Tag Archives: Villiger

by Craig Vanderslice | December 20, 2020 · 10:46 am

CigarCraig’s 2020 Holiday Giveaway!

OK, I know it’s not the CigarCraig’s 12 Days of Giveaways, it’s been 5 years since that whole thing ended. We had a good run, but when the FDA scared all the cigar companies off of giving cigars away, it complicated things. I knew that trying to do twelve days of swag giveaways wouldn’t fly, and adding cigars out of my own humidor would break me (shipping already puts a hurting on me!). So it went the way of the Dodo. Fortunately, I find myself with some goodies accumulated over the year, so I put together one great present to close out the year! First, let me get something off my chest. Yesterday I smoked a Deadwood Leather Rose, which I really enjoy. It irks me when people call this cigar, and the other cigars in the Deadwood series, “infused”, or dare I say it, “flavored”. They are not. Sure they have a sweet cap, there are several traditional cigars that have a sweet cap. I don’t count the sweet cap as flavored. I really wish the folks at Drew Estate would be more vocal about this. I’d love to be able to reference a link on their site that states boldly “this (and the Larutan, for that matter) is NOT an infused cigar”. It uses non-traditional tobaccos, Syrian, Perique, Latakia, tobaccos more traditionally used in pipe tobaccos. I hate seeing social media posts that start something like “I don’t usually smoke flavored cigars, but I smoked a Sweet Jane…”and I feel compelled to say “you still didn’t! I feel like Drew Estate should help me out a little here! Heck, I’ve seen people argue with Vaughn Boyd (who owned Deadwood) for crying out loud! OK, enough of my ranting, I really enjoy the Leather Rose, and her sisters, and the Natural/Larutans too, although I don’t smoke many for some reason. They have a lot of flavor, and I like that.

Let’s get to the Giveaway! We have a lot of stuff s buckle up. Back in August I went to a Golf tournament Sponsored by Goose’s Montecristo Lounge, and Goose was very generous and supplied me with some Montecristo swag which included a Montecristo cap, a really nice Montecristo table lighter and a cutter in a humidor bag. I am adding a Montecristo Espada from my humidor, and I might find something else when I get to rooting around. Speaking of Drew Estate, since they canceled the Barn Smokers this year, they very kindly sent out they Barnsmoker swag. I’ll be honest, I was on the fence about giving up the backpack, it’s really nice, but I have a ton of backpacks, and I talked myself into giving this one up (my wife talked me into it as well). There’s another lighter and cutter (here’s a secret, this lighter you can get away with stashing in your luggage when you fly!), a bottle opener and a cigar stand. I put together a samper of Drew Estate and Joya de Nicaragua cigars from my humidor to go with it. Next there’s a nice Villiger ceramic ashtray, to which I’ve added some Villiger cigars (again, from my humidor, unsmoked!), and finally, a Foundation cutter (I forgot to add a Foundation cigar to try it on, one will be added!). So that’s an OK present, right? A little something for everyone, goodies for you, a hefty USPS bill for me! (I might do UPS since USPS has been sketchy as of late). Many thanks to my friends who generously provided these goodies! You know the rules! Leave a comment on this post to enter. No comments on Facebook, twitter or anywhere but this blog post will count. You must be of legal age in your jurisdiction to win (and prove it), and if you are selected as the winner, you need to e-mail me your information, please don’t make me track you down! I like to think the folks who win my contest are regular readers and, therefore, will see that they won! I’ll pick a winner next Sunday, December 27, 2020. Let’s see a ton of entries! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, whatever you like to celebrate.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Barn Smoker, cigar, cigars, Contest, drew estate, Foundation, Goose's Montecristo Lounge, Montecristo, Villiger

by Craig Vanderslice | July 22, 2020 · 8:57 am

Villiger TAA 2020 Exclusive Cigar

Villiger Cigars has a couple of firsts with this cigar. It’s their first TAA cigar, exclusive to participating Tobacconists’ Association of America stores. Looking at the listing on the website, I’m not entirely sure they have the name right, they have it listed as “Villiger 1888 Edicion Regional USA”, where the band just says TAA Exclusive 2020. Considering this second point, it doesn’t have any relationship with the Villiger 1888, except that it’s made in the Dominican Republic. The second first for Villiger is that this is the first time they’ve worked with Ernesto Perez Carrillo Jr. to produce a cigar. It’s a box pressed toro, 6” x 54, with an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.

When I lit this cigar up, before I looked at the blend and where it was made, I was 99% certain it was a Sumatra wrapper. It had that nice, sweet hard candy flavor I love. I wasn’t surprised when I read who made it either. Ernesto is a huge Sumatra fan, and he used a wonderful tasting Sumatra leaf on this cigar. I absolutely was enamored with the flavor of this cigar! It was a fantastic smoking experience. Like I said, it had that great Sumatra sweet flavor that I love, and it was medium bodied and not overpowering, very well balanced. Of course, as I got to the band it lost some of the sweetness and became slightly stronger, but don’t they all? Later I smoked the Villiger Cuellar Black Forrest toro (yummy), which, up until smoking the TAA, was my favorite Villiger to date. I suppose the limited nature of the TAA will force me to rein in my desire to stock up on these, my local Cigar Cigars stores are TAA members, and one can hope that they have these in stock (if I ever get out to visit one of them again!). By the way, if anyone from Cigar Cigars reads this, let the folks who run the TAA website know that they have the wrong website address listed for you!

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | March 25, 2020 · 1:57 pm

Villiger Do Brasil Maduro and Claro Cigars

I brought home samples of the new Villiger Do Brasil cigars from the TPE show, then a week later a pair showed up in my mailbox, so I’ve had a couple of each in the humidor now for several weeks resting. I had the opportunity to try the cigars at the show, Villiger hosted an excellent party at the TPE with some great food and entertainment that meandered between brilliant and not so much, all the while being entertaining one way or the other. Since I was there communing with friends, I smoked a more familiar cigar, the Cuellar Black Forest, which I really like. I spent a very nice evening catching up with my friends Will Cooper, Aaron Loomis and Jiunn Liu as well as seeing a bunch of other cigar industry folks. Good times.

Both of the Villiger Do Brasil blends, from what I can divine, are Brazilian puros. The Maduro is the one I smoked first, which surprises no one, I’m sure. This has an Arapiraca wrapper, it’s nice and dark, with light oil, and had a rustic appearance. Villiger uses a lot of Brazilian tobacco in a lot of their cigars, so it’s not surprising that they would make Brazilian puro premium cigars. This cigar was well made, and was one that came from the TPE gift bag. It had a split in the cap, but that wasn’t a big deal since I clipped it off. I’ve been using the ScrewPop MagPulse cutter almost exclusively, by the way, and it continues to me an absolutely amazing cutter. The cigar had a dark, savory flavor, not a sweet maduro. I really enjoyed it, it was quite a bit different than most other maduro cigars I smoke.

The Claro is wrapped in a Connecticut wrapper grown in Brazil, I assume under shade. It looks much like any other Connecticut shade wrapper, it’s light tan, finely veined and really quite beautiful. I’m really not sure which sample I chose, the one I received in the mail, or the one from the TPE, I checked it with the Humidimeter and it was right where I like to see the reading at the foot, 62%. I probed the head of the cigar and it was 67%, which is pretty consistent with my findings. I find that most cigars smoke well if they read under 65% at the foot, and there’s usually a 5% different from the foot to the head. My humidors are typically around 67% RH give or take a point. Anyway, the Claro was a flavorful shade cigar, nothing remarkable, unfortunately, but a solid, tasty, shade cigar. Both samples I smoked were the 5″ x 50 Robusto, and both were very good cigars.

I had to run out twice over the last few days some supplies and it’s surreal. Sunday it was to Home Depot to buy a replacement thermostat, as I mentioned in Sunday’s post. Oddly, Home Depot was pretty busy. People buying stuff for their yards and whatnot. It was almost like a normal Sunday. Here I am trying not to touch the touchscreen self checkout, and employees are a foot away from people having conversations like nothing is going on. It was a little disturbing. I feel like my visit was justified as a necessity, I mean, technically I do have the time to hold the wires together whiles the house heats up periodically…but the thermostat is a convenience we’ve become accustomed to. Yesterday I had to pick up prescriptions and some groceries. The pharmacy at Walmart sprayed down everything with 70% isopropyl alcohol right after it was touched and Walmart wasn’t that crowded. They have “social distance” marks on the floor. The local supermarket still has bare shelves, there was a few things I couldn’t get, but I managed and got most of what I needed. It was exhausting and I felt oddly relieved to get home! I’ve been out of work since last October, so I’m used to being home, but it’s an odd situation now. We have a number of cases in our county, and we are under state mandated lockdown. I can’t wait until things get back to normal and I can find a damn job!

That’s all for now, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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by Craig Vanderslice | January 22, 2020 · 11:22 am

News: Villiger Cigars Launching Villiger Do Brasil at TPE

More news, this time from Villiger. They were the first big company to jump ship, so to speak. If you read ahead, they aren’t “doing” Brazil, but it’s Portuguese for the name of their factory there, Villiger of Brazil. Am I seeing a trend of releases in Maduro and Connecticut for this tradeshow?

VILLIGER CIGARS TO LAUNCH “VILLIGER DO BRASIL” AT THE TPE 2020

Villiger Cigars to release the “Villiger do Brasil” cigar brand at the TPE 2020 taking place this January 29-31 at the Las Vegas Conventions Center. Villiger do Brasil is a Brazilian puro which features two blends, Claro and Maduro, created to celebrate Villiger’s century long history with Brazilian tobacco. Villiger’s new factory in Bahia, Brazil also named “Villiger do Brasil” (Villiger of Brazil, translated from Portuguese) opened its doors in 2018.

The Villiger family’s relationship with Brazilian tobacco dates to Villiger Cigars’ beginnings in 1888, when Jean and his wife Louise Villiger imported Brazilian tobacco, shortly after founding the company. Later in 1979 a Villiger subsidiary company opened Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul), Brazil. The company was named CHARUTOS TOBAJARA LIMITADA and produced handmade cigars for export to Germany and Switzerland. Later Villiger moved operations to Northern Brazil (Bahia) where the new Villiger do Brazil factory was opened.

The Villiger Do Brasil cigar brands promise a multifaceted journey into the land of passion and it shows in its two versions: CLARO and MADURO. The light Brazil Connecticut Shade wrapper gives the CLARO version a velvety light brown tone, that visually supports its balance and fine aromas. Typical notes of coffee and wood meet a subtle sweetness with hints of cedar and pepper. Arapiraca tobacco gives the darker MADURO version its silky dark brown and a fruity character, which plays around with notes of leather and coffee. Both varieties have a medium taste, whereby the MADURO tastes a shade stronger.

Villiger Chairman of the Board, Heinrich Villiger said:” My family saw the value in Brazilian tobacco when they began Villiger Cigars as very small operation in 1888. Brazilian tobacco is unique, as its structure is very robust, which leads to strong aromas and flavours. Its distinct qualities can only be created in Bahia, Brazil. We look forward to sharing the Villiger do Brasil brand with the United States marketplace.”

The Villiger do Brasil Claro and Maduro are available in 5 count boxes

Vitolas and MSRP

Robusto (5×50) – MSRP: $9.00

Toro (6×50) – MSRP: $9.50

ABOUT VILLIGER SONS LIMITED

Villiger Sons Limited was established in 1888 by Jean Villiger in the small town of Pfeffikon, Switzerland, where Villiger remains headquartered to this day. The company manufactures and sells more than 1.5 billion cigars annually, world-wide. Today, under the leadership of Heinrich Villiger, the company prides itself in its commitment to quality, in all their products made in many countries around the globe.

Villager Cigars North America on social @VilligerCigar #CigarsSince1888

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by Craig Vanderslice | January 16, 2020 · 9:23 am

A La Sirena, a Villiger and a Few More Thoughts

I’ve had a lot of thoughts rattling around my head lately. I finally have an interview lined up for a job, with another couple possibilities in the pipeline. Historically, January has been a good hiring month for me, twice in the past I’ve started jobs which have lasted 13 years in January. As long as the companies don’t start with “S” I’m OK (every company I’ve worked for since 1989 has started with “S”, I need a change! Why do you think I haven’t pursued employment with Swisher, Swedish Match, Scandinavian Tobacco, Southern Draw…). It’s been stressful these last few months. Anyway, I’ve been reading and hearing a lot of divisive talk about the PCA and who’s going and not going and all, and I made my position clear in my last post, but I think there’s a big picture that’s being missed. The cigar industry seems to be mirroring what’s going on in the country politically with the divisiveness. There’s a whole us versus them mentality where everyone really needs to be united now more than ever. I hate seeing it, it really sucks, and I don’t know the answer, but it’s clear that whoever is pulling the strings here is achieving the desired effect. Divide and conquer. The cigar industry already is too small to stand up for itself as it is, fractured it has no shot at all. I’m on the fence. I love cigars from the largest manufacturers down to the smallest without regard for their politics (there are a few brands I avoid on general principle). I have been to both kinds of factories and seen that cigars are made the exact same way. I know it’ll never happen in the cigar industry, or in the country, but is it too much to ask to just get along and do the right thing?

On a positive note, one of the smaller cigar companies which has been a long time favorite of mine is going to me at the TPE show, and I’m looking forward to seeing the folks from La Sirena. I smoked a King Poseidon this week, and my supply is dwindling. This is the 6″ x 60 in the line, made at La Zona (did I recently say I seem to have been smoke a few La Zona made cigars lately?), and is really quite good. Lacking a toro in the line, I am partial to the Churchill (Trident) and this gordo, although the belicoso (Devine) is a great cigar as well. I bet I haven’t had a Robusto since they were making them in the My Father factory! The blend is a Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan Criollo binder and fillers from Jalapa and Condega, including something they refer to as Erik Espinosa’s “magic leaf”. The La Sirena brand, much like CigarCraig.com, celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary in 2019! Did I mention that the La Sirena is among my favorite brands? I love the line, and the King Poseidon smoked beautifully, and had a rich, creamy flavor with some punch! It’s a bold smoke, although the larger ring gauge perhaps less so than the thinner. I’m going to dig out one of my remaining My Father era Tridents one of these days, and I still have some Dubloons, which are large salomon shaped cigars. I can’t wait to see the La Sirena crew at the TPE.

One more repeat, this one was another newer cigar from Villiger, their Cuellar Black Forrest. I smoked this back in November and wrote about it, ironically I also included the King Poseidon in that post. Perhaps my selections are more cyclical than I know. To recap, the Black Forrest is not made in the Black Forrest at all, it’s made at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic, the factory where Jochi Blanco makes a whole bunch of cigars like La Galera, Aging Room, as well as a bunch of other cigars like Señorial, Freyja, Matilde, and probably a ton that none of us realize are made there. This cigar has a San Andrés wrapper, and, as I said before, it doesn’t have the “dirty” taste that that wrapper usually has, but is much more refined and really quite special. There’s a unique spice, and sweetness that’s delicious and wonderful. It has a nice box press and works very well to, so it’s a joy to smoke. It’s a well done cigar.