In March 2014, General Cigar expanded their Partagas 1845 line with the all new Extra Fuerte and Extra Oscuro collections. I reviewed the original Partagas 1845 for About.com when the line first debuted back in 2012. The two new collections are both fuller than the original. The Extra Fuerte is made with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, while the Extra Oscuro is made with a Connecticut Habano Oscuro wrapper and blend of Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. The Extra Fuerte is available only at brick and mortar tobacconists, while the Extra Oscuro is only available online and via catalog retailers. If you want more information about these cigars, including sizes, prices and product photos, I have posted the official press release on Facebook.
The Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte cigar that I sampled was the Robusto Gordo (5½ x 52), which is priced at $7.49 per cigar. This cigar has an attractive silver and black band having rotated imagery. The cigar began with a full, deep and rich tobacco flavor having hints of spice. After about 10 minutes, the flavor became just a bit less intense, but was still full albeit a little easier on the palate. The cigar had a great draw, held a long ash, and had a mostly even burn, although a couple of touch-up lights were applied during the 60 minutes that it took me to smoke the cigar down to two inches remaining. I rate it 3.75 on a 5-point scale.
I also sampled the Partagas 1845 Extra Oscuro cigar in the Robusto Gordo size, which is priced at $7.26 per cigar. This cigar has a similar band with silver and dark purple colors to distinguish it from the other lines. This cigar also began with a deep and rich tobacco flavor, but the subtle spices were a little more noticeable and the smoke was smoother than the Extra Fuerte. I found the flavors in the Extra Oscuro to be more enjoyable though not quite as intense, but it was still most definitely a full flavor cigar that was very well balanced. The cigar also had a great draw and held a long ash with a relatively even burn. I applied only one touch-up light during the 70 minutes that it took me to smoke the cigar down to two inches remaining. As you might guess, I enjoyed the Extra Oscuro a bit more than the Extra Fuerte, and rate it an impressive 4.25 on a 5-point scale.
Both the Partagas 1845 Extra Fuerte and Extra Oscuro cigars are recommended for more experienced cigar smokers. Mainstream cigar smokers might enjoy the original Partagas 1845 more than these two new collections. Newer cigar smokers should opt for original Partagas cigars with red bands.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer.
