Villiger Cuellar Kreme Robusto Staff Review
Today, I’m smoking the creamy and mellow Villiger Cuellar Kreme in a 5 by 48 Robusto. Ten years ago, Villiger cigars occupied almost no space in our vast warehouse, but today is a different story. We’ve got row after row of the best Villiger cigars for the lowest prices in the country, and Cuellar Kreme regularly lands at the top of our daily sales charts.
As one of the head buyers for Holt’s, my workday is consumed by numbers and spreadsheets. My calculator is so hot it stays warm to the touch on my days off. I get to combine my passion for cigar smoking with my razor-sharp Excel skills from the comfort of my chair in the Holt’s Command Center, where one of the most critical functions I perform is drafting sales reports. That means I’ve got tons of insider information at my fingertips around the clock. I see what cigars sell the fastest and the most, and what brands need a bigger discount to stir up demand. When I watch boxes of Villiger Cuellar Kreme fly off our warehouse dock as fast as a flock of Lockheed Blackbirds week after week, you can bet I’m going to smoke a few to find out why our customers buy them up like hotcakes.
I’ve already reviewed Villiger Flor de Ynclan, and our certified value nut, Grant T., eagerly endorsed Villiger Trill in an earlier tasting. Villiger Cuellar Kreme is a bit of a mystery, though. It hasn’t received the Cigar Aficionado accolades the critics have given other Villiger cigars like, La Vencedora, Flor de Ynclan, Black Forest, and San’Doro Colorado. Cuellar Kreme may be more of hidden gem by comparison, but consumers have caught on, and they rabidly devour it in all three sizes.
Villiger Cuellar Kreme is blended from a light-tan Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador and a creamy marriage of Dominican long-fillers throughout the middle. A pair of shiny white and gold cigar bands adorns each smoke, and they come in elegant white 20-count boxes with a gold Villiger Cuellar emblem on the front that looks like the Aerosmith logo.
As soon as I lift a handsome Robusto from the center of the top row in a fresh box, I’m struck by how snuggly the seamless blond wrapper leaf fits around the centermost tobaccos when I gently pinch the cigar from head to foot. A familiar aroma of cedar and fresh hay emanates from the unlit end of the cigar as I examine it more closely. The veins are virtually invisible, and the cap is perfectly flush. There’s no question Cuellar Kreme exceeds cosmetic expectations for a cigar that costs about $3.49.
The Robusto sparks up easily in a few rotations over my trusty soft-flame Djeep lighter. Tasting notes of graham cracker, oak, and old tobacco create a decent impression. I detect hints of honey-glazed nuts with a slightly chalky aftertaste as the cigar heats up. After fifteen minutes, musty notes of cedar, leather, and moss mingle with traces of black pepper. The sweet intonations keep Cuellar Kreme from becoming bitter at a few points. It’s mild but complex and kind of spicy through the nose.
After half the cigar is gone, I have to clear a few stray ashes that flaked off prematurely from my desk, but the draw has been exceptional. Just the right degree of resistance introduces a reliable stream of creamy smoke across my palate in every puff. The cigar’s wavy burn isn’t a deal breaker considering the price. As I close in on the final third and strip the band off, the pepper intensifies and is especially spicy in the retrohale. I wish the finish rekindled more of the sweetness I tasted when the cigar started, but Villiger Cuellar Kreme is far better than your typical utility smoke or yard ‘gar when you factor in the massive discount you can scoop a box of these up for. I can see why budget-conscious connoisseurs keep their beaks buried in the Villiger well.
Villiger Cuellar Kreme is handmade at the company’s Dominican cigar factory, and a new Villiger factory recently opened in Estelí, Nicaragua. Based on my sales calculations for Villiger, I imagine the new operation is intended to pump out an endless stream of boxes destined to fill the coolerdors of Holt’s customers around the country. Get in on the deepest Villiger discounts in the industry by adding Cuellar Kreme to your cigar rotation, or find another favorite in our bestselling ‘Dream Team 2’ Monster Deal. Villiger and discounts go together better than bread and butter!
