Partagas Valle Verde Toro

Partagas is one of the oldest and most respected names in the cigar world, tracing its roots all the way back to Havana in 1845. That kind of history carries some serious weight in the humidor, and the Partagas Valle Verde Toro proves the brand still knows how to evolve while honoring tradition. Produced today by General Cigar, Valle Verde takes a modern approach by incorporating tobaccos rarely seen together in classic Partagas blends.

This Honduran-crafted Toro features a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper over a Cameroon binder with fillers from Nicaragua and Mexico. It also marks the first time Partagas used a San Andrés wrapper in one of their blends, and the result is bold without losing refinement. The smoke opens with earthy richness and white pepper before settling into flavors of toasted bread, cocoa, leather, and subtle sweetness. There’s a nice savory quality throughout the cigar that keeps each draw engaging, while the medium-plus body provides enough strength to satisfy experienced smokers.

The suggested pairing of Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon is spot on. A Cabernet’s dark fruit and tannic structure pair wonderfully with the cigar’s earthiness and peppery spice. For cocktail lovers, an Americano or Boulevardier would also complement the blend nicely by adding bitterness and sweetness in equal measure. The Valle Verde is ideal for smokers looking for something layered and complex but still smooth enough to enjoy during a long summer evening.

Honduras has been a tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing area for hundreds of years, but it was the Communist revolution in Cuba that really put Honduras on the map. In the 1960s, many Cuban cigar makers fled their homeland and arrived in Honduras to re-establish their way of life. The immigrants took advantage of the climate, soil, and geography, which were well-suited to tobacco growing, and began producing high quality cigars. The center of the Honduran cigar industry is the city of Danli and the nearby Jamastran Valley. The majority of the world’s pure Corojo tobacco is grown here, now that Cuba has stopped production of this iconic, spicy, and rich variety in favor of Corojo hybrids. Other important areas of Honduran cigar production include the Talanga Valley, Copan, and Trojes.