Cigar Review: Villiger 1888

Short Robusto, 4" x 50 ring gauge, approx. $9
Vern introduced me to Villiger cigars several years ago--you know, those dry-cured square things that come in packs of 8 or 10? They are pretty good for dry-cures and economical, but I never gave them much thought. That meant I was very surprised to learn earlier this year that the Villiger company was introducing a hand-made, premium cigar to the American market: the 1888. This cigar commemorates the year the company was founded by Jean Villiger in Pfeffikon in the Canton of Lucerne.

I selected a "Short Robusto" size for my initiation into Villiger's finer cigars and it measures 102mm x 19.8mm according to their website--what the...cigar sizes in metric? Will someone hand them a real ruler and a ring gauge chart, please? A source on the internet says this is 4" x 50 ring and I'll buy that. The blend is undisclosed and the wrapper is an Ecuadorian Connecticut. The wrapper is not an even color, giving it a somewhat "barber pole" appearance. It is lightly veinged, though, with an alfalfa aroma. There's more of that hay-like aroma coming from the foot.

Prelight draw had a sweet flavor to it--almost hay-like but with some honey or molasses. The draw was excellent, just a little firmness to draw against. At the outset the smoke was thick and creamy with nutty/bready flavor. When smoking something you have never had before, sometimes it is hard to know what to expect and that was what I was experiencing here. I was not sure what to expect, but so far it was surprisingly pleasant. Initial impressions of body were that it fell into the lighter side of medium.

A third through this small cigar, I realized what it reminded me--a Villiger...the dry-cured kind. Both have that strongly nutty flavor and aroma that is nice if not completely expected. The construction so far was fantastic, a perfect burn line and a perfect cone after tapping ash.

During the second third, the flavor turned more muddy with more of the bready notes coming through as well. This was not a great flavor change for this cigar--it turned a cigar that I already was not in love with into the category of "I'd rather smoke something else" but it did not make me want to abadon it yet.

The final third started to get bitter and a little sour and then...I just let it go out. Really, there's not enough time in the world to smoke cigars you are not enjoying and this is one of those for me. Sorry to say, I did not enjoy the 1888 and cannot recommend it.

Body: 4/10
Strength: 4/10
Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 1.5/5
Value: 0/1
Total: 5/10