Te Amo, the Original San Andrés Valley Cigar Magnum

If there is one brand that probably doesn’t get the credit for its heritage that it deserves, it’s Te-Amo. The brand and its blends, which use Mexican tobacco, date back decades. It debuted in 1966 and became a staple in retail humidors, particularly in the northeastern U.S. There’s a good chance that a Te-Amo was many cigar smokers’ first cigar due to just how ubiquitous it was, with no shortage of images of vintage signage online.

The brand, which means I love you in Spanish, was created by the Turrent family, who have been growing tobacco in Mexico since the 1880s. They are primarily tobacco growers, but they also operate a factory in the San Andrés Tuxtla area, a facility called Nueva Matacapan de Tabacos S.A. de C.V. It is the same facility that is home to the Casa Turrent line of cigars, among others.

But while Mexican tobacco has remained a popular component in tobacco blends, the Te-Amo brand has lost ground to the other brands and blends that use it over the years.

In early 2024, Altadis U.S.A., which distributes the Te-Amo brand in the United States, announced that it would be releasing a new Te-Amo line at the 2024 Total Product Expo (TPE), a release that would begin what was promised to be accompanied by more emphasis in the U.S. throughout the year.

The line, Te Amo, the Original San Andrés Valley Cigar, might not win points for its catchiness or brevity, but it does focus on the brand’s heritage and the fact that it predates modern cigars that use tobacco from Mexico’s San Andrés Valley.

The blend is a Mexican puro, with all its tobacco grown in the San Andrés Valley. Specifically, the wrapper and filler are habano-seed leaves, while the binder is a Negro San Andrés.

As part of this newest iteration of the Te Amo brand, a pair of the brand’s design staples have disappeared  The first is the hyphen between Te and Amo, though it remains on the brand’s page on Altadis USA’s website. Also gone is the image of a bull and matador.

This new presentation uses several shades of green with a gold sun. The image on the bands and vistas is seemingly designed to evoke a scene one might see in Mexico’s San Andrés Valley.

• Cigar Reviewed: Te Amo, the Original San Andrés Valley Cigar Magnum
• Country of Origin: Mexico
• Factory: Nueva Matacapan de Tabacos S.A. de C.V.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés Habano)
• Binder: Mexicao (San Andrés Negro)
• Filler: Mexico (San Andrés Habano)
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 60
• Vitola: Gordo
• MSRP: $12.71 (Box of 20, $254.20)
• Release Date: Feb. 1, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The cigar has a slightly lighter color than I would have been expecting, given that I tend to think of Mexican wrapper leaves coming in a darker shade, but this is a habano-seed leaf, which tends to be a bit lighter in color. It’s a gorgeous leaf, well-tanned and setting a canvas for the band to sit against. The wrapper has an interesting texture to it: slightly dry but still feeling supple, and it seems like I can feel the trichomes, or little hairs, that exist on a leaf, and something I feel more in the fields than on finished cigars. There is also a very clean, clear and distinct vein structure; on one cigar, I would feel comfortable calling it a textbook example of a typical tobacco leaf’s inner network. Another cigar’s veins are a bit more pronounced, really giving the leaf a visual texture. All three cigars are fairly firm but stop short of being called hard, as there is a touch of give to be found. There looks to be some interesting cuts made to create the head of the first cigar, as there’s one small section that doesn’t quite seem to belong with a trailing piece of tobacco. But across the three, there are no visual faults. The foot has aromas of unsweetened cornflakes, and in particular, what I’d imagine they smell like just prior to being crisped up as part of the baking process. There’s also some glazed old fashioned donuts and light breads, but not much overt sweetness or pepper. The bread seems to try and lead me to a light earthiness but never quite gets there. The cold draw is a little creamier with some notes of toast and unseasoned croutons, with air moving well on all three cigars.

The first third of the first cigar has a vibrant funkiness that I can’t quite place, other than to say it reminds me of a peppery clay at times, with some chalk mixed in at others. The second and third cigars are better, with dry cereal and a light pepper combining well to grab my attention both via my palate and nostrils. Either way, this Te Amo gets my attention right out the gate. Retrohales are crisp and peppery, and have a light spiciness that I can’t quite identify but it does remind me of the sensation I’d get from smelling a bottle of hot sauce. The flavor largely rights itself with the first quarter of an inch, but it takes some time to get there, and in the first cigar there are some combustion issues right out of the gate. As the flavor evolves, there’s a bit of heavier earth emerging, a change I pick up first in a retrohale. For one cigar, that comes with a bit of a heavier finish after puffs, with the flavor sitting towards the top of my throat. The flavor is medium-plus, body is medium and strength is mild. Construction is generally very good, though as noted, the first cigar had some combustion issues. Otherwise, the draw, burn line and smoke production are all very good.

The second third begins with some really nostril-filling and stimulating retrohales, a sensation achieved by way of a bright white pepper, some creaminess, and then traces of cereal grain and toast on the finish that provide a dry tingle. While I tend to think of Mexican San Andrés tobacco having a bit heavier and earthier profile, the habano seed gives this Te Amo a lighter mouthfeel. While I get some of what I think of as habano seed flavor notes, namely wood and pepper, they also seem slightly lighter than their Nicaraguan- and Ecuadorian-grown counterparts. It’s not too far into this section that the flavors really begin to come together, something that is noticeable in contrast to the flavor in the first third. There is good harmony and balance in this section, with dry lumber leading the way and creating the most vibrant component but still allowing plenty of room for the pepper to do its thing, as well as for the fading creaminess to contribute and hints of earthiness to appear. The final puffs of this section pick up just a touch of light, dry, but flavorful wood that latches onto the front half of my tongue. This harmonious profile spans much in this section without notable changes until the tail end when the pepper begins to peel off and the flavor picks up something that throws it out of balance. That said, this section is quite enjoyable. Flavor is medium-plus, body is medium and strength is medium-minus. Most areas of construction are very good, with good smoke production, an even burn line, and a very smooth draw. There are occasional combustion issues which I find adding to the total smoking time, and the cigar itself doesn’t burn very quickly, as a couple glances at the elapsed smoking time have me wondering just how long it will take to get through this gordo.

A little nuttiness emerges early in this section, while the pepper gets a touch heartier and more in line with what I would call a typical black pepper, as much of what the cigar has offered has been a lighter expression. When the flavor from the second third carries over into the final third, it’s a more intense version, as the flavors get a couple of ticks more concentrated, as if whatever space had existed between the flavors earlier is now gone. Some very enjoyable creaminess comes in the final inches, which makes for a great first impression on each puff, but then that flavor gives way to a thinner, drier finishing flavor that reminds me of toast and dry wood. The change also seems to bring out some earthiness, as the flavor and body are both heavier, almost too heavy at times, as the finish lingers around and elicits a touch of irritation. Other than the flavor intensity getting a bit much, the Te Amo finishes quite nicely with a rich, thick, peppery and earthy profile that lands well on my taste buds. A final retrohale is a bit less intense and still has some creaminess, giving that experience of the smoke a lighter complement to the flavor. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-full and strength is medium. Construction remains very good, with a sporadic relight needed across the three cigars.

Final Notes

• While Altadis U.S.A. distributes the Te-Amo brand in the U.S., the Turrent family distributes it elsewhere in the world.
• I haven’t had the chance to smoke the other sizes in this line, but I’d be intrigued to see how the blend performs in the toro size.
• Looking back at the changes to the bands and logos, the removal of the hyphen was immediately apparent to me because I never really understood why it was there in the first place.
• I’m not sure I would have been able to tell you that the bull and matador logo was the other notable missing element. I haven’t smoked many Te-Amo cigars, so that logo never really made its way into my memory.
• The third cigar, which had the fullest flavor and body of the three, was the only one that gave me a bit of nicotine strength, and all of it came in the final third.
• I’m intrigued to know what the reaction has been from people who consider themselves fans of San Andrés tobacco after smoking this cigar. I say that for a number of reasons, including that cigars with San Andrés wrappers also get lots of flavor from the other components, and that the leaves used in this blend aren’t the same as the wrappers found on other cigars.
• That said, I’d really recommend that people who like habano-seed tobacco give this a try. It’s a new spin on a familiar flavor and one I find quite enjoyable.
• Combustion was once again an issue in this cigar; the first struggled throughout, while the other two cigars needed several relights in their second halves. The draw didn’t seem to be a problem as much as tobacco that just wasn’t conducive to combustion.

• The company lists these as a 6 x 60 gordo. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• I was shocked to see how long it took to smoke each of the three cigars, averaging about three hours and 45 minutes, with one cigar just over four hours and the quickest taking three hours and 25 minutes. Combustion issues contributed to some of that, but all three of these cigars just took their time getting from start to finish.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Corona Cigar Co., Famous Smoke Shop, and JR Cigars carry the Te Amo, the Original San Andrés Valley Cigar Magnum.