Initial Thoughts
While an extremely old brand (the Cuban part anyway), Partagas has recently come out with some great cigars. The Partagas de Bronce (new for 2023) has been a big hit with CigarScore Lounge customers, as has the Black Label. But today we're going to look at a brand new cigar from this company, a blend that was released mid-way through 2023, the Partagas Valle Verde.
At the time of this review, the Partagas Valle Verde comes in three regular-run sizes and one limited edition vitola, the box-pressed belicoso, which is what we're going to smoke and review today.
The Partagas Valle Verde Limited Edition Box-Pressed Belicoso is a great-looking cigar. The green, gold, and white label is appropriately fancy without being too flashy. The Mexican San Andres wrapper leaf is dry and not oily, and the box press is very slight, almost unnoticeable.
While the resistance on the cold draw was about perfect, the initial flavors were like freshly cut wood. Once lit, the spicy sweetness of the Mexican wrapper really came through and the Partagas Valle Verde Limited Edition Box-Pressed Belicoso was delicious from the first puff.
Will this become a new favorite? Is this new cigar from Partagas good enough? Let's smoke it and find out.
CigarScore:
Brand: Partagas
Line: Valle Verde
Size: 6 1/2 x 52
Cut: Guillotine
Light: Torch
Price: $10.99 – Adventure Club
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua (Estelà Ligero, Jalapa), Mexican San Andrés
Smoke Time: 65 minutes
Strength: ••••
Final Thoughts
After smoking the Partagas Valle Verde Belicoso for 65 minutes, my first complaint was that it didn't smoke for very long. However, with a box-pressed cigar, there's normally less tobacco in the filler so that the press holds and the draw doesn't become too tight. And, the box-pressed aspect could be what contributed to a basically-perfect draw.
Overall, the construction of this cigar was about perfect. I could point out a couple of minuscule things, but that'd basically be nitpicking. And, for a sub-$15 cigar, minor flaws can be overlooked, especially when balanced out with flavors that were super delicious.
I liked this cigar a lot. And, since recording this review, I've smoked more than a dozen Valle Verdes and purchased two more boxes for the store. This is a great smoke and if you like a Mexican San Andres wrapper, this is a must-try. The Partagas Valle Verde Belicoso earns a CigarScore 5.
