Cigar Reviewed: Partagás Valle Verde

Smoked at: Rhode Island

When I think of a San Andreas stick, (especially one with it for both wrapper and filler) I get a mental image of something that’s going to be both bold and sweet. It definitely is bold but missing the sweetness that I love.

It starts out with an earthy, espresso palate with very subtle cocoa (like to the point where I thought I may have been projecting my expectations). There is also a bit of bitterness that I can only attribute to the lijero in the filler. The cocoa started to come through a bit more and complimented a black coffee flavor/bitterness (toned down from the first third. I was able to find a little bit of sweetness in there but not nearly the amount I was expecting. The final third was dominated by that black coffee palate with a little bit of earthiness as if I was drinking a cup of coffee while camping deep in the woods.

Overall I was able to find a lot that I enjoyed about the cigar even though the flavor wasn’t quite what I had gotten myself excited for.