Partagas Serie P No. 2 Prelight
Partagas, a marca steeped in Cuban cigar history, was established in 1845 by Don Jaime Partagás y Ravell, a Catalonian who had migrated to Cuba in 1831. His factory, which opened over a decade later, became the birthplace of a legacy.
Partagas launched the Letter Series in the 1930s for the British market. The series was discontinued in the 1960s and revived in 1975 with the legendary Serie D No. 4. In 2005, Partagas expanded the Letter Series with the Serie P No. 2. The Serie P No. 2 is a classic Cuban Piramides with dimensions of 6 1/8″ x 52 ring gauge. As for the blend, its wrapper, binder, and filler tobaccos are sourced from the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba.
The wrapper is smooth, slightly oily, and colorado in color. There are a few noticeable chlorophyll spots on the wrapper as well. The aromas on the foot and wrapper are barnyard and some florals. The draw is perfectly snug, with notes of cedar and more florals.
Partagas Serie P No. 2 First Third
The smoke output is excellent out of the gate. The notes on the palate are mixed nuts, sourdough, oak, and some green bell pepper. The retrohale shows creamy unsweetened coffee, floral spice, and a touch of chocolate. The burn line is slightly wavy, but the ash and construction are holding up well. The strength of flavor is at medium plus. The finish is medium with notes of creamy coffee and mixed nuts.
Partagas Serie P No. 2 Second Third
I see notes of cedar, mixed nuts, oak, and green bell pepper on the palate. There are tones of creamy unsweetened coffee, vanilla, earth, and floral spice on the retrohale. The flavor profile is similar to the prior third, but the Partagas sourdough note has already fallen off. The strength of flavor remains a medium plus. The smoke output is still excellent. The ash is having trouble holding on, and the burn needed a touchup. The finish remains medium with notes of creamy coffee, and florals.
Partagas Serie P No. 2 Final Third
In the final third, cedar, toasted mixed nuts, oak, and vegetal earth are the primary tones on the palate. On the retrohale, I see notes of drip coffee, vanilla, and floral spice. The strength of flavor remains a medium plus. The smoke output is still excellent. The burn needed a few more touchups, and the ash continued to fall off early. The finish is long with notes of cedar and florals. The profile continued to dry past the band, and I put the cigar down with just over an inch left.
Partagas Serie P No. 2 Conclusions
The Partagas Serie P No. 2 had an interesting start but never managed to find its footing. The flavor profile quickly simplified after the first third. The blend left a lot of room for sweetness, and even the signature Partagas sourdough note was absent by the halfway point. The burn and construction were also below par. The cigars were a month shy of being two years old and had a box code of UBL May ’23. The going price on the Partagas Serie P No. 2 is $30-$40, a steep ask for a lackluster flavor profile at two years of age. If you already own these, I’d suggest giving them more time before smoking. As it stands, I won’t be adding any more of the P2 to my collection.
