JC Newman

January 11, 2025

Villiger TAA Exclusive 2024 (6 x 52)





Video review HERE.


(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)

Villiger Cigars North America has begun shipping its 2024 exclusive for the retailers that are members of the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA).

Unlike most brands that make TAA exclusive cigars on a regular basis, Villiger takes a unique approach by picking a different factory to make a cigar each year. This year, it selected the relatively new Fábrica de Puros Maya Selva Cigars in Danlí, Honduras to make its release.

The Villiger TAA Exclusive 2024 is a 6 x 52 toro that is made entirely of Honduran tobacco. The MSRP is set at $15 per cigar and production is limited to 500 boxes of 20 cigars.

The TAA is a membership group made up of approximately 80 retailers and roughly 40 manufacturers that gather annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.


The cigar is nicely made and has an average feel in the hand.




The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were citrus peel, brown sugar, earthiness, and tanned leather. There's not a lot of sweetness at the outset. There was black pepper rated at 7 to 7 1/2. Not a great start.



At the first third (25 minutes) the flavors are the same and now there's also black coffee. The notes come across as dry. They are not popping. There's not enough sweetness. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is leather with very good lingering black pepper. At this point I would rate the cigar 90.




As I moved through the second third (47 minutes) the cigar is not moving in the right direction. Now I had primarily citrus peel with very little sweetness and a lot of earthy black coffee with leather. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is leather with very good lingering black pepper. The cigar is losing appeal. I rated the second third 86.




The cigar lasted 1 hour 11 minutes. The sweetness is down to almost zero. But there's a ton of earthy black coffee and leather. There's also some bitterness. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is unchanged. This cigar just didn't do it for me. I rated the final third 82. I've had much better Villiger TAA Exclusives.




Overall Score: 86

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