Centuries in the making
Country Life UK|November 25, 2020
As Partagás celebrates 175 years, our correspondent reflects on his epiphany and subsequent conversion to the brand
Centuries in the making

UNSURPRISINGLY, my travel plans to Cuba are in disarray. My cigar year used to be punctuated by events that took place with a metronomic regularity—the annual Festival del Habano in February and the Partagás Festival in November. Usually, I would attend one or other of these events and happily, this year, I made it to the festival in February.

As the pandemic began to cast its shadow over Europe, I arrived in Cuba, where I rediscovered and learned to love (or at least not to fear) Bolivar—and yes, I am conscious of the irony that my nom de plume is that of the cigar marque I have spent much of my life trying to steer clear of. As well as Bolivar, much was made of a new range of Romeo y Julieta (more of which in future), introduced to celebrate the 145th birthday of the Shakespeare-inspired brand, and there was also excitement around the 85th birthday of Montecristo.

This story is from the November 25, 2020 edition of Country Life UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 25, 2020 edition of Country Life UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COUNTRY LIFE UKView All
Happiness in small things
Country Life UK

Happiness in small things

Putting life into perspective and forces of nature in farming

time-read
3 mins  |
September 11, 2024
Colour vision
Country Life UK

Colour vision

In an eye-baffling arrangement of geometric shapes, a sinister-looking clown and a little girl, Test Card F is one of television’s most enduring images, says Rob Crossan

time-read
3 mins  |
September 11, 2024
'Without fever there is no creation'
Country Life UK

'Without fever there is no creation'

Three of the top 10 operas performed worldwide are by the emotionally volatile Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, who died a century ago. Henrietta Bredin explains how his colourful life influenced his melodramatic plot lines

time-read
4 mins  |
September 11, 2024
The colour revolution
Country Life UK

The colour revolution

Toxic, dull or fast-fading pigments had long made it tricky for artists to paint verdant scenes, but the 19th century ushered in a viridescent explosion of waterlili

time-read
6 mins  |
September 11, 2024
Bullace for you
Country Life UK

Bullace for you

The distinction between plums, damsons and bullaces is sweetly subtle, boiling down to flavour and aesthetics, but don’t eat the stones, warns John Wright

time-read
3 mins  |
September 11, 2024
Lights, camera, action!
Country Life UK

Lights, camera, action!

Three remarkable country houses, two of which have links to the film industry, the other the setting for a top-class croquet tournament, are anything but ordinary

time-read
5 mins  |
September 11, 2024
I was on fire for you, where did you go?
Country Life UK

I was on fire for you, where did you go?

In Iceland, a land with no monks or monkeys, our correspondent attempts to master the art of fishing light’ for Salmo salar, by stroking the creases and dimples of the Midfjardara river like the features of a loved one

time-read
5 mins  |
September 11, 2024
Bravery bevond belief
Country Life UK

Bravery bevond belief

A teenager on his gap year who saved a boy and his father from being savaged by a crocodile is one of a host of heroic acts celebrated in a book to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Humane Society, says its author Rupert Uloth

time-read
4 mins  |
September 11, 2024
Let's get to the bottom of this
Country Life UK

Let's get to the bottom of this

Discovering a well on your property can be viewed as a blessing or a curse, but all's well that ends well, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee, as she examines the benefits of a personal water supply

time-read
5 mins  |
September 11, 2024
Sing on, sweet bird
Country Life UK

Sing on, sweet bird

An essential component of our emotional relationship with the landscape, the mellifluous song of a thrush shapes the very foundation of human happiness, notes Mark Cocker, as he takes a closer look at this diverse family of birds

time-read
6 mins  |
September 11, 2024