Tag Archives: Villiger

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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by | June 2, 2019 · 9:54 am

A Couple of CLE Cigars, Villiger La Vencedora Churchill and Joya de Nicaragua

Last week when I was at Goose’s in Limerick I picked up some CLE cigars I hadn’t tried before, the Prieto and the Corojo, in the Toro size. Christian Eiroa is another one of those guy who was a regular in the alt.smokers.cigars Usenet group back in the ’90s, so I’ve known him a long time. That being said, I’ve bought every cigar made by him or his family I’ve ever smoked, going back to the Camacho days. Not complaining, just saying that I always pick up a few of Christian’s cigars when I see them to give them a try, as he’s an old friend and I try to keep up with what he’s doing. That being said, I haven’t really found a CLE cigar that’s hit my palate right yet. I’m going to go a little bit backwards in today’s post and talk about last night’s cigar first, the CLE Corojo Toro. This was a surprise, because I really expected to like this cigar, like I loved the Camacho Corojo of old. Oddly, is had a metallic component to it that I just couldn’t wrap my palate around. It brought to mind the same experience I had with the CLE Corojo from the original 2014 release (I had bought some at Corona Cigars during the 2014 IPCPR show). I suppose if this is something you like in a cigar, and I guess a lot of people do because they seem to sell a lot of them, it’s a great cigar, and there was nothing wrong with the construction. It’ll just have to be a pass for me, not my cup of tea.

 

I had better luck with the CLE Prieto Toro a few days prior. This one is a box pressed Broadleaf cigar, what can go wrong with that?  Again, the Prieto had a beautiful burn. The flavor was what one expects, some coffee, some cocoa, all pretty good. Here’s the thing though, I expected to be really impressed and I was just mildly impressed, ya know? I Know what I liked from the old days of what Christian did, and I really like many of the Asylum offerings (admittedly, I have not tried any of the 70 or 80 ring gauge cigars save for one Ogre, which was quite good although obscenely large). Maybe I expect too much, or perhaps my palate just isn’t in tune with what Christian is going for with his CLE line. I just haven’t found the right one for my palate. I have an Eiroa  The First 20 in the humidor on deck, maybe that will be the one that trips my trigger!  I like the presentation of the line, the tissue paper sleeve over cello is a classy touch, and offers some protection over nothing at all. Christian is vehemently anti-cellophane, but the market requires some barrier between the consumer and the leaf, so the paper is a nice compromise.

 

Next up are two cigars that are made at the Joya de Nicaragua factory in Esteli, first being the Villiger La Vencedora. This isn’t a new brand, it’s been around since last year. It was billed as Villiger’s first full bodied offering, which may or may not be true, I thought the Trill was on the fuller side of medium, but that’s all pretty subjective anyway.  The La Vencedora is one of my favorites in the line, although the new La Meridiana is gaining ground. I recently received some Churchills from Villiger and had to give one a try (although, I’m quite sure I’ve smoked this size before). I like a Churchill, although this is a 7″ x 50, that’s OK, I like this size too. (a Churchill is 7″ x 47 traditionally, everyone takes liberties with the names). This is a good, stronger cigar that I find quite satisfying. There’s a nice spice from the Habano Oscuro wrapper grown in Nicaragua. It is a NIcaraguan puro, so the spice is consistent throughout, and it has the espresso flavors I like too.  This is a nice long smoke and one that I find enjoyable.

 

Finally, I smoked the new Joya de Nicaragua Seleccion de Torcedor Exclusivo de TAA.  This is what Joya has to say about this program:

Inside our factory, you will find a dedicated group of people working passionately to deliver the best-handcrafted cigars. Our team focus is to always create, always improve. As a result of this commitment, we are introducing Selección de Torcedor, a new program that we are launching this 2019 through our good friends at TAA.

From now on, every year, Joya de Nicaragua’s torcedores will select a special blend and size. After that, it will be shared with a selected group of retailers around the world. To give our friends overseas a piece of what our torcedores are working on the factory floor thrills us.

Also, this program will work as a way to know the acceptance of the product by consumers. If it turns out to be well received, we will certainly make this special blend into a regular one.

The blend in 2019’s Selección de Torcedor is a very approachable smoke, smooth yet flavorful. With the selection of tobacco, this cigar unquestionably reflects the historic ties between Nicaragua and the US.

“We are very excited that consumers in the US will enjoy Dr. Cuenca’s favorite vitola with a rare piece that we’ve been working at the factory for quite a few years. I’m sure they’ll enjoy this 6×52 toro. As much, as we do in the factory.” – Said Mario Pérez, JDN’s Factory Manager.

This an interesting cigar in that it isn’t the strong blend of the Antaño at all, it’s on the milder side, but loaded with flavor.  It’s rich and quite tasty, and, of course, the size is perfect.  If you can get your hands on these, they are well worth trying!

 

That’s all I have today, I’ve got a lot to do and little time to do it in!  More stormy weather is expected and one cant cut the grass in a thunderstorm! Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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