Cigar Review: Partagas Heritage Rothschild

General Cigar’s new Partagas Heritage began with a nod to the past.

Blender Jhonys Diaz called it a “retrospective blend that celebrated the very best of Partagas.” According to General, Diaz and his team developed the blend more than ten years ago, “patiently saving it for a special release.”

It is a complex concoction. The wrapper is a proprietary leaf, Olancho San Agustin Valley; the binder is Connecticut Broadleaf; and the filler is Honduran Jamastran Dominican Piloto Cubano and Mexican San Andrés. This recipe makes for a tasty smoke.

Most noticable at the start are delicate spices that remain throughout, though they shift in prominence. Other flavors include some sweetness, occasional cinnamon, and leather. I ran across a bit of that Mexican dirt, but not strong enough or long enough to spoil the medium-strength cigar.

I smoked five of the Rothschild size, a 4.5-inch cigar with a ring gauge of 50. All burned superbly, with a tight ash and lots of smoke. I thoroughly enjoyed the size, and it’s interesting to note that when Rothschild commissioned the vitola in the 19th century he was seeking a short, large ring cigar.

This new line has that for today’s smoker. Packaged in boxes of 20, there are three other sizes: Robusto (5.5 x 52), Churchill (7 x 49), and Gigante (6 x 60). Suggested retail prices run from $8.49 for the Rothschild to $9.99 for the Churchill.

However, like many General cigars, list price and real price aren’t always the same. I’ve seen the Rothschild for sale online as low as $22.98 for a five-pack.

General has been producing Partagas cigars of one kind or another for decades. The Cuban brand, dating to 1845, also continues to sell widely around the world. The famed Partagas sign outside the old Havana factory should be familiar to anyone who’s been in more than a couple of cigar shops.

The bands of the two cigars can sometimes be remarkably close. The Heritage bands, for instance, obviously have different wording but otherwise closely echo those on the Cuban Partagas Serie lines.

We have reviewed quite a few Partagas cigars over the years, awarding several high ratings. This little smoke is worthy of joining that group, and I give it four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–George E

photo credit: General Cigar Co.