• Cigar – Partagas Benji Menendez Master Series
• Filler – Dominican, Nicaraguan
• Binder – Connecticut Habano
• Wrapper – Cameroon
• Price – $9.95
• Shape – Majestuoso/Corona Gorda (6 x 46)

So I know it’s been a while since we’ve posted any new content and for that I apologize.  Today I’m posting a long overdue review of the Partagas Benji Menendez Master Series Majestuoso.  When this cigar debuted I was a little hesitant to give it a try based on previous experiences I’d had with other Dominican Partagas cigars.  However, after much persuasion from a fellow BOTL I decided to give in and give them a go, and man am I glad I did.

In 2009 Benji Menendez celebrated his 57th year in the cigar industry.  In the same year he introduced the eponymous, Master Series which he crafted to pay homage to the Cifuentes family.  This is a limited edition offering of only 5,000 boxes of 20 cigars.  For those that aren’t aware, Mr. Menendez has worked with some of the largest names in the cigar business and has blended and/or been responsible for some true gems and this cigar is certainly no exception.

The cigar has a beautiful chocolate brown Cameroon wrapper that sports a few fine veins and a some tooth.  It’s a little rough to the touch which I find a lot with Cameroon wrapper tobacco.  The seams on the wrapper and cap are nearly invisible.  It’s firm to the touch and is very well packed with no soft spots.  Honestly, the four cigars I sampled for this review were near perfect on the construction checklist.

Prelight the cigar offered up a variety of aromas consisting of earth, cocoa, cedar, and a slight spice at the foot.  The prelight draw was effortless and offered up the same peppery spice along with cedar and cocoa.  To be honest the amount of spice caught me a little off guard at first as it was completely unexpected, but it was really nice along side the cocoa notes.

After lighting the cigar produced large amounts of smoke that coated the palate with a wide array of flavors.  The first third offered up a lot of peppery spice, especially on the retrohale.  Following the pepper were notes of cedar mingled with the cocoa and coffee, finishing with a nice woodsy tone.  Even with all of these flavors swirling around the cigar maintained a very nice balance.  The burn was absolutely spot on perfect with a very nice gray ash.  The ash only held for an inch or so before I noticed it leaning ever so slightly, so I quickly tapped it off to avoid a lap full of hot ash.

The peppery spice continued into the second third along with the cedar and cocoa notes.  I did pick up some coffee notes midway into the second third, which melded nicely with the cocoa and cedar.  The cigar did maintain the same nice balance and was still burning perfectly with a nice gray ash that held on for a little longer than it did at first.

Into the final third the cigar was still burning perfectly, it was cool throughout, never once hot.  The peppery spice was there until the final puff along with coffee and slight cocoa notes that took a backseat to the predominant woodsy/cedar notes.  The finish was still very smooth and the flavor maintained the same great balance all the way to the nub.

Overall, I really enjoy this cigar and would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.  I’ve actually purchased close to two boxes of these cigars to date and will continue to do so until they are long gone from my local B&M.  To borrow a quote from Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year edition, “this just might be the best Dominican Partagas I’ve ever smoked.”  Based on the balance of flavors and the box worthiness the cigar earns a whopping 9.5 out of 10.

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