Villiger Announces TAA 2022 Release
Villiger Cigars has announced that it will be contributing a limited edition cigar to the Tobacconists’ Association of America’s Exclusive Series for 2022.
The aptly named Villiger TAA 2022 is a 6 x 52 box pressed toro, with a blend using a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder from the Jalapa region, and Nicaraguan fillers, specifically corojo from Estelí and criollo from Jalapa. The company calls it a medium to full-bodied blend.
The cigars are being made at the La Zona Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, with production limited to just 500 boxes of 20 cigars, a total run of 10,000 sticks. Each cigar has an MSRP of $10, with shipping scheduled to begin in April.
Villiger is the second company to announce its TAA release, as Crowned Heads announced that it will be releasing The Lost Angel 2022. This will mark the third consecutive year that Villiger has produced a cigar specifically for the organization.
The TAA is a group of some of the country’s top tobacconists, about 80 retailers, as well as 40 or so manufacturers. The association gathers 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. This year’s event is scheduled to take place from March 20-24 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
During the event, the organization holds two selling events, one known as the Dream Machine where the retailers collectively order to secure larger discounts, while the other is a more traditional trade show. Typically, around a dozen manufacturers release new exclusive cigars for the retail members of the organization under the TAA Exclusive Series Program banner. Those manufacturers agree to give a portion of the proceeds to the organization, a minimum of 50 cents per cigar.
Update (March 8, 2022) — Villiger confirmed that the cigars are being made at the La Zona Cigar Factory, and the story has been updated accordingly. The initial announcement simply said that Espinosa Premium Cigars was making the cigar in Nicaragua, but the factory had not been confirmed.
Image courtesy of Villiger Cigars North America.
Patrick Lagreid
I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.
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