Stogie Reviews: Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso
16 Dec 2009
Awhile ago, we shared our invitation to the traveling debut of the newest Partagas cigar, the Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso. And even though there wasn’t an event in my area, I was able to obtain three samples for this review.
Born in Havana in 1936, Benji Menendez has a cigar pedigree that few can match. His grandfather, father, uncles, and great uncles were considered the royalty of the cigar business during the pre-revolution heyday of Cuban cigars, having developed world-class Cuban puros including Montecristo, H. Upmann, and Por Larrañaga.
Now with General Cigar, Menendez is celebrating 57 years in the business with a new limited edition Partagas: the Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso, which comes only in a six inch by 46 ring gauge corona gorda.
The cigar features a dark, oily Cameroon wrapper wrapped around Connecticut habano binder and filler from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It is solidly constructed, and a quick slice with my guillotine cutter reveals an effortless draw.
Once lit, the Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso reveals a medium-bodied combination of leather, licorice, and bread. It has a woody finish.
While the flavor profile doesn’t change a whole lot, a slight peppery finish develops in the second half and a hint of nutmeg also emerges. Despite the relatively small change in flavor, it is still a complex smoke with extraordinary balance.
Only 5,000 boxes of this special Partagas are being released. The Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Majestuoso sells for around $10 each, a reasonable price for an excellent smoke that earns four and a half stogies out of five.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]
photo credit: Stogie Guys
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Glad to hear that the hype was justified.
I hope I’ll be able to sample it soon, sounds like something I will enjoy.
Irony, i mis-spell the word "cigar" while correcting your mis-spelling of benji's name 🙂
I haven’t smoked a non-Cuban Partagas in years. This sounds like the cigar to break that streak.
Hi Patrick,
Thanks to your site, i was able to RSVP and attend the LA event with some friends. It was a great time and we got the chance to talk about the cigar with Benji while smoking it. Benji is a cool guy with a ton of knowledge. He seemed proud and humbled by the overwhelming positive reception the ciagr got at the crowded event.
I really enjoyed this stick. The scotch I paired it with was just the thing to bring out some of the pepper.
One small error in your review though, I believe it’s “Menendez” not “Menedez”.
I wish I could've attended the event in Chicago; the folks said it would be in the city — it was in Hammond, Indiana!
I wrote up a Benji Menendez review compiled from tweets after a recent #cigarchat event, and it got mixed reviews. Would definitely try it again, though.