Like the legendary cigar master Ramon Cifuentes, the Partagas smoker knows what he wants: a cigar that always delivers the richest taste yet never comes on too strong. In keeping with that ideal, every Partagas is an invitation to savor the artistry it takes to bring you this cigar, from the richest of Cuban traditions to the richest of Cameroon wrappers.

The History

While Jaime Partagas founded the cigar brand that bears his name, most of the history of Partagas was written by Ramon Cifuentes and his father before him. It was they who made Partagas the leading Cuban cigar before Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban government in 1959. Almost 20 years after Ramon Cifuentes was forced to flee Cuba, he was finally able to begin making his Partagas cigars again in 1978, this time in the Dominican Republic. And it was there as well as in the fertile Connecticut River Valley that he began to train a young man named Daniel Nunez to become his eventual successor. Now the cigar master of Partagas, Daniel Nunez is the creator of Partagas Black Label and many other innovations.

The Cigar

In order to create Partagas Black Label, Daniel Nunez and his colleagues spent 10 years perfecting the Medio Tempo wrapper and the La Vega Especial binder. Cuban-seed Medio Tempo wrappers are darker, heavier and richer than other wrappers because they are harvested only after they have been allowed to age on their plants 50% longer than other wrapper leaves. The La Vega Especial binder is sun-grown in the Dominican Republic to give it a deep, rich flavor of its own. To enhance the cigar's full-bodied character even further, the blend is a mixture of Nicaraguan Ligero and Dominican Piloto Cubano Ligero. These tobaccos and a larger ring gauge translate into a richer, fuller-bodied flavor.

The Experience