During the unveiling of the Villiger Cuellar Black Forest, Heinrich Villiger noted:
” We very much look forward to releasing the Villiger Cuellar Black Forest, as it marries Caribbean artisan tobacco craftsmanship with German/Swiss folklore, culture, and mysticism. Both our passion for tobacco and the Villiger culture are represented in this cigar.”
That was back in October of this year. Since then, I have smoked through three of these cigars and today I take you on a journey of the Black Forest.
Villiger Chairman of the Board Mr. Heinrich Villiger grew up close to the Black Forest, which is the birthplace of many legends, fairy-tales, 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 creates 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. It was the Black Forest that provided the setting for young Hänsel and Gretel, who were abandoned by their parents in the woods and had to escape the cannibalistic witch. It was also the Black Forest that housed Rapunzel in a tower of a one of the many castles throughout the forest. Of course, let’s not forget Sleeping Beauty, who was awoken by a prince’s kiss.
The Villiger Cuellar Black Forest
Villiger Cigars reached out to Master Blender Jochy Blanco at Tabacalera La Palma in the Dominican Republic to create the Cuellar Black Forest a cigar that has a bold blend described as:
- Wrapper – San Andres Maduro
- Binder – Dominican
- Filler – Dominican
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)
For this review, I sampled three Toro Gordo’s which I received from the company in a 3-count sampler box. I looked forward to enjoy the Black Forest as I recall enjoying the Villiger Cuellar Krēmē back in 2015.
Pre-Light Examination
The Villiger Cuellar Black Forest is a bold looking cigar, especially if you were to compare it to the original Krēmē. It has a dark chocolate brown San Andres wrapper that has a fine oily sheen to it and a decent amount of tooth. It is boxed pressed and with sharp edges and is certainly well packed with a good weight in the hand. It is light on veins and a simple cap finishes the construction.
The cigar is adorned with two bands. The primary band uses a black and silver motif and proudly displays the Villiger Cuellar logo. The secondary band is a stark contrast to the primary, using a forest green and silver motif and boldly denotes this as the BLACK FOREST along with a silhouette of a forest trees on top.
The pre-light aromas are quite fragrant along the barrel with a touch of hickory and it exudes fresh baking spice and bread notes off the foot.
I sliced the cap with my double blade Xikar cutter and took in a few cold puffs which had a perfect restriction and offered a growing black pepper note along with a touch of sweetness and earth.
With the pre-light examination much to my liking, it was time to warm the foot and take in the first puffs of savory smoke to begin the journey into the Black Forest.
Cigar Review Notes
- Rich savory notes to start
- Mild peppery spice on retro hale
- Light grey ash develops on a medium char line
- Sweetness folds into the mix after an inch
- Ash fell in good chunk revealing a centered but flat burn cone
- Coffee notes enter deep in first third
- Earthy aroma wafts off the foot
- Spice increases moving through second third as the savory sensation increases
- Slight wave in burn is developing
- Bitter cocoa powder notes end of second third
- Dry Leather notes join the mix
- Spice builds and is predominant through the final third
- Medium to full in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Overall, the Villiger Cuellar Black Forest was a distinctive cigar and much bolder than the original Krēmē. It offered a fine array of flavor and aroma from the pre-light through the journey to ash. It had a decent burn with just a bit of a wave and never needed a touch-up. One sample even held a long ash down to the nub. As part of the package, I also received some Old Forester whiskey which paired very well with one of the samples. This is a cigar that the most discerning palate would find enjoyable. I rate this a solid 95.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wave in Burn; (-1) Flat Burn Cone
Bonus Point: (+1) Buy a Box
