Cigar Review – Partagas Valle Verde (new world)
Smoked August 2023
Obtained from: promotional sample from cigar event
Size: Toro (6 inches x 52)
Approximate cost: US$9.00
See ratings below
True confession…I’ve never smoked a (US market) Partagas. For reasons I can’t really explain, other than a few exceptions (Montecristo and a handful of others) I tend to shy away from the “dual US market/Cuban” brands. Especially so for the brands that Cuba really is known for, like Partagas.
So it’s taken awhile (and a free Partagas cigar from an event I attended) to get around to smoking my first new world Partagas.
With that explanation/excuse out of the way, let’s talk about the Partagas Valle Verde. Start with the wrapper – a medium-brown Mexican San Andres that is (no exaggeration) the toothiest wrapper I have ever seen. Overall construction was good, very good draw and smoke production.
As I took a post-toast but pre-light draw, I was excited to get a rather sweet taste – the binder is billed as Cameroon tobacco, so that might be the reason. The first few puffs were sweet, but that changed quickly as this medium-bodied smoke turned into a black pepper bomb. Black pepper overwhelmed anything else for the first few minutes.
Thankfully, the pepper fell away to almost nothing around the ¼ mark, replaced by earthy with a little chocolate undertone. While I wouldn’t call it sweet, the taste was pleasant medium body. That taste profile continued well into the second half, when black pepper made a short-but-noticeable comeback.
A couple minor flaws I should point out – the first third there was quite pronounced canoeing, which took care of itself with one minor touch-up. There was also very noticeable tunneling, but it did not affect performance or my smoking enjoyment in the least.
The pepper drifted away very quickly, and the rest of this cigar was a nice, pleasant medium body smoke.
Would I recommend the Partagas Valle Verde? I’d rate it a solid 7.0/10, good, but certainly not great. Body is a 5.0/10 so if you’re looking for a down-the-middle medium body smoke, this is a great choice. All in all, it’s worth a try if you are seeking something new and (a little) different.
