Cuba's First Partagás Maduro Now In Stores
A new Cuban Partagás cigar with a dark maduro wrapper has landed in several retail shops around the world. The 5 1/8 inch by 52 ring gauge parejo is known as the Partagás Maduro No. 1, and it's exclusive to Casas del Habanos and Habanos specialist retailers.
Retailers in Germany, Switzerland and Canada confirmed that they have the new Partagás Maduro No. 1 in stock. Ajay Patel, owner of the Casa del Habano in London, said his shop has already sold out of the new cigar and is awaiting another shipment from Hunters & Frankau, the official Cuban cigar importer for the United Kingdom.
The Maduro No. 1 comes packed in wooden boxes of 25, and in addition to the regular Partagás band, the cigar carries a new brown secondary band embossed with the word "Maduro." The cigars inside the box are wrapped with a large, brown protective paper sleeve called a bofetón, while the outside ends of the box also has a distinctive brown costero.
The Partagás Maduro No. 1 is the first cigar in the brand lineup to use a maduro wrapper. Once a rarity in the Cuban cigar industry, the Cohiba Maduro 5 series was released in 2007 and includes three sizes—the Genios, measuring 5 1/2 inches by 52 ring, the Magicos, 4 1/2 by 52, and the Secretos, 4 3/8 by 40. (Click to see ratings and tasting notes of the Cohiba Maduro 5 series.)
Cuba's Edición Limitadas—cigars that are released every year in special sizes for each brand selected—also carry very dark wrappers, although they are not usually referred to as maduros.
For a rating of the new Partagás Maduro No. 1, see an upcoming issue of Cigar Insider.
