Cigar Extra: Partagas Master Series Benji Menendez LX

Toro, 6” x 54 ring gauge / $11.35, Burns
In 2009, I missed out on the original release of the Partagas Master Series honoring Benji Menendez. I never saw a single box in any store...but I had a lot going on that year, so that’s probably the biggest reason why. I have been gifted a few of them in the intervening years, from Keith, from a friend in Nashville...and several that I got my hands on during the General Cigar-sponsored trip to the Dominican Republic in 2011. I really enjoyed the blend, so I was excited to see the new shipment of them come in at Burns in December. I picked it up and my first thought was, “Is this a different size?” I just seemed like a bigger ring gauge...and it is. The original release was a Corona Gorda really, measuring 6” x 46 ring. This has the same length but a 54 ring gauge, so I’ve called it a Toro, although it may be at the outer limit of ring gauge for that size...closing in on a Toro Grande, Toro Gordo, Double Toro...whatever arbitrary term you may want to apply to a cigar this size. The LX moniker on this cigar is Roman numerals for “60” as this cigar celebrates 6 decades that Benji Menendez has been in the cigar business. Like the original, this stick features fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, a Connecticut habano binder, and a dark Cameroon wrapper leaf.

The wrapper is pretty dark for a Cameroon. In the years since the original release of this, I’ve actually seen a couple Cameroon leaves a little darker...makes me wonder if they started a bit of a trend with this one. The look and feel of the cigar is of a stick exceptionally well made. Giving it a good sniff, I got notes of hay and earth from the wrapper, along with a more pungent earthiness of the foot. When cut the draw was excellent and tasted of earth and dried fruit. Once lit, the Partagas Benji burst into flavors of cedar, earth and raisin, along with a pepper kick to the nose on the retrohale.

As I burned through the Partagas Benji, I loads of cedar flavors, a decreasing amount of earthiness, and an increase in the singular sweetness of the Cameroon wrapper leaf. Actually, this vitolas tasted a lot more like a Cameroon cigar than the previous one did, even though the previous one had a higher wrapper-to-filler ratio. This may or may not be to your personal liking, but I was enjoying it pretty well. As the cigar went on, I did detect an increase in spiciness on the palate as well as a mitigating of the Cameroon sweetness. In all, I do like the Partagas Benji Menendez Master Series LX, but I think I liked the smaller ring gauge original release a bit more. Since that one isn't available anymore, though, if you see these...get some!

On second thought: I wrote this piece a couple weeks ago, but just this morning read this piece on halfwheel.com heralding the return of the original Majestuoso vitola as well as an additional one in the works. Should be showing up by mid to late spring.