JC Newman

October 03, 2020

Villiger TAA Exclusive 2020 (6 x 54 Box Pressed)

 






Video review HERE.


(Description taken from Cigar-coop.com website)

With the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA) Convention set to open in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on March 22nd comes the usual trickle of TAA Exclusive Series releases that will be showcased at the Convention. For the 2020 TAA Exclusive Series, Villiger will be a part of the series releasing its first TAA Exclusive Cigar. (The TAA Convention was cancelled due to the corona virus)

For the Villiger TAA Exclusive, the company teams up with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza – marking the first time the two parties have worked together. The Villiger TAA Exclusive will be a box-pressed Toro (6 x 54) featuring an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. The cigars will be packaged in 20-count boxes. Pricing is set at $9.00 per cigar.

The TAA Exclusive Series consists of cigars made by leading manufacturers that are exclusively sold at TAA member retailers. The TAA is a small group of retailers numbering approximately 80.


Blend and Origin

Wrapper: Sumatra Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza


Vitolas Offered

Toro Box Pressed: 6 x 54



The cigar is a medium brown and has an average feel in the hand.




The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were cedar with some citrus influence, brown sugar, cinnamon, dry nutmeg, pear, and a light black coffee base. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2. At this point I taste more black pepper than black coffee.



At the first third (30 minutes) the flavors were cedar, graham cracker, brown sugar, touch of cinnamon, dry nutmeg, light pear notes which now taste more like pear peel, and increased black coffee. The finish is pear and brown sugar and below average lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied. The cigar has nice flavors but nothing is jumping out. I rated the first third 91.




Moving through the second third (58 minutes) the front end flavors moved back to a cedar with citrus influence, brown sugar, cinnamon, a dry, pasty nutmeg, and a lot more black coffee notes. The finish has changed to a pasty nutmeg and improved lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The pasty nutmeg and black coffee have risen taking some of the sweeter notes with them. I rated the second third 90.




The cigar lasted 1 hour 23 minutes. In the final third the cigar got very earthy while the nutmeg and black coffee remained very elevated. The sweeter notes were very subdued. The cigar is very close to full bodied. The finish is still heavy on the nutmeg. The lingering black pepper is pretty good. The front end black pepper has slightly increased and is very good. The cigar's flavors seem "watered down". I rated the final third 88. At this price point give one a try.




Overall Score: 89.67

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