Warped Flor del Valle Sky Flower Review

[Laynard]

Cigar: Warped Flor del Valle Sky Flower
Size: Gran Corona, 5.6"x48
MSRP: $12.50
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo 99
Origin: Nicaragua



Prelight: According to their website, the Sky Flower is “only available at select Flor Del Valle retailers across the world.” I got mine at Small Batch in a sampler. I also found out on the Warped website that included in this special blend is some medio tiempo. Some may know this is the same priming that makes Cuba’s Cohiba Behike so highly sought after. At first glance the cigar looks great. At closer inspection… the cigar looks great! The wrapper has some oily sheen, small veins, and some tooth. The seams are almost invisible. It smells quite barnyard-esque, with hints of flowers and a dash of dark chocolate. The foot has a delicious powdered cocoa aroma. The cold draw is perfect as far as resistance, and tastes just like dark chocolate.



1/3: I light up the cigar and take a puff, noticing immediately how much smoke I get from the pull. It’s quite impressive. However, as I set it down, there is very little smoke coming off the foot at rest. Interesting. There is a strong pepper bite that hits the back of my throat and lots of pepper in the retrohale as well. For the first inch, the profile is mainly black pepper, with a backing note that reminds me of raw green bell pepper. After that inch, a woodiness joins in as well as a sweetness. It’s a pretty complex start to the cigar. Then some nuts and chocolate seem to elbow their way in. And what’s this? Hay as well?



2/3: The complexity of the cigar settles down in the second third, and the primary flavors are sweet wood and nuts. It’s a nice, balanced, simple flavor profile that I am enjoying immensely. The finish is clean as well. The burn line has been good: not razor-sharp, but never needing a touch-up. The ash is bright and lasts over an inch between drops. This is a very well made cigar. After the halfway mark, the sweet wood evolves into more of a charred wood flavor, and I notice the body and strength increasing. As I move into the final third, the hay flavor returns.



3/3: The woodiness evolves again, this time becoming earthier, and is well balanced with nuts and hay. The hay increases and starts to turn a bit bitter, so I purge and get the cigar back to its former glory. The final third seems as complex as the first, with pepper returning and the strength increasing even more. This cigar proved to be nub-worthy.

Overall: I was impressed with this cigar. It seemed to know when I wanted a complex profile to wade through, and when I just wanted to kick back and enjoy a simple yet balanced profile. The burn was not perfect, but still great in its own right. This was definitely a cigar I will be smoking again.

[Cardinal]

Thanks! Doesn't exactly sound like my cup of tea, especially the green bell pepper part. I know exactly what you're talking about and I don't care much for the flavor in my cigars.

[Tobias Lutz]

Great review, Layne! It sounds like a tasty smoke. I am the opposite of Tim in that I enjoy that vegetal flavor.