here.

Value 8.0/10

These are cheap but then again they are small. At around 6 GBP for 10 they do represent good value, they offer a “taste” of what a real cigar would be, just quickly! You can probably finish one of these as quickly as your friends who smoke cigarettes, but is that really what smoking a cigar is about?

Summary 6.5/10

These are great if you want a quick 5 minute smoke (perhaps when your friends nip out for a cigarette), but for my money the Cohiba Clubs are a better bet, no sooner have you started a mini then it is finished.

I would also suggest that these are so quick to smoke that for me there is none of the relaxation that I enjoy as part of the cigar experience.

Review: Regius Robusto

Cigar prices in the UK seem to be some of the highest around, certainly much more expensive that in the US, so I am always on the lookout for great tasting excellent value cigars, and non Cubans often offer such a balance.

So after reading a number of online reviews of this cigar I decided to pick one up.

Appearance 7.5/10

The cigar has a light brown wrapper, with some small veins, and a couple of larger veins. The band is understated, but well printed and gives the cigar an understated look.

Construction & Draw 5.5/10

Construction was less than perfect on this cigar. The wrapper had a couple of large veins in it, but it looked loose in a couple of places, and had a small break about halfway down the stick. The cap construction was a little scrappy, and the cigar has a very short cap so I had to be quite accurate when cutting.

As I smoked the cigar my concerns about the wrapper turned out to be well founded, as it began to unwrap, and the small break opened up as the heat spread throughout the stick. It was also disappointing that the ash would only hold on for around half a centimeter before it dropped off.

The cigar seemed to be quite well packed with tobacco, which is surprising because the draw was incredibly light, it was like sucking on air, and this was a contributing factor that spoil my enjoyment of this cigar. The cigar produced a lot of creamy and very sweet smelling smoke.

Flavour 7.0/10

This cigar is supposed to be medium to full bodied, I would say that for me it defiantly stayed medium strength, never becoming full. Predominantly this stick has a woody, sweet tobacco taste, at times I felt I could almost pick up a slight leather taste, but it was not a strong note.

Whilst the flavours were pleasant, they did not really change as I smoked the cigar, making it very one dimensional.

Value 7.5/10

In trying to work out the score for value I have assumed that I may have just got a bad example of the cigar, and I have concentrated on the cost vs flavour profile. In this regard its not a bad cigar, just pretty average, for me there was little change in the profile throughout the stick and although pleasant I like to experience changes in the flavour profile.

Summary 6.5/10

I picked up this cigar as I had read a number of reviews online that said very good things about this stick, however I did not enjoy this cigar anywhere near as much as others who have reviewed one seemed to. The flaws in construction were annoying, its been a long time since a wrapper came apart on a cigar I have smoked, but the draw really spoilt the experience, it was to easy.

To be fair this is not a bad cigar, maybe I just had a bad example, and if I tried another I might have better luck, normally I would do this. Unfortunately for the Regius just after smoking this cigar I tried a C.Gars Nicaraguan Selection Robusto which is a much better cigar and slightly cheaper, and this impact my scoring…  review to come soon…