One manufacturer who certainly seemed to be having a good show was Villiger; the booth was located in the front row just a aisles to the left of center, making it easy for many retailers to pass by and see the company’s latest offerings as it continues to evolve and adapt its image under the leadership of Roy MacLaren, president of Villiger Cigars North America, and director of marketing Fabian Barrantes.
Earlier this year the company launched three new lines that don’t bear the Villiger name anywhere but on the under side of the box: Trill, Cabareté and Cuéllar. Two of them, Trill and Cabareté, each had a new size added at the show.
Trill gets a 5 x 46 corona that comes in 21-count boxes with an MSRP of $139. It is made at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic, a Dominican puro that is described as medium-full bodied, using a Habano wrapper, Cuban seed binder and Cuban seed Corojo and Criollo ’98 fillers.
Cabareté goes with a big ring gauge addition, adding a 5 x 60 Gordo vitola. It also is made at Tabacalera Palma and will have a box price of $170 for 20 cigars. Cabareté starts with a Nicaraguan maduro wrapper that sits on top of a Dominican Cuban seed binder and four types of filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua: Piloto Cubano, Criollo, San Vicente & Ligero Cubano.
A new limited edition is on the way as well–the Villiger 1888 Especiales. It’s a 6 1/2 x 50 toro that uses an Ecuadorian Desflorado wrapper, Mexican San Andrés Negro binder and a filler blend of Santo Domingo seco, Nicaraguan viso and what the company is calling a “special doble ligero.” SRP is $9 per cigar or $180 for a box of 20, with production handled by the ABAM factory in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Barrantes said that the initial run of the 1888 Especiales will be 10,000 cigars and is expected to start shipping right after the show.
Villiger’s new Tobajara line is a Brazilian-made puro that owes its origin to Heinrich Villiger and his dream to create a Brazilian puro. The name Tobajara comes from the indigenous Tabajara Indians (Tupi Tribes), meaning “Lord of the Village.” The cigar has a Brazilian maduro wrapper, Bahia Mata Norte binder and Mata Fina and other select Brazilian tobaccos for the filler. It will be available in two sizes: a 5 x 50 robusto vitola with an MSRP of $6.25 per cigar and $125 for a box of 20, as well as a 6 x 50 toro priced at $6.75 per cigar and $135 per box. The Tobajara by Villiger is manufactured by Charutos Tobajara Ltda. in Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil. Expect to see it in the next week or so.
There will also be a new event exclusive sampler that will begin rolling out with one each of Cuéllar, Trill and Cabareté, as well as a fourth cigar that features a dark red ribbon around it and uses two wrappers. The company isn’t disclosing much more about it than that, other than it is made by Jochy Blanco and comes from Tabacalera Palma, the same factory where these other three lines are made.