Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $9.00
- Sample provided by Villiger Cigars
Background
When I reviewed the Villiger Do Brasil Maduro last week, I must admit that my expectations were somewhat low. I had smoked a couple Brazilian puros before—even one from Villiger—and found them disappointing. Funny thing happened on the way to the review’s end, though…I really enjoyed this Brazilian puro…and was suddenly very interested in getting to the “Natural” version.
As stated last time, “The factory where these are made is the called Villiger Do Brasil, and that is also the name of the cigar. “Do” in Portuguese is “of,” so this cigar is literally “Of Brazil.” Villiger sent me a single sample of each of the varieties: Claro and Maduro.” They call it a Claro (“clear”) and that’s accurate from a historical standpoint in the cigar industry; the more common practice these days would be to call this a “Connecticut” or “Shade” version. I’ve heard of Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf being grown in Connecticut (odd, but true!), Ecuador (the vast majority of it), Honduras, Cuba, and even Nicaragua…but this is the first time I’ve heard of Conny being grown in Brazil.
Since they just sent me one sample, this review is based on that one.
Prelight
The design of the band is pretty much the same as what I saw on the Maduro version, just a different color…cream color background with green type and gold foil for the logo and ornamentation. Same design, but here it looked a little nicer than the darker version on the Maduro. It was still very loosely applied, though, which I found strange…still, better than too tight or glued to the wrapper leaf.
Speaking of the wrapper leaf, this Brazilian-grown Connecticut Shade had a very nice golden hue that was overall very even in coloration, smooth to the touch, and slightly oily. It had a grassy aroma to it, but sweeter than most Conny leaf. The foot had notes of cedar and light earth, but was pretty mild in aroma overall.
The cold draw was good and featured flavors of cedar, honey, and hay.
Flavor
Once fired upon the Do Brasil Claro opened with a solid sweetness that was mostly sweet hay, but touches of molasses, as well. There was cedar backing that up, along with a bit of white pepper and earth. As with many Connys, this one was creamy in smoke texture, but had a little more bite to it with continuing notes of pepper and baking spice. As I went along there was a nice touch of citrus in the mix, as well.
The second third had more notes of citrus and hay, along with the introduction of semi-sweet chocolate notes, all riding on the continuously creamy smoke.
Getting into the last third, there was an increase in earth with the introduction of some coffee bean. Sweetness and citrus decreased a little bit and pepper continued to be a steady presence.
Construction
I had a draw that was just a little tight, but nothing really concerning. The burn line was mostly straight and the ash was solid.
Value
Good cigar, good price, good value.
Conclusions
While the Maduro version was my favorite Brazilian puro ever, the Do Brasil Claro ranked slightly lower. It was good and stands up with other medium-bodied Connecticut Shade sticks, but didn’t really feature anything that stood out from the crowd in that category. I can recommend it if you’re a Conny fan but I don’t think it will change the minds of those who aren’t.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
