Cigar: La Meridiana by Villiger Cigars
Size: 6×54 (Toro Box Press)
Wrapper: Four year aged Nicaraguan wrapper
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
MSRP: $10.60 per cigar
Samples provided by Villiger Cigars
Villiger has been making a splash in the cigar scene over the last couple of years. Several of their cigars have gotten accolades in major cigar publications. I know speaking from personal opinion, a couple of their cigars have made my end-of-year favorites, most recently the fantastic La Flor De Ynclan Lancero Especial. This year, I have been fortunate enough to try their latest offering: La Meridiana. Initially introduced in Europe in 1998, it has made its return to the Villiger line and the cigar market just a couple of months ago. Villiger was kind enough to send me a sample of three cigars: One I gave to a friend of mine in an exchange of cigars, one I enjoyed prior this review and finally, the one I am reviewing today. Thanks to Villiger Cigars for the opportunity to try this cigar.
No construction issues found on this or any of the cigars provided. The pre-light aromas on this cigar brought a pleasant blend of wood, leather and baking spices while the cold draw provided faint wood and fresh herbs to the palette. I opted for a V cut on this box press and was greeted with an open draw on first light. The opening flavor notes brought an initial hit of heavy wood, coupled with aftertastes of the aforementioned leather and herb. The strength sits in the medium bodied range and its easy enough on the palette that the majority of cigar smokers could enjoy this. The strength and flavor profile settled in until the 42 minute mark. It was at this point where pepper starting hitting the palette hard and the rest of the flavors began fading away. The pepper flavors kept growing for another 25 minutes until the wood and leather notes mentioned earlier came back stronger. This wood/leather/pepper combination finished out the reminder of the cigar with the strength just pushing into the medium-to-full bodied range. The final smoking time on the La Meridiana by Villiger Cigars clocked in at 1:39.
The final La Meridiana out of the three was a model citizen. No issues of any kind were encountered during its smoking…besides the fact that the cigar ended. Like several from Villiger, the La Meridiana was one I enjoyed and will be looking for more of in the future.
By-The-Numbers
Pre-light: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.25/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.25/10
To recap the La Meridiana by Villiger Cigars:
- I’m always a fan of Nicaraguan Puros and this one is no exception. It’s easy on the palette but complex enough in flavors that it stands out from others.
- Between the strength and flavors provided, this cigar can be enjoyed by nearly all levels of cigar smokers.
- Around $10.00 per cigar seems more than fair to me. Doing a little bit of digging, it looks like they (and other Villiger cigar) are on sale at Holt’s Cigar Company
- The La Flor De Ynclan Lancero Especial is still my favorite but this is definitely one cigar I want more of. I’ll be looking at picking up more very soon.
A big thank you once again to Villiger Cigars for the chance to smoke the La Meridiana and thank you so much for reading. I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.
