Cohiba 1966 Cabinet

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Partagás Lusitanias Gran Reserva Cosecha 2 Cigar Review By Fred Lunt I am not often at a loss for words but Yes, it is that good. I have this tradition every year when my birthday comes around. I don’t want a party, I don’t want a cake, and certainly I have no use for another tie. I want to be somewhere I can’t hear a cellphone ring, ideally with enough salt spray in the air to remind me that I’m still alive.

Product Specifications

I had been master of a 45-foot sloop this year, off the coast of the Keys. The wind was up to some serious no good, gusting just high enough to turn a solo tack into a wrestling match with Godzilla. But I nailed it. I grappled with the line” that raises the sail “and cranked the boom in place, locating that sweet spot of trim where your boat hums.

It was a victorious dance move, man. I anchored off a quiet little cove, gazed at the sun beginning that orange dipping toward the horizon and dawning realization: I’d earned it, would drink to opening the tiny, airtight travel humidor in my pocket all day. For a moment like this I’ve been saving a certain stick. You know those cigars you have that are saved for a special day, and not just Tuesday?

This was it. I slid past the daily smokes and pulled from my wet pack a long, dark imposing beauty more suited to an art museum than the cockpit of a sailboat. It was heavy in my hand and somehow writing on it felt more substantial, larger than life — a piece of history waiting for me to stop working, start living. That smoke?

The

Partagás Lusitanias Gran Reserva Cosecha 2 It is an unfortunate (by which I mean injustice) that this cigar has always outclassed me. I’ve had my eyes on this one since it’s release in 2, but I knew it would require the tobacco (already aged 5 years before it gets rolled) to have some serious “me time” within my own humidor. Here I was, on the boat now swaying slightly there in that bay, smelling the saltwater and feeling that excitement of waiting for that first light.” And therein I found my answer. The Specs

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Construction & First Impressions

I’ve got to tell you: Holding a Lusitania is an experience.

It’s a massive cigar. There’s also a commitment aspect to it, considering it is nearly eight inches long. You don’t smoke this when mowing the yard. So you smoke this when you have 2 hours and no one else to be.

That wrapper on this Gran Reserva is something else – darker than your normal Lusitania, with a slight oil to her that caught the descending sun superbly. It’s “Totalmente a Mano,” which just means some master roller in Havana spent a lot of time making sure this thing was absolutely perfect. Really though, it’s the double banding that does it. You’re holding the red-and-gold classic Partagás, and then the black “Gran Reserva” band is just beneath it saying I don’t know when you will trade that feeling of cherries and mahogany for my leathery toasty joy with a little mocha on the side.

This stick is from the 2 harvest and that means the leaves used in this stick were also picked when George W. Bush was still our president. They allowed that tobacco to sit and mellow for five years before they even considered rolling it. Some of that is patience I don’t always possess.

I clipped the cap clean with my straight cutter. The pre-light draw was perfect enough—just a bit of resistance (like drinking a thick milkshake through a straw). I received notes of cold cedar and something kind of sweet in an earthy way that reminded me of the forest floor after a rainstorm. No soft spots, no veins that appeared as though they were going to be trouble.

It was firm, thick and good to go. Part I: A Gentleman’s Introduction

I toasted the foot slow to ensure I didn’t heat things too quickly. When I finally did take that first puff, it actually startled me Then a buzz came along with it. Typically, Partagás bashes you over the head out of the gate.

But this Gran Reserva? It was polite. It was as if, when the well-dressed guy walked into the room and shook your hand — before he decided whether or not to kick your ass. The first few minutes were about yeasty bread and a hint of chocolate.

It wasn’t sweet at all like a candy bar, closer to high-end dark cocoa powder. The smoke was tremendous — fat, white clouds that filled the cove’s dead-still air. It was super silky in the mouth. I wasn’t quite getting that usual Partagás “zing” yet.

Instead, it was creamy and opulent. I leaned back against the mast, looked up as the first few stars began to pop out, and let the flavors seep in. If the whole cigar had maintained this, I’d have been pleased, but knew that the 2 Cosecha had more left in its tank. The Second Third: The Strength Gets on Its Feet

I continued into the second third when this “gentleman” begins removing his coat.

It started a medium strength, which then increased to a solid medium-full. This is where the lineage of the Vuelta Abajo tobacco truly began to indicate. I could actually taste the districts they used. The Seco leaves from San Luis had this absolutely amazing aroma — spicy but not sharp — and the Ligero from San Juan y Martinez was already beginning to give that backbone of strength for which Partagás is renowned.

Gone was that baker’s yeast flavor and instead it went straight into cedar, leather land. There was some black pepper on the retrohale but it was subtle, not very sharp. That’s old-tobacco smoke magic right there: You get the taste of the spice without a burn that makes you cry. I also began to detect a unique earthiness — musty old wood, moist dirt.

It felt grounded. Solid. Each drag felt very purposeful. I should note that the ash was a gorgeous light gray and held on for about two inches before I decided to tap it off into the water.

The burn line was not laser-straight, but it was so close that I never had to touch it up. The Last Third: The Partagás Strengthhouse

As I got to the last third, I was deep into an hour and a half of smoking

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The sun had long since set, and the boat was only a silhouette against inky water. That’s when the Lusitania Gran Reserva stops being nice and reminds you that it’s the king of the brand. The force was “Full” and it stayed that way. It was like a sensory overload, in the best way.

The cocoa returned from the start, but it was joined by a strong level of spice and some rich toasted nut flavors. The leather notes became deeper, more intense. It was a complicated dance — one minute I’d get a hit of sweetness, the next I’d be socked in peppery earth. It never burned hot, even as I smoked it down to the nub.

Such is the power of 194mm of length; you’ve got a lot of runway for that smoke to cool down before hitting your mouth. I was savoring those last few inches, slowing my puff because I knew it would be a long, long time before I lit another one of these. It was bold and unapologetic, the aftertaste of cocoa and spice lingering on my tongue for hours. The Pairing

You could serve this alongside all sorts of things, but on the boat, I kept it simple.

I had a canteen filled with 15-year-old Cuban rum: not too sweet, just enough wood and vanilla to befriend the earthy cigar. A peaty, heavy-hitting Scotch would also benefit that preference if you want to go smoky with this. But honestly? And if you’re at hom, good strong black Cuban coffee (Cafecito).

You need something that can withstand the power of the final third without being lost.

Water is also your friend here; you’ll need to rinse your palate clean to catch all those changes. The Verdict

Therefore, is the Partagás Lusitanias Gran Reserva Cosecha 2 worth chasing after?

Let me be perfectly honest with you: if you’re a nicotine junkie who is jonesing for a quick high, move along. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a cigar for the person who understands the craft: five years’ aging, San Juan and San Luis tobaccos blended just so, Double Corona construction.

It’s not a “daily” smoke, and not just because of the price or scarcity (only 5,0 boxes were made, after all). It’s because it requires all of your attention. It’s a triumphant smoke for a triumphant occasion. Mild and chocolatey at the outset, this cigar ramps up to a gutsy finale that’ll remind you why Partagás is an essential in every aficionado’s stockpile.

For my birthday, it was just what I needed to be sitting on that boat after struggling with the sail. It’s a work of art that you can burn to the ground. And man, what a fire it is. If you ever get the chance to take in one of these — and if you have two hours to kill — do it.

Just be sure to choose the right setting. You don’t want to squander a Cosecha 2 on a forgettable day. And wait for the day you finally nail that solo tack, or finish an abandoned project littering your outbuilding, or a day when the sun hits the water just so. You won’t regret it.