Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Lonsdale

When it comes to trade shows in the cigar industry, there are a couple established names. The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) is the most established of the bunch and the biggest for the U.S. market. Then there’s the Total Product Expo (TPE), held in late January, which has grown in relevance to the cigar industry in recent years.

After that, InterTabac, held in Dortmund, Germany in September serves the non-U.S. markets and has also grown in relevance as cigar makers look to grow outside of the U.S. and fill holes created by Cuban cigar supply issues and increasing prices. Then there’s the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA), a group of about 80 retailers in the U.S. that meets annually and which includes a private trade show and buying events.

Yet that’s not all the trade shows in the cigar industry. And the cigar for this review came from a trade show not mentioned above.

In September 2024, Quality Importers Trading Co. hosted its Spotlight Trade Show and Festival, and at that event, Villiger Cigars North America released new regular production lonsdale vitolas for two of its lines, the Cuéllar Black Forest and Cuéllar Krēmē.

While the lonsdale size might be new, the line debuted in 2014 and is billed as a mild-plus, super creamy cigar, with a former representative of the company calling it the creamiest Connecticut on the market at the time.

The Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē’s name comes from two inspirations; first is Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, the first Spaniard governor of Cuba. Cuéllar led the conquest and colonization of Cuba in 1511, and among his achievements, he created several municipalities and chartered expeditions that led to the Spanish discovery and conquest of the Aztec Empire. The cigar also gets its name from what the company calls “the creamy, smooth, delicate and well-balanced flavors and aromas of this cigar.”

As for its blend, it uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper over a Dominican binder and Dominican fillers. It is priced at $8.50 per cigar and offered in boxes of 20 cigars.

With the addition of the lonsdale, the Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē is now offered in five sizes:

• Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Robusto (5 x 50)
• Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Toro Gordo (6 x 54)
• Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Torpedo (6 1/4 x 52)
• Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Churchill (7 x 50)
• Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Lonsdale (6 1/2 x 44)

The new lonsdale vitola began shipping to stores on Sept. 9.

• Cigar Reviewed: Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Lonsdale
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera Palma
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut-seed)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Length: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 44
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $8.50 (Box of 20, $170)
• Release Date: Sept. 9, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

While the Villiger Cuéllar Connecticut Krēmē Lonsdale doesn’t have much sheen, the wrapper has an oily feel, as if someone had recently applied some kind of oil-based serum to it. The color is what I expect from an Ecuadorian-grown, Connecticut-seed wrapper, though the wrapper has some mottling which isn’t the prettiest thing I’ve seen. The white and gold on the bands work well with the color of the wrapper, proving why it’s a common selection. Visually, the three cigars look like they are well-rolled, while their density ranges from having a bit of give to being what I’d call firm though I’m not going to squeeze any of the cigars too much in an effort to avoid damaging the wrappers. The foot has an aroma that reminds me of various breads: two are reminiscent of a French baguette at first, particularly the crispy outer layer, but with some of the softer inner portion coming through as well. The third cigar has a thick pizza crust smell, again, crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Even though I don’t pick up much pepper, my nostrils still get a slight tingle from the process. Air moves well on the cold draw, while the flavor starts dry and bready, but then picks up some creaminess. While the pepper is fairly minimal, my lips tingle from making contact with the tobacco.

The Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Lonsdale starts with some creaminess and more of the French baguette flavor, a very mild and approachable start that gently stimulates the taste buds but is far from anything I’d call a big and bold start. When I think of the typical “morning cigar” or something that’s mild and agreeable to seemingly any palate, this is the kind of cigar I think of. Retrohales have just a touch of pepper, a quick and gentle sensation wrapped in a soft smoke that registers in my nostrils and then fades away fairly quickly. One cigar—the one that was more pizza crust than French baguette on the aroma—has a bit of sourness at the onset, somewhat like sourdough bread but also just somewhat sour. It doesn’t last too long and seems to go by the time the first clump of ash falls off. The pepper in the retrohales gets a bit more pointed as the burn line approaches the next section, the first change in that component as it is still fairly mild on my taste buds. Creaminess and the various bread flavors continue to lead the profile as the transition to the second third begins. Flavor is mild, body is medium and strength is mild. Construction is very good, with a smooth draw, good smoke production, an even burn line and no combustion issues.

The second third keeps up the “morning cigar” profile, generous with the creaminess, gentle with the pepper, and giving some accents of the crusty bread from before but beginning to evolve. Depending on the puff, I get some dry lumber, some lightly burned pizza crust, or some plain potato chips. The pepper dials back just a touch on retrohales, and while the intensity on the taste buds doesn’t change, the finish lengthens, which extends the mild tingling sensation. After a very agreeable and fairly inauspicious start, the Villiger Cuéllar Krēmē Lonsdale starts to develop some personality around the midway point as the bread turns toastier, a flavor of dry, whole-grain cereal joins the fray, and the pepper picks back up in the nose but is now less pointed and more nostril filling. The aroma isn’t quite campfire, but it is developing a certain smokiness, and there’s a few moments that remind me of the aroma that wafts out of a Neapolitan-style pizza oven. The second half of this section continues to see the flavor evolve, slightly intensifying and adding the sweetness of an original glazed Krispy Kreme donut at some spots. There’s a bit more pepper, especially through the nose, but it’s still milder than medium intensity. The second third sits in that mild-plus to medium-minus territory, with some puffs on either side that can be nudged up by a retrohale. The body feels a touch thinner, now medium-minus, while strength is still mild. Construction remains very good on the whole, but as the final third approaches, combustion does run into the occasional issue that warrants a touch-up or relight.

The final third kicks up the flavor intensity a notch or two with a heartier, thicker bread flavor, some earth, and a bit more black pepper. Creaminess is still a significant part of the profile, while some peanut shell has joined, giving the profile some newfound complexity. Retrohales are also punchier thanks to the increase in black pepper. If the first third was about being creamy and bready, the final third is drier and toastier, now with some dry lumber in the mix as well. While I’m not willing to call the cigar earthy, there is some earthiness in the profile, and as the bands come off, it begins to elicit a new physical reaction on my taste buds and at the top of my throat. It’s not harshness, rather, just a gruffer sensation than what’s been offered thus far. It might be enough to have me think about putting the cigar down if I was completely averse to the sensation, but it’s mild enough that a bit of water soothes the sensation. While there is still some creaminess, it now competes with this other flavor and sensation, seemingly taking away one of the key components that would seemingly attract someone to this blend. The final inch of the cigar oversharpens the flavor and adds what can be a biting heat, which, in the case of the first cigar, was a clear indicator that I probably smoked this farther than I should have. A slower puffing rate minimizes but doesn’t fully negate the sensation, though it does help get the cigar smoked down to a lip-burning nub while holding onto an enjoyable flavor. The final third’s flavor intensity is medium-minus with a few steps into medium range, body is back to medium, and strength is still mild. There are still some combustion challenges, as the cigar seems more prone to go out if left unpuffed, but the draw, smoke production and burn line all remain very good.

Final Notes

• Villiger Cigars North America stylizes the name of this cigar in two different ways: on the boxes and bands, they add marks over the e’s so you get Krēmē, but on the company’s website, the name is stylized without the marks. We default to what ends up on the cigars and packaging, hence why we refer to it as the Cuéllar Krēmē.
• The line has also undergone some name tweaks since its debut; it was originally released as the Villiger Connecticut Krēmē, then a packaging update in 2017 seemingly changed the name to Villiger Cuéllar Connecticut Krēmē. While the word Connecticut is still the band and packaging, it does not appear on the Villiger Cigars North America website.
• Relights were a bit of an issue with these cigars, particularly in the second half of the cigar. It never reached a point of true annoyance, but I’m never happy to have to relight a cigar that should otherwise be burning without issue.
• I’m told that many of the cigars in the box had a pretty aggressive press at the foot, including one used for this review. That said, I didn’t notice it, but I also wasn’t looking at the notes from when the cigars were photographed and inspected at the office.
• Thankfully, I didn’t sense any adverse effects from the relights. This is also a cigar that doesn’t need much time in front of the lighter to get burning, something I’m inclined to attribute to the thinner, lighter leaves I think are a big part of the blend.
• Nicotine strength is pretty much non-existent, which I would expect for a cigar with this kind of flavor profile.
• I don’t know what a typical consumer would say the dimensions of a lonsdale are, but I know I certainly think of them as being a more slender vitola than this one. So much so, I checked CubanCigarWebsite.com’s guide to common cigar names to see just what the range is. According to that site, a lonsdale has a ring gauge between 40 and 44 with a length of at least 160mm (6 3/10 inches).
• Villiger Cigars North America advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 6 1/2 x 44 lonsdale. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Final smoking time was about one hour and 50 minutes on average.
• Site sponsor Famous Smoke Shop carries the Villiger Cuellar Krēmē Lonsdale.