Partagas Serie E No.2 (Cuban)

By Tony Casas | June 15, 2020

Let’s just get started shall we? This week I am taking a look at the Partagas Series E. No.2 paired with a bottle of El Paso’s own, Deadbeach Crying Fist 2020 Barrel aged stout.

The Good Stuff:

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Partagas on here. The Serie E No.2 was released in 2011 at the XIII Habanos festival in Cuba. The Serie E was the first release from Partagas that showcased a larger ring gauge. The blend is made up of an all-Cuban makeup with tobaccos from the Vuelta Abajo in Cuba. The Serie E No.2 comes packaged in boxes of 5 and 25 running $15 a cigar.

• Size: 5 1/2 x 54
• Wrapper: Cuban
• Binder: Cuban
• Filler: Cuban
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium\Full
• Price: $15
• Pairing: Deadbeach Brewery Crying Fist 2020 (Imperial Stout 10% ABV)

Prelight:

the Partagas Serie E No.2 starts out with a very consistent light brown wrapper which glows yellow as the sun hits it. The wrapper’s texture semi-toothy with a good amount of oils. Quite a few medium-sized veins can be found running through the cigar’s body along with some natural webbing in the tobacco leaf leading up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is very heavy, and very tightly packed with the only soft-spot being at the tip of the foot. The cigar is the polished off with the standard red and gold Partagas band we have come to expect from the band.

The wrapper on the Partagas Serie E No.2 gives off some very light cedar aroma while the foot of the cigar carries a bit of sweetness over a very musky/mossy scent profile. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a mixture of cashew, dirt, natural tobacco and light clove.

First Third:

The Partagas Serie E No. 2 starts out with a very mild white pepper blast which is only present for the first few draws leaving behind some great cashew and honey notes over bold cedar and natural tobacco with light notes of clove and citrus. Despite being packed very tightly the draw on this little beast if perfect as each puff kicks out a ton of thick, white smoke which quickly dissipates while the cigar releases almost no stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The cigar leaves a slight tartness on my lips after each draw. The burn line is a bit wavy and thick, but nothing too concerning as it leaves behind a trail of tightly compacted light gray ash which held on for about 3/4 of an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third if the Partagas Serie E. No 2 and the flavor profile is still rocking. I am used to a bit more milder repesentations from Cuban cigars but this one is killing it with bold notes of cedar, natural tobacco and cashew while the honey, citrus, and clove notes all remain in the mix. A nice dark chocolate flavor keeps peeking its head in as well. The retrohale brings out more of the cedar and natural tobacco flavors. I close out the second third with only trace amounts of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Partagas Serie E No.2 and the flavors just keep on coming. The cashew, natural tobacco, and cedar are the still leading the charge backed by clove, honey, citrus, cocoa, and an awesome nutmeg flavor now. The cigar had been hovering between the medium and medium/full bodied arena for a while but the final third pushed it well in the medium/full bodied space. It took me almost two hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness nor extended heat. I close out with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Partagas Serie D No. 4 has and probably will always be my favorite offering from the company, but the Serie E No.2 has become a close second and I have been smoking the hell out of these cigars. I really enjoy the flavor profile and increased body while the larger ring gauge is actually quite comfortable. The price is as good as it’s going to get for a higher-tier Cuban cigar and the construction has been perfect. These have been in my regular rotation for a bit now and I will likely stay there until I run out.

Pairing:

Brewed in good ol’ El Paso, TX Deadbeach’s Crying Fist is a Garrison Brothers bourbon barrel aged version of it’s famous Abuela stout. Coming in at 10% this beer leads with a ton of rich chocolate and vanilla along with with cinnamon and soft nice with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more sweet chocolate, brown sugar, anise, black licorice and a nice bourbon bite. The boldness of the beer paired perfectly with the higher bodied-profile Partagas Serie E. No.2. I’m really glad I decided to go with a beer that had more bite as the cigar really held its own.