This new addition to the Cuéllar brand falls in between their milder Krēmē offering and the stronger Black Forest line. Villiger Cigars has produced two cigars over the years that I’ve highly enjoyed: the now discontinued Talanga line and the impressive La Flor de Ynclan Lancero Especial. They’ve also released a slew of other cigars that didn’t blow the TNCC’s skirt up. And that’s the case with many manufacturers: some hits, some misses, and you always hope for the best when you put flame to leaves.
THE CIGAR – CUÉLLAR CARIBE by VILLIGER CIGARS
Size: 5 X 48 (robusto)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: $11.00 (while these samples were submitted by Villiger Cigars for review, you can head on over to Famous Smoke Shop and use promo code TNCC20 to get $20 off your purchase of $100 or more!!)
The Cuéllar Caribe‘s habano wrapper leaf is dry and rough… lots of veins, lumps, a protruding stem, at least one tiny hole, a soft spot located between the two bands, and a crack running up from the foot. And a partridge in a pear tree. At first glance I’m not too surprised by the cigar’s appearance because I’ve always mistakenly believed the Cuéllar brand to be a budget-friendly offering from Villiger. After a little research, I learn that while boxes of the two previous Cuéllar lines (Krēmē and Black Forest) do indeed sell for around $100 or less, that’s not the case for the Caribe which has an MSRP of $220. Okay.
There’s an aroma of hay present, and a slight sweetness is detected when sniffing the foot of the cigar directly. After experiencing a cold draw comprised of black coffee and unsalted popcorn, I punch the cap and light this ugly sonofabitch on fire. First impressions are of a low-strength jalapeño spice joined by some graphite through the nose and an earthy profile on the draw. That graphite/pencil lead note is getting bolder with each puff and it’s completely drowning out anything else that might be going on. Given the cigar’s “rustic” appearance, the Cuéllar Caribe is smoking very well from a construction standpoint surprisingly.
A dry mustiness is beginning to develop on the draw, quickly overtaking the preexisting notes of earth and faint leather. Pencil lead continues to rule the retrohale, although the pepper spice is still a factor albeit a diminishing one. Construction continues to be great all around with a smooth draw and a relatively straight burn line. The solid ash suddenly drops on its own volition just before hitting the fifty yard line.
The middle portion of the Cuéllar Caribe continues along the same path with pencil lead leading the way backed by a musty earth flavor. There’s another, softer flavor struggling to shine through somewhere but I can’t identify it because the graphite presence has now creeped downstairs to the draw as well. Remember those oversized, five foot tall pencils that you took elementary school photos with as a kid?
That’s what I feel like I’m smoking right now. A big ass pencil.
With both bands now removed, the Cuéllar Caribe burns right through that soft sinkhole detected during the prelight inspection with no issues whatsoever. You know, The Predator was an ugly motherfucker too and it also performed at a very high level upon crash landing in the jungle. Am I prepared to call the Cuéllar Caribe “The Predator of Premium Cigars”? No, I am not going to do that. But I will confidently say that if I could only have one cigar with me while taking a standardized test, it’d be this one. Or perhaps if I could only have one cigar while marking my child’s height progress on the wall… okay okay, I’ll stop now. When the final ash drops in the last act the cigar goes completely out with it, so a quick relight is in order. After a few puffs, the cigar goes out one me again so I just give up. As far as pairings are concerned, I’d recommend saddling the Cuéllar Caribe up with a gigantic pink eraser. Okay, now I’ll stop.
THE NUB
TNCC FINAL SCORE = 73
I’m not in any position to declare that this cigar shouldn’t exist, but I am allowed to wonder aloud, “Who exactly is the Cuéllar Caribe made for?” The tobacco selections chosen for this new blend just don’t work very well together.
Maybe there is a guy or gal out there, somewhere, who prefers a flavor profile of heavy pencil lead and musty earth when enjoying a premium cigar. And perhaps that person, if they were to exist which I don’t believe they do, would be more than comfortable forking over $11 to experience that unique No.2 profile over the course of 73 minutes. I’m obviously not that person so it’s obviously time for me to sign off now…
