Tag Archives: Villiger

by | November 10, 2019 · 10:39 am

Villiger Cuellar Black Forrest and Assorted Cigars

I’ve been smoking some random favorites this week, along with revisiting some cigars to re-evaluate my opinions on them. I spent a while with my web host’s support folks trying to iron out some back-end issues I’ve been having and I think something got fixed with the RSS feed and Google indexing. The e-mails seem to be going out again and searches don’t seem to be coming up in Chinese anymore! That was annoying! Spending ten years creating content, I’d like my legacy to be properly preserved in google searches! So it’s all sorted out, I think. I’ve been looking at new WordPress themes too, I’ve been using the same site design since 2012, and it might be time to refresh it a bit. When I find the right layout, you’ll know it! Anyway, Here’s some of my thoughts on some cigars I smoked this week. 

 

Southern Draw Jacob’s Ladder Brimstone – I love the shape, it’s perfectly constructed, and I really want to love the cigar, and it’s great, but I think I like the regular Jacob’s Ladder better. There’s something about the regular line that is richer, maybe the added strength of the Brimstone overpowers he blend for me. If I had smoked this before the regular line I might have had a different opinion, but I feel a little disappointed when I smoke these. I want it to be a better Jacob’s Ladder, and for me it just isn’t, something gets lost. 

 

Cornelius and Anthony Daddy Mac – As everyone should be aware, I have a fondness for everything in the Cornelius and Anthony line, except, maybe the Daddy Mac. I’ve always said I liked it, but it was my least favorite in the line, and the second half of that statement id certainly always been true, but it’s time to stop sugar coating it and just give up on the Daddy Mac. The cigar just doesn’t appeal to me. That’s not to say it isn’t a good cigar, and there are plenty of people who love it, it’s got that leathery, earthy profile that I don’t personally dig. I need to reach out to Steven Bailey and ask him what the future of Cornelius and Anthony looks like. I’ve been seeing a lot of posts from this weekend’s LaZonaPalooza and the name C&A hasn’t come up. Inquiries at a recent visit to El Titan de Bronze, where my favorite Cornelius is made were not exactly positive. I need to know how I should ration my existing stock. 

 

Speaking of cigars made at LaZona, I also smoked a La Sirena King Poseidon, the brand’s 6″ x 60 vitola. This is another small brand that I’ve had a long time affinity for. The 6″ x 60 size was an experiment, and I like it a lot, but I think I like the Trident, the Churchill size, better for a large vitola in this line. I love the Trident and Devine (belicoso) sizes the best in this line.  I still have a couple of the Tridents from a box that was made in the My Father factory, they are Devine…no that’s the Belicoso…you know what I mean. La Sirena’s family of brands, including Merloin, Oceano, and the 10th Anniversary, have a little something for everyone, and I enjoy the heck out of them. 

 

Let’s talk about this new cigar from Villiger, the Cuellar Black Forrest. This is made at the Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic, which is where the Cuellar Krēmē is made, as well as one of my favorite Villiger cigars, the long gone and poorly named Trill. It’t box pressed and has a San Andrés wrapper and Dominican binder and filler and has a really interesting aroma out of the box. They often send samples in really nice little boxes of two or three, and while the presentation is top notch, one can’t help but think they might be better served saving that expense. Just a thought. This is a beautiful smoke, and everyone has been smoking this and raving about it. It was different from what most think of San Andrés wrapped cigars. It didn’t have the heavy earth that is associated with Mexican leaf, but would still qualify as earthy I guess. It was solidly in the medium category and smooth, consistent with it’s Cuellar Krēmē sibling, it compliments it well as the maduro counterpart if that is the intent. I can recall smoking a Krēmē at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival in 2014 and really enjoying it, and I might have one of similar vintage someplace in the humidor. This was a nice smoke that I’ll look forward to smoking again.

 

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

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

 

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by | October 25, 2019 · 1:08 pm

News: Villiger Cigars Announces Cuellar Black Forrest

I was secretly hoping this was the Trill blend renamed, but the Trill had a Habano wrapper…I could still get my wish one day…Trill was a great cigar with a bad name. This one sounds tasty. The Cuellar Kreme Connecticut was a good smoke, as are many from Tabacalera La Palma.

 

VILLIGER CIGARS TO UNVIEL THE VILLIGER CUELLAR BLACK FOREST

 

Villiger Cigars proudly announces the release of the Villiger Cuellar Black Forest. The Villiger Cuellar Black Forest will serve as a line extension, to the very popular Villiger Cuellar Connecticut Krēmē. The Villiger Cuellar Black Forest is a Dominican made cigar, which will feature a dark, rich, oily, and flavorful maduro wrapper. This, inspired by the mystical Black Forest, located on the Southern side of Germany, close to the border of Switzerland where the Villiger headquarters resides.

 

Villiger Chairman of the Board Mr. Heinrich Villiger grew up close to the Black Forest, which is the birthplace of many legends, fairytales, and haunted happenings, that most are very familiar with today. The Black Forest name is due to a hundred mile stretch of large pine trees, which block the sunlight from reaching the forest ground. This combined with constant fog create an eerie ambiance, unnerving enough to have given birth to legends of werewolves, haunted monasteries, castles, and ancient Celtic cemeteries. German based authors, the Brothers Grimm based many of their dark fables on the Black Forest. The packaging of the Villiger Cuellar Black Forest visually communicates the aura of the Black Forest. It is carried out through the dark, and rich maduro wrapper of this cigar, manufactured by Master Blender Jochy Blanco at Tabacalera La Palma in the Dominican Republic.

 

The Villiger Cuellar Black Forest features Dominican fillers and binder housed inside a gorgeously oily maduro wrapper. Mr. Henrich Villiger together with Jochy Blanco feel that the Black Forest boasts deeply rich flavors, with a distinct sweet finish which sets it apart from other blends. The Villiger Cuellar Black Forest is a medium to full-bodied, full-flavored cigar.

 

Heinrich Villiger said:” We very much look forward to releasing the Villiger Cuellar Black Forest, as it marries Caribbean artisan tobacco craftmanship with German/Swiss folklore, culture, and mysticism. Both our passion for tobacco and the Villiger culture are represented in this cigar.”

The Villiger Cuellar Black Forest is expressed in four sizes. MRSP is $7.80 to $8.40.

 

Robusto        5 x 48  

Toro Gordo  6 x 54

Churchill       7 x 50

Torpedo       6.25 x 52

 

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.

 

Follow Villager Cigars on social @VilligerCigar #TheOriginalClassic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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by | October 20, 2019 · 7:45 am

Villiger La Libertad: Old Versus New

As I was writing my last post, and as I alluded to as I wrapped that post up, I received word that my place of employment for the last year would be closing it’s doors and I would be, once again, embarking upon another career change.  This last year was a totally different job for me, and a whole new group of skills to add to my resume, so hopefully that opens some new doors for me in the near future. I am in a much better place psychologically this time than I was a year and a half ago when I found myself in a similar position. Today is my last day, so it’ll be a little rough, but a new beginning, again. I appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts.  

 

This week I received the rebanded Villiger La Libertad, so, naturally, I dug through the humidor and found some of the old La Libertad and figured it would be fun to smoke one of each to make a comparison. I’ll be honest, it’s not a fair comparison. Even if they were exactly the same, age would skew the results. The old La Libertad I smoked could conceivably be from 2011, I don’t keep records. Certainly the vintage of tobacco is different from the new one I received this week. To compare the one I smoked tonight to one I smoked in 2011 or ’12 would have required me to have smoked it under similar conditions, having eaten a similar meal, and having taken notes (which I don’t do). To really make a fair comparison would mean I’d need to have to have two cigars from the same box, and have a time machine to smoke them moments apart. it’s really not a possibility to make a fair comparison. That being said, I smoked the two cigars more or less together. I lit the new La Libertad first, and smoked about half of it before lighting the older one. the wrapper on the older one as a bit darker.  Both cigars had a similar flavor profile, which was some sweetness on a savory base. The older one was denser, richer, while the new one had a thinner body. Considering the new version had only spent a few days in the humidor, the uneven burn was unsurprising, versus the even burn on the more well seasoned and stable older edition. The specifics on these are as follows: Ecuador wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, made in the Dominican Republic. Both cigars were the 5″ x 52 Robusto. I may not have smoked larger vitolas at the same time, there was a Flyers game on and I wanted to watch some of it on a screen larger than an iPad. I will say that the new band is much nicer than the old, and consistent with the branding on the rest of the Villiger line. Good cigar, well worth a try. 

 

I smoked the new CAO Amazon Series Orellana this week also, but will smoke another one before forming an opinion. It was a great cigar, don’t misunderstand, I just didn’t take time to pay attention to it much, and want to give it another try before writing something about it. I guess nothing jumped out at me, and I expected something unique. Again, more on this cigar another time. I didn’t really get the original Amazon Basin, but love the Fuma em Corda and Anaconda.

 

That’s all for today, which will be weird. Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

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by | October 4, 2019 · 8:38 am

News: Villiger Cigars Rebranding La Libertad Line

I’ve been thinking a lot about Villiger lately as I’ve smoked a few of the little Exports here and there and was lamenting the fact that I just ran out of time to catch up with their PR guy when I was in Miami, an old friend. I always liked the La Libertad, nice to see them standardizing the branding. Now, can we talk about the Trill? 😜

 

 

VILLIGER CIGARS TO DEBUT REFRESHED BRANDING FOR LA LIBERTAD

 

Villiger Cigars announces that the highly rated Villiger La Libertad will display an elegantly designed new cigar band, that prominently features the Villiger handmade premium cigar logo. The Villiger La Libertad originally featured a band with only the name “La Libertad” displayed.

 

Villiger North America President Rene Castañeda said: “The Villiger La Libertad is a cigar that is personal favorite and we are happy that this high rated brand will now be properly represented as a Villiger brand.”

 

The Villiger La Libertad (which translates to the word ‘freedom’ from Spanish) in 2016 ranked amongst the Top 25 Cigars in CigarSnob Magazine and was included in Cigar Aficionado’s “Best Buy” list while receiving a rating of 92.

 

The Villiger La Libertad is made in the Dominican Republic at the ABAM factory by Master Blender Matias Maragoto.  Medium in strength, this cigar is known for its complex flavors. It starts with initial impressions of nutmeg, cinnamon and crushed peanuts, transitioning to cedar intonations and black tea with a floral finish. The Villiger la Libertad is packaged in 20-count boxes and expressed in four vitolas with an MSRP of $6.00 – $7.00

Robusto: 5×52

Torpedo Box Pressed: 5.5×52

Churchill: 6.5×50

Masivo: 6×60

 

ABOUT VILLIGER SONS LIMITED AND VILLIGER NORTH AMERICA:


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.

 

Follow Villiger Cigars North America on social @VilligerCigar #TheOriginalClassic

 

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by | August 11, 2019 · 8:08 am

A few More PDR Cigars and Some Villiger News

Let’s see, what do I want to talk about today?  I’ve been stuck working weekends and evenings a lot, so I’ve been kind of slacking on smoking the newer stuff, plus i don’t have a great many new cigars to smoke around. Earlier this week I reeved a news release from Villiger Cigars that I wanted to share, but I had just posted the contest on Wednesday, and wanted to leave it front and center for as long as possible. So I figured I’d enjoy a Villiger cigar Friday evening, and selected a La Vencedora Churchill since the only La Flor de Ynclans I had were the mis-named Lancero, and I couldn’t find them! I wanted a longer smoke anyway, and I enjoy the Joya de Nicaragua made La Vencedora. La Vencedora is a Nicaraguan Puro with a Habana Oscuro wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The Churchill is Americanized in size, it’s 7″ x 50, which is OK by me, it’s like a toro, only an inch better. It’s a medium-plus cigar, with some dark sweetness and some spice. Here’s the News about the new La Flor de Ynclan:

 

VILLIGER CIGARS TO PRESENT THE VILLIGER LA FLOR DE YNCLAN IN NEW TORO SIZE

The Villiger La Flor de Ynclan Toro will come in an elegant 10 count box

Villiger Cigars announces that the Villiger La Flor de Ynclan will be presented in a new Toro 6X52 size. The Villiger La Flor De Ynclan robusto in 2017 garnered a 93 rating, ranked as the number 10 cigar in the world by Cigar Aficionado Magazine and voted the 2017 number 6 cigar in the world byTobacco Business Magazine.

The medium- bodied Villiger La Flor de Ynclan was described in Cigar Aficionado Magazine during their unveiling of the best cigars in the world in these words: “The cigar is a fantastic smoke, sweet and charming from first puff to last, anchored by simple-yet-pleasing notes of chocolate and salt, and then refined by more precise intonations of walnut and orange marmalade. “

Heinrich Villiger and Master Blender Matias Maragoto once again came together to tweak the Villiger La Flor De Ynclan. Feeling that the blend could once again be improved on, the Toro 6X52 was agreed upon.

Chairman of the Board Heinrich Villiger said, “The Villiger La Flor de Ynclan seems to be a blend that we keep going back to. Over ten Years ago Matias Maragoto and I began on this journey to create a blend that would pay homage to the Pre-Revolutionary style of Cuban cigars. Although, the brand has received many important accolades, I still felt that the blend can be an even better version of itself. We expect the Villiger La Flor de Ynclan in this new Toro size to be an upgrade from the already highly rated robusto vitola.

The Villiger La Flor de Ynclan in Toro 6X52 Toro size will come in elegantly packaged 10 count boxes.

MSRP: $13.00

About the Villiger La Flor de Ynclan: Diligently crafted by Heinrich Villiger and master blender Jose Matias Maragoto of ABAM Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic, the Villiger La Flor de Ynclan was a cigar 10 years in the making. Villiger Cigars produced a small batch of La Flor De Ynclan over a decade ago. Unsatisfied with the result; the decision was made to cease production. The tobacco was set aside and aged, while Matias meticulously tweaked the amount of the Indonesian, Dominican, and Nicaraguan tobacco within its Ecuadorian wrapper. Present day, the La Flor De Ynclan is what both imagined it could be. The result was a smashing success as it received numerous accolades after its re-launch in 2017. The highlight being a 93 rating and being named the 2017 number 10 cigar in world by Cigar Aficionado Magazine.

ABOUT VILLIGER SONS LIMITED AND VILLIGER NORTH AMERICA:
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.

Follow the Villiger Cigars on social @VilligerCigar #TheOriginalClassic

 

I smoked a few more cigars from PDR Cigars this week too. One of the cigars that I had been looking forward to smoking was the 6″ x 60 DBL Magnum size of the El Criollito. Now, I have historically not had a great appreciation for Criollo 98 tobacco in a lot of cases. so I always am curious to see if a cigar will change my mind. This cigar does have a rosado colored Criollo 98 wrapper, as well as Dominican and Nicaraguan Criollo 98 fillers, with a Mexican San Andrès binder. Maybe I hoped the binder would turn the tide for me on this one. It was a perfectly good cigar, the burn and draw were excellent, and I smoked it to the end, but the flavor wasn’t in my wheelhouse particularly. I think it had a leathery flavor that isn’t one I really lean toward. Some people like that, I prefer the sweeter and spicier flavors.

 

Finally, last night I smoked a PDR 1878 Capa Sun Grown Toro. This 6″ x 52 toro has an Ecuador Sun Grown wrapper, Dominican Criollo 98 and Dominican Corojo fillers and a Criollo 98 binder. Yeah, more Criollo 98. Funny enough, I found this to be  very good tasting cigar! Perhaps the sweetness and creaminess of the Corojo and Ecuador balanced out the leather of the Criollo for me and made for a really pleasant smoke. Like the other cigars in the 1878 line, this is finished with a closed foot and a pigtail cap, but I still used the Screwpop Magpulse cutter to give it a nice, clean straight cut which gave a nice draw and plumes of sweet, creamy smoke. Part of me wanted to to just reach for a favorite “safe” cigar last night, but I figured I’d be adventurous, fortunately, I had a great smoke.

 

Remember the contest for the Illusione prize pack from Fox Cigars is going on until Wednesday. I fixed the date, originally it had last Wednesday’s date, which was the date it was posted! Oops. I’ll post a winner the morning of Wednesday, August 14.  That’s all for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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