Quick Smoke: Benji Menendez Partagas Master Series Prominentes

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Of all the many cigars made by General Cigar in Dominican Republic (think Cohiba, Partagas, Macanudo, most La Gloria Cubanas, and quite a few others), perhaps my favorite was the original Partagas Benji Master Series Majestuoso, something I mentioned last week while visiting General’s facilities in and around Santiago. No sooner than that evening, some of the 2013 release Partagas Benji Master Series Prominentes (7 x 49) were procured. The cigar features an oily wrapper (for a Cameroon) that came out of yellow-stained cellophane, paired with a Connecticut-grown Havana-seed binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobacco. The Prominentes features light wood spice, coffee, and bread presented in a harmoniously-balanced, medium-bodied blend. The Majestuoso size (especially in the original 2009 edition) may still be better, but that’s no knock on the excellent 2013 Prominentes, which is definitely a cigar smoker’s cigar.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys