Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is a medium brown with the veins pretty visible due to the fact that they carry a lighter color, but they are well pressed. The seams are nearly invisible as they are very smooth. There appear to be two caps with the top cap slightly lifting on one side. There is a single band which I think is meant to look like two bands with the upper section having the company name and logo and the lower part having the 1888 designation on it. The aroma from the wrapper is leather and barnyard while the foot carries a light stone fruit sweetness and some white pepper. The pre-light draw brings that same stone fruit sweetness that I got from the foot aroma as well as a slight spicy tingle on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Villiger 1888 Robusto has a medium brown Colorado Claro shade wrapper. The wrapper is quite smooth with faint oil traces. Veins are fairly well pressed and seams, although visible, are tight. The bunch and roll is slightly on the lumpier side with no soft spots and a uniformed give throughout. The head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. Nosing the wrapper gives mainly cedar and hay. Nosing the foot gives white pepper and spicy cedar. Cold draw tells hay, cardboard and faint aged oak.

First Third

As the cigar starts off, I get a mix of black pepper and slightly spicy cedar. After a few draws, the pepper goes away and the cedar loses its spiciness but gains some cream. The retrohale is creamy with a slight amount of cedar. At a half inch in, the cedar transitions to oak while the cream remains at the same level. There is a bit of black pepper that has returned as a long finish. At an inch in, a dirty quality joins in with the creamy oak, and while that sounds odd, it adds a pleasant additional dimension to the profile. As the third comes to a close, the creaminess increases a bit while the dirty oak remains at the same level. The strength in this third was just below medium.

First Third

First third provides a soft delivery of aged oak, creamy bread and balanced tongue coating black pepper. Through retrohaling, deeper notes of black pepper, peppered dry nuts and cedar. The finish is short with namely dry wood and subtle black pepper. In terms of strength and body, medium.

Second Third

As the third begins, the creamy and dirty oak continues. At a quarter inch in, a slight bit of black coffee joins in with the creamy and dirty oak. The retrohale consists of creamy oak that carries a vary slight char. At a half inch in, some char comes to the mouth profile along with the creamy and dirty oak with the slight coffee. At an inch in, the dirty component leaves the profile while the char slightly increases on the creamy oak and slight hint of coffee. At an inch and a half, the dirty component returns to the profile. The strength in this third was right at medium.

Second Third

Not much has changed from the first third. The profile is slightly more black pepper centric with remaining notes still intact (aged oak and creamy bread). The retrohale continuously provides deeper black pepper, dry nuts (no longer peppered) and aged cedar. The finish is still short with primarily dry wood and subtle black pepper. Body and strength is still medium.

Final Third

As this third begins, the creamy, dirty and charred oak continues along with some slight bitterness which may be attributed to the black coffee. At half an inch in, the coffee and bitterness goes away while the creamy, dirty and charred oak remains. The retrohale consists of dirty oak. At three quarters of an inch in, a slight bitterness returns. As the cigar comes to a close, the bitterness goes away and the creamy, dirty and charred oak is what remained. The strength in this third was right at medium.

Final Third

Last third’s flavor profile still has notes of increased black pepper and aged oak. The creamy bread is gone and replaced by bitter dry nuts. Further, an intermittent under-ripe sour citrus appears towards the beginning of the last third. The retrohale is still full of deeper black pepper, dry nuts and aged cedar. The finish is still short with dry wood and faint black pepper. Body and strength finishes at the medium mark.

Burn

I couldn’t ask for much more from the burn. The burn line was razor sharp and the ash dropped at the 3 inch mark and then held on again until the cigar finished.

Burn

The burn was great. Total smoking time came in at 1 hour and 40 minutes. Ashes held on tight with slight flowering, averaging 1.5 inch self tapped marks. Burn was just slightly uneven but there was never a need to use my lighter.

Draw

The draw had just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

There was nothing that really stood out about the flavor profile, but it was very balanced and pleasant the entire way. Performance was perfect and the ash was very impressive as it was very dense and held on tremendously. Even though price doesn’t factor into the scoring, it is definitely worth mentioning that this is something that is a fantastic budget friendly cigar. For those that find the flavor profile enjoyable, it may well turn out to be an ideal daily smoke. This cigar aligns very well with the La Libertad as two fantastic affordable smokes from Villiger.

Draw

Draw was a tad snug for my liking but all flavors were experienced with no issues.

Overall

Average flavor profile coupled by great construction is my overall experience with the Villiger 1888 Robusto. There were too many subtleties and therefore a major lack in flavor depth. At times it felt like I was burning paper. I’d like to try this cigar in a smaller ring gauge in the hopes of greater flavor depth.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$0.89

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.67

Cost/Point

$1.05

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Villiger 1888 Robusto