Name: Partagas Serie D No. 4

Country: Cuba

Shape: Parejo

Size: Robusto (4 7/8 inches x 50)

Strength: Medium Full

The Partagas Serie D No. 4 cigar is a classic. Smoking it is like reading Homer’s Odyssey or Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. I never met anyone who doesn’t like it.

Though it is not my favorite, and though I do not smoke it all the time, I do feel like having one occasionally because, simply put, it is a very good cigar. (Also, strangely, I find that it goes superbly well with Lebanese mezze and arak.)

Another interesting fact about this cigar is this: No one will ever say no to a Partagas Serie D No. 4… So, be sure to keep some in your humidor.

Name: Zino Platinum Scepter Chubby

Country: Dominican Republic

Shape: Perfecto

Size: (4 9/10 inches x 54)

Strength: Medium

The Zino Platinum Scepter Chubby is a savory, medium-bodied cigar of very high quality. It is earthy and comes with notes of salted caramel, white pepper, leather, vanilla, and oak.

The cigar burned evenly and lasted 45 minutes. I enjoyed it with a cup of coffee in my mother’s garden. And the clear sky and the cool September sun lifted my spirits.