The story behind the smoke

In the words of American entrepreneur, author, speaker and internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk, “Storytelling is by far the most underrated skill when it comes to business.”

Looking across the cigar landscape, it’s a skill that Honduran cigar manufacturer Oscar Valladares, founder of Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co, has cracked. Every cigar he releases has a rich story behind it that takes it to another level. I am a fan, of the quality of smoke of Valladares’ cigars and the stories behind each one.

Valladares has come a long way since he transitioned from working for a tour operator to establishing Oscar Valladares Tobacco in 2012 with his brother Hector Valladares and master blender Bayron Duarte.

I always look forward to getting my hands on new OV Cigars, regardless of when they were released.

Oscar Valladares Rosalila Mundo Presente Corojo Toro

Developed at Valladares’ (then) new factory in Danli, Honduras, and released in 2014, the Rosalila range was blended from tobaccos from five tobacco farms across Honduras. All Honduran puros (tobacco from one country), the Rosalila series consisted of Inframundo Maduro, Mundo Celestial Connecticut and Mundo Presente Corojo, all a 6" (15.2cm) length and a 50-ring gauge toro.

The Rosalila was shipped in boxes of 21 with a bonus cigar, which was infused with Chicha, a traditional Mayan corn-based liquor. Honouring his Honduran heritage, Rosalila was named after a phase of a Mayan temple in the Honduran region of Copan. The temple’s colour scheme also comes through in the packaging and the elaborate and colourful band.

Difficult to get, I was fortunate enough to be given one Mundo Presente Corojo to smoke. A medium-bodied cigar, it was smooth and flavourful with an earthy, spicy sweetness that developed and then lingered throughout the thirds.

Leaf by Oscar 10th anniversary

The Leaf by Oscar was initially created as a house blend in collaboration with and for an American cigar shop owned by Jim Robinson. Its popularity motivated Valladares to make it available for the broader market. The maduro continues to be one of my favourite cigars to smoke and while, for some, the cigar leaf (as opposed to Cellophane) as the protective cover may seem gimmicky, I consider it a master stroke in branding.

In 2023, to celebrate a decade of the cigar, Valladares released the Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo, also a Honduran puro with an aged Criollo seed wrapper grown at the Valladares La Florida Jamastran farm. Wrapped in a tobacco leaf instead of Cellophane, the 10th anniversary Leaf comes in a 6" x 52 Toro and a 6" x 60 Sixty.

It is medium to full-bodied with notes of earth, cedar and leather as well as spice, cocoa and coffee. Balanced and full of character, it is a worthy celebration of the original Leaf By Oscar.

2012 Sumatra Toro

Tied to the year Oscar Valladares Tobacco was founded and the year that marked the end of an era in the Mayan long-calendar mythology, the 2012 machine-pressed range of cigars includes the Maduro, the Corojo, the Connecticut and the Barber Pole. This was the brand’s first cigar release.

Having smoked countless 2012 Maduros over the years, I was eager to sample the Sumatra (and the Barber Pole, which I haven’t got around to yet). Trying the Short Robusto (4" x 50) and Toro (6" x 52) back-to-back, I was struck by how the medium bodied cigars were different in flavour, with the Toro more suited to my palate.

The wrapper is Ecuadorean Sumatra-seed, the binder is Honduran and the filler is a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos. Overall, there are a range of flavours as one goes through the thirds including notes of cedar, earth, spice and pepper.

A decent smoke that, if you lean towards more medium-bodied cigars, will hold you in good stead. I am more of a Maduro man.

All the 2012 varieties also come in a 6” x 60 ring gauge Sixty.

Heaven and Hell Oscuro Toro

 A recent (2023) addition to the OV Cigars family is the Heaven and Hell Connecticut Toro and Oscuro Toro, produced at Valladares’s Danli factory. Both with a ring gauge of 52 and length of 6", the Oscuro Toro, which is my preferred of the two, has a Nicaraguan maduro wrapper, a Mexican San Andres binder and a Honduran filler while the Connecticut Toro has a Honduran wrapper and filler with a Mexican San Andres binder.

The Oscuro Toro is an easy, well-balanced and mildly creamy medium-bodied cigar with typical Oscar Valladares flavours including sweetness, spice and earth. A solid smoke that you can’t go wrong with.