Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- MSRP $9.00
- Sample provided by Villiger Cigars
Background
In January 2020, Villiger Cigars introduced the Do Brasil series at the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) in Las Vegas. The Swiss cigar company actually has a long history with Brazilian tobacco dating back to 1888. They opened their first Brazilian factory in 1979 and their current one in 2018. They have produced Brazilian puros (a cigar made all with tobacco from a single country, in this case Brazil) before but I will say that it is a pretty rare site in the U.S. marketplace.
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. Today I’m looking at the Maduro, which features Brazilian filler and binder, along with a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper.
In a press release, Heinrich Villiger said of the new cigar: “My family saw the value in Brazilian tobacco when they began Villiger Cigars as a 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.”
I am smoking one stick for this review and it was provided by Villiger. Some background information came from Cigar-Coop’s news story.
Prelight
The band is a slight simplification of the other Villiger bands, with the Villiger logo above “Do Brasil” on a green background with gold foil liberally applied. The band was really loose on the sample I had and readily slipped off. The price tag doesn’t scream “bargain” but I’m wondering if at $9 it really is and the band is a means of controlling the price. It looks good, but a little basic for an “average” priced stick.
The wrapper leaf was a medium-dark brown, kind of a medium-roast coffee color with some darker mottling. It had some gnarly veins and a decently-oily feel. Giving it a sniff, I got notes of coffee and cocoa powder mostly, with a barnyardy undercurrent. The foot of the cigar had a more pronounced earthiness with some sweetness mixed in.
I clipped with my favorite straight cutter, a Xikar Xi, and got a very good prelight draw. Cold flavors were of coffee bean, wood (but not necessarily cedar), and bell pepper
Flavor
The Villiger Do Brasil Maduro started off medium-plus in body with a heavy woodiness. Again, I can’t really say it was cedar, but I wouldn’t say it definitely wasn’t. After that was some earth and coffee bean, along with a slight sweetness and saltiness that grew on the finish. The nose had cinnamon heat and cedar, along with a touch of roasted nuts. As I burned away the first third, I found myself really enjoying the mix of savory and sweet.
The second third had the coffee flavor coming through more prominently along with the introduction of semisweet chocolate as a secondary note. There was a little bell pepper note coming through, as well.
In the final third, I got more earth, more coffee, and more dark chocolate, all in pretty equal measures, along with a touch of cinnamon heat on the palate to go along with what I was still getting on the nose.
Construction
I had a great draw, pretty even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
Average price and very good cigar. Well worth the price of admission.
Conclusions
I found the Villiger Do Brasil to be a very good cigar that was complex and interesting from end to end. While previous Brazilian Puros I’ve had were “meh” to “good but not great,” this one was one I would smoke over and over again. Without having tried the Claro version, I can say that this is the best purely Brazilian cigar I’ve ever had…now I can’t wait to get to the other one!
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
