Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto is light brown with some dark spots spread around and a network of decently raised veins. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. There are two bands, both in an orange, black, gold and white color combination. The primary denotes the company and line, while the secondary denotes the sub-line. The aroma from the wrapper is slightly damp wood and earth, while the foot brings pita, cedar and some light earth. The pre-light draw brings cedar, floral soapiness and mild earth along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto is a good-looking cigar. The bands are sharp and pop off the wrapper. The wrapper itself has a solid Colorado coloring, and it has a dry light clay color. There are small veins present throughout, the cigar, and it has a leather texture. It is firm in hand with faint aromas of soft tobacco, cedar, hay and dry earth. Not many spices are present on the foot or wrapper.
John: The Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto came in cellophane and had a UPC sticker with the cigar information attached to the body of the cellophane. There is a primary Villiger Cuéllar band and a secondary Caribe band. I weighed the cigar at 12.6 grams. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet hay, wood and tobacco. From the foot, I could pick out sweet wood and tobacco.
Jiunn: The Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto has an unattractive wrapper. The overall look is pale with tones of yellow and green. But hey, they say never judge a book by its cover. Pre-light aromas consist of stale oak and hay.

Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, earth and some black pepper. At a half inch in, each of the flavor components show pretty good detail. At three quarters of an inch in, the earth is exhibiting a long finish. The retrohale is toasted cedar and earth with mild black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle of the profile. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third begins with a flavor profile of dried wood, cedar, hay and some herbal spices. There is a touch of pepper present along with some nuts and a minor hint of burnt paper. In terms of strength and body, I found the cigar to be under medium. Mild-medium more than likely.
John: The first third opens with musty wood and tobacco. Spices and wood combine through the retrohale as musty wood defines the post draw. Some light-plus strength spices move into the center of the retrohale as it continues. Sweet tobacco leads off each puff by the halfway point.
Jiunn: The profile starts off with ample buttery sweetness. The sweetness is paired with stale cedar and baking spices. Retrohaling introduces dried red pepper spice and a unique mixed fruit gum candy. The finish is very dry with a mixture of leather and stale cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth is now even with the toasted cedar up front and the black pepper mellows a bit. At a quarter inch in, the earth now has a slight lead over the toasted cedar. The retrohale is now just toasted cedar and earth. At an inch in, the toasted cedar gains a bit of staleness. As the third comes to a close, the earth is just ahead of the toasted, slightly stale cedar, with the black pepper just behind the middle of the profile. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third continued to deliver the same flavor profile from before. Dried wood, cedar, hay and herbal spices. Touches of dry earth are present with pepper and nutty qualities. Burnt paper on the end. Again, mild-medium in strength and body.
John: Sweet tobacco starts the second third with earth and spices to follow and musty wood on the finish and post draw. Those flavor combinations remain consistent to the halfway point. Some earthy notes join the end of the draw through the bottom half. As the bottom half continues, the earth begins to linger into the post draw.
Jiunn: The ample buttery sweetness is slightly phased out, replaced by a mixture of leather, stale cedar and baking spices. The staleness in cedar and leather creates a long and lingering finish but it’s not a combination that is pleasant. Strength and body remains medium.

Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toasted, lightly stale cedar now gains some bitterness and pepper mellows a bit more. The retrohale moves back to toasted cedar and earth with some black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the bitterness increases a fair amount, and the cedar is now back in front of the earth. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted, bitter and slightly stale is cedar is slightly ahead of the earth, with the black pepper in the back half of the profile. The strength remained slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third delivers a flavor profile of burnt paper, minerals, pepper spices, dried earth and wood. Like before, just under the medium level for strength and body. Lacking finish.
John: Earth and a mildly sharp wood take the cigar into the last third. Medium earth joins the finish out of the gate. As the last third continues, the medium strength earth defines the post draw.
Jiunn: The final third has the same feel as the second third. The sweetness is on and off in intensity now, but I’d still point the overall profile to be leather, stale cedar and baking spices. The finish continues to linger on for seemingly forever. Strength and body finish the same medium.

Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout, and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was fantastic from beginning to end.
John: The burn was relatively straight until the last third where it developed some waviness.
Jiunn: Burn performance was excellent, giving ample smoke production, even burn and cool burning temperatures.

Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: There was a perfect draw throughout.
John: The draw was slightly into the resistant spectrum, roughly 1-1/2 to 2 notches.
Jiunn: The draw was slightly tight. Not a big deal as it didn’t impact the flavors drawn.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, earth and some black pepper. The second third saw the earth ease in front of the cedar. Later, the cedar gained some staleness. The final third saw the cedar gain some bitterness, which ramped up as it went along and the pepper mellowed. Construction was perfect. The Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto had an average flavor profile through the first two thirds, focused around toasted cedar and earth, with black pepper as a supporting note. The final third took a step down as some bitterness joined in and ramped up. I was interested in smoking a new version of the line, but it didn’t really pan out. Not an exciting profile and it finished on a down note. Not a cigar I’d see myself coming back to.
Seth: The Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto was a subpar to average cigar. In looking at all the Cuéllar releases, this, the Kreme and Black Forest, I believe it to be the weakest of the three. There was a lacking flavor profile with no transitioning throughout. The construction and draw were great, and I loved the 5” by 48rg vitola, but the cigar itself did not perform. It was just under medium for strength and body, and I thought it to be in line with the Kreme for strength and body. Not a solid medium cigar. Packaging is great, but not a cigar I would recommend or come back to in the future.
John: The Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto delivered a flavor profile largely centered around tobacco, some musty notes, wood and earth. Overall, I found it pleasant but unremarkable. The burn was perfect while the draw was a minor amount towards the resistant spectrum. It’s possible the Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto might deliver a more engaging experience in a different vitola, but for me, the Robusto offering wouldn’t be something I’d be interested in returning to. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 32 minutes.
Jiunn: If I were to dissect the Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto into compartmentalized flavors, I love the flavors of buttery sweetness, mixed fruit gum candy and baking spices. But factoring in all the flavors and textures as a whole, it misses the mark. The overwhelming mouth caking of stale leather and cedar is not enjoyable and does the good flavors a disservice. I’ll pass on this blend.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$2.04

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.03

Cost/Point

$2.19

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.60

Cost/Point

$1.96

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.60

Cost/Point

$1.96

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Villiger Cuéllar Caribe Robusto