Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle

By Tony Casas | December 16, 2019

Happy Monday everyone! This week I stay on schedule bringing by you a review of the Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle paired with a bottle of Modern Times Tequila Barrel Aged Monster’s Park Imperial Stout.

The Good Stuff:

One of the very few cigars released this year by Warped at the IPCPR show in Vegas was the line extension to the Flor De Valle line called the Seleccion de Valle. This 6 x 52, 109 style capped cigar, originally called “Flor de Valle Ghost Orhid before having to change it’s name due to trademark issues features an all Aganorsa makeup of a Nicaraguan Corojo 99 wrapper from the Jalapa region along with Nicaraguan Corojo 99 and Criollo 98 binder, and all Nicaraguan fillers.

The format is slated for regular production, runs $12.59 a stick, and comes in boxes of 20. The cigar is produced at Aganorsa Lead Factory (formally TABSA). I picked mine up over from our friends at Fox Cigar who have them in stock now, and offer free shipping on all orders, no minimum.

• Size: 6 x 52
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
• Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo 99 / Criollo 98
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $12.95
• Pairing: Modern Times Tequila Barrel Aged Monster’s Park (Imperial Stout 13% ABV)

Prelight:

The Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle starts out with a splotchy milk-chocolate brown wrapper scattered with darker brown areas throughout. The wrapper’s texture is mostly smooth with a very slight amount of tooth and soft oils. The wrapper itself feels very thin and fragile. The wrapper is laid so smoothly over itself that its hard to even find the seam. The wrapper showcases only very mild veining and small webbing in the tobacco leaf as you lead up the cigar’s thick body to the stubby tapered 109 style cap.

The Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle carries the beautiful white, gold, and cyan Flor de Valle band we’ve come to expect on this blend. Seriously, this is a gorgeous band. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces lots of earthy/dirt flavors with a good amount of pepper coating the profile.

First Third:

The Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle starts out with an initial blast of black pepper that was only present for the first few draws. After the pepper faded the cigar greeted me with a good amount of earthiness, cashew, cedar, and soft spice. As I continue to smoke through the first third more and more of the cashew flavor pushes itself to the forefront of the flavor profile. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick, white smoke. The burn line is dead even and razor thing leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white/light gray ash which held on for about an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle and the flavor remain mostly the same. The cashew and cedar lead the charge backed by notes of earth and dirt along with a nice lightly creamed coffee which has entered the mix. The retrohale really brings out the pepper I encountered when I first lit up the cigar so I don’t find myself doing it too often. The burn line is still dead even and razor thin as I close out the second third with nothing from the nicotine department.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle and things remain the same, and I like that. The main flavors are still the cedar and cashew backed by earthiness, dirt and creamed coffee. It took me an hour and a half to take the Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle down to the nub. I experienced no harshness nor any extended heat. I closed out the cigar with only a very mild hit of nicotine.

Overview:

The Seleccion de Valle is an excellent extension to an already vast, and great Flor de Valle line. The 109 format is one coveted by aficionados and easily the most prominent vitola in the line. The flavors offered in the Flor de Valle are not overly complex, but extremely enjoyable and just complex enough to keep you thinking about the cigar as you’re smoking it. I for one really enjoy the flavor profile and often reach for the blend when I want a just all around great cigar. After smoking quite a few different vitoilas in the line I have to say the Seleccion de Valle is my favorite, and I usually gravitate towards smaller ring gauges. The flavors are a bit more balanced, and the stubby tapered cap is incredible comfortable in my mouth.

Pairing:

Brewed at the Modern Times brewery in California this version of Monster’s Park is aged in tequila barrels and comes in at 13% ABV. The beer leads with loads of cocoa, vanilla, brown sugar, and roasted malt with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing rather sweet with more cocoa vanilla and brown sugar. The Tequila flavor is very mild and really just adds an awesome floral flavor to the aftertaste. With the nutty flavors Warped Flor de Valle Seleccion de Valle I figured combining the two of these would lead to a complimentary, yet complex pairing and that’s exactly what the end result was.