It’s raining, 54 degrees and I’m not having a cigar on the porch as I type this. Autumn is here. Soon I’ll have to close in the porch for the winter, because, you know, I need to have a comfortable place to smoke! Over the last few days I’ve enjoyed some cigars, let’s talk about them a bit. When I was at the PCA show I talked to my 
old friend Rene Castenada, who is the president of Villiger North America. Rene gave me a pair of their Villiger Miami Laguito No. 1 cigars, and I received another pair in the mail later. This blend originated as Rene’s special cigar to gift people, and is being released as a limited edition. in this Lancero size (7½” x 38) and a Robusto, made in the ABAM factory in Santo Domingo, DR. The wrapper is Ecuador (Connecticut Desflorado), and the fillers and binder are Dominican. I shouldn’t really care for this blend, but I really enjoyed it. It was kind of nutty with some sweetness. Like the Joya de Nicaragua Numero Uno, it’s a really good cigar that is accessible to most palates. I smoke Lanceros very slowly, so as not to overheat them, which brings up a point I often make about the small ring myth. Small ring cigars taste different because they burn hotter, it has nothing to do with some magical ratio. Tobacco flavor is dependant on varietal and primings, wrapper tobacco isn’t some special leaf with loads more flavor than the rest of the components of a cigar. Small ring cigars can taste sharper and be perceived differently because of the temperature of the combustion. I get so tired of the myth of the wrapper to filler ratio. Watch the ash on this one, it’s a bit messy!
This week I got another new cigar from Villiger. This one, the Villiger Exclusivo USA, is made at La Zona, like their TAA release. This was a box pressed toro, and it also comes in a box pressed torpedo. I like the sizes, 6″ x 52 and 54 respectively. The make-up of this one is a Nicaraguan Habano Rosado wrapper, Jalapa Binder and Esteli, Jalapa and Condega fillers, making it a Nicaraguan Puro. I’m a fan of a lot of Espinosa’s La Zona offerings, this one is no different. It’s a really good tasting Nicaraguan cigar, with some Espresso notes and sweetness. I liked it, maybe not as much as the TAA cigar, but it was really quite good. I’m not real sure of Villiger’s presence around the world in the premium cigar space, obviously they are huge in the “mass market” cigars internationally. I kind of thought a lot of their premium cigars were US exclusives!
Yesterday I smoked an Abuelo Nieto, which I had been looking forward to trying for quite some time. This is a cigar from United Cigar Group, made by Julio Eiroa celebrating Dave Garofalo’s grandparenthood. It’s funny to see guys my age and older becoming grandparents for the first time, I’ve been at it for eleven years! Anyway, I’ve heard rave reviews of this cigar, I was anticipating a great experience. It’s a good cigar, well made, good flavors. It didn’t bowl me over, it was just very nice. I think I’d opt for any number of Aladino cigars over this, but I like the branding, and appreciate the sentiment!
That’s all for today. I’m hoping that this week is a little bit lighter on the news than last week was. There were a ew items I didn’t post, some because I didn’t find them interesting, and some that I just didn’t get around to. I’m not dedicated to news, so I pick and choose. Anyway, I’ve got some stuff to do on this rainy Sunday, until the next time,
CigarCraig
