Partagas Gets First Barber-Pole-Style Cigar

For the first time in the brand’s long history, a non-Cuban Partagas will be available in a barber-pole format, rolled with two contrasting wrappers. Called Partagas Añejo, the cigars are made with a dark Cameroon wrapper and a lighter leaf of Connecticut shade to create the striking barber-pole effect.
According to General Cigar Co., the Cameroon tobacco is from a 1998 harvest while the Connecticut shade cover leaf was grown in 2013. The word añejo translates to “old” in Spanish. Under the vintage wrappers are a Dominican binder and filler from Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Partagas Añejo heads to retailers on March 1 in two sizes: Petit Robusto, measuring 4 1/2 inches long by 49 ring gauge, and Esplendido, at 4 1/2 by 60. Packaged in 25-count boxes, both sizes are made in the Dominican Republic and will have suggested retail prices of $6.99 and $7.99, respectively. The relatively short sizes were dictated, General says, by the size of the Cameroon leaves.
The company intends Partagas Añejo to be a seasonal release.
General Cigar is a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, a corporate giant based in Denmark.
For a vertical brand tasting of these barber-pole Partagas cigars, see a future issue of Cigar Insider.